In this week’s assigned readings, a number of valid points were addressed, and several strategies offered, to assist students who struggle with mathematics in the early years (and beyond).  In the article, “When Language Prevents Kids From Succeeding At Math,” Wexler (2022) makes a number of valid points, many of which were addressed thoroughly in EDUC 397, and which we continue to address in this course.  The first point worth noting is how “students who don’t read well or lack crucial vocabulary often face unnecessary obstacles—not just in reading but also in math.”  When a student struggles with oral language comprehension, their ability to understand math problems is stemmed.  Simply put: “if you can’t read a math problem, you can’t solve it.  And even if you can read it—or listen to someone else read it—if you don’t have the vocabulary you need to understand it, you’re also out of luck” (Wexler, 2022).  

Wexler cites an instance where a student did not know what combine or before meant (and therefore probably struggled with other mathematical vocabulary) and whose lack of understanding was interfering with his ability to do assigned math.  I have often run into this problem while teaching and have dealt with countless students who could not solve math problems because they did not understand what was meant by the words combine, sum, product, quotient, total, decrease, increase, deduct, and so forth.  Not knowing essential mathematical vocabulary completely halted the students’ ability to solve the math problems I was asking them to do.  As such, and as Wexler argues, it is crucial that we provide explicit teaching of the math vocabulary involved in the problems we expect our students to solve.  Just like in learning to read (where students should only be expected to read the “code” they have been explicitly taught), learning in mathematics must account for students’ prior knowledge and understanding of explicitly taught math vocabulary.

One strategy to help build students’ vocabulary, as outlined briefly in Wexler’s article and more substantially in The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in all Subjects and Grades (Hochman and Wexler, 2017), is to have students write about the mathematical concepts they are learning: “an effective approach for many students is to use explicit instruction that is embedded in whatever math content they’re learning, beginning at the sentence level to modulate the heavy cognitive burden writing imposes” (Wexler, 2022).  Sentences using the three contractions: because, but, and so (highlighted in The Writing Revolution) are favoured because they “reinforce crucial vocabulary and math concepts while simultaneously familiarizing students with complex syntax that rarely appears in conversation” (Wexler, 2022).  Wexler leaves the reader with this: “it’s clear we need to remove whatever barriers to learning that we can.  And ensuring that kids can read and understand their math problems shouldn’t be all that difficult.”  I would add that it can be difficult, but it is absolutely essential if we want our students to succeed in math! 

Moving to the second reading of the week, “Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades” (IES, 2021), I found several more helpful strategies for math intervention and general instruction.  Despite it being an American publication, all recommendations can be applied in a northern B.C. classroom, including: 

  • Recommendation 1: Systemic Instruction (i.e., math instruction is provided systematically, instructional elements intentionally build students’ knowledge over time toward an identified learning outcome, reviewing and integrating previously and newly learned content is highlighted to maintain understanding of concepts and procedures, adequate verbal and visual supports for students to learn and understand new concepts and procedures is emphasized, as well as immediate and supportive feedback to students in order to address any misunderstandings).
  • Recommendation 2: Mathematical Language (i.e., as outlined by Wexler, routinely teaching mathematical vocabulary to build students’ understanding of the mathematics they are learning is key, in addition to using clear, concise, and correct mathematical language throughout lessons to reinforce students’ understanding of important mathematical vocabulary words, and supporting students in using mathematically precise language during verbal and written explanations of problem solving).
  • Recommendation 3: Representations (i.e., providing students with the concrete and semi-concrete representations that effectively represent the concept or procedure being covered, connecting concrete and semi-concrete representations to abstract representations, providing ample and meaningful opportunities for students to use representations to help solidify the use of representations as “thinking tools”, and revisiting concrete and semi-concrete representations periodically to reinforce and deepen understanding of mathematical ideas).
  • Recommendation 4: Number Lines (i.e., represent whole numbers, fractions, and decimals on a number line to build students’ understanding of numerical magnitude, compare numbers and determine their relative magnitude using a number line to help students understand quantity, and use the number line to build students’ understanding of the concepts underlying operations).
  • Recommendation 5: Word Problems (i.e., teach students to identify word problem types that include the same type of action or event, teach students a solution method for solving each problem type, expand students’ ability to identify relevant information in word problems by presenting problem information differently, teach vocabulary or language often in word problems to help students understand the problem, and include a mix of previously and newly learned problem types throughout intervention).
  • Recommendation 6: Timed Activities (i.e., identify already-learned topics for activities to support fluency, choose the activity and accompanying materials wisely and set clear expectations, ensure that students have an efficient strategy to use as they complete the timed activity, encourage and motivate students to work hard by having them chart their progress, and provide immediate feedback by asking students to correct errors using an efficient strategy).

The explanations and examples that accompany each recommendation are extremely beneficial and will greatly support my teaching practice.  And although I already use most of them, this article will help me work toward mastering each recommendation so that I can assist all the struggling math learners that come my way!  

References

Hochman, J., and N. Wexler. (2017). The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in all Subjects and Grades. Jossey-Bass: A Wiley Brand, San Francisco, CA.

IES: Institute of Education Sciences. (2021, March). Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades. U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/WWC2021006-Math-PG.pdf

Wexler, N. (2022). “When Language Prevents Kids From Succeeding At Math.” Retrieved July 20, 2022 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliewexler/2022/06/21/when-language-prevents-kids-from-succeeding-at-math/?sh=2b68339e623d