Explain this
Multilingualism in Mathematics Classrooms: Global Perspectives
How the publisher describes it:
“Mathematics classrooms are increasingly multilingual, whether they are found in linguistically diverse societies, urban melting pots or planned bilingual programs. The chapters in this book present and discuss examples of mathematics classroom life from a range of multilingual classroom settings, and use these examples to draw out and discuss key issues for the teaching and learning of mathematics and language.”
Review by Emma Folman
In brief:
I certainly benefited from pausing from my teaching practice to read this book
“I had never previously considered the cultural impacts upon Mathematics”
Working in a school with (for the county at least) a high proportion of multilingual students, I assumed the text Multilingualism in Mathematics Classrooms: global perspectives would be interesting but something I had seen before.
I certainly benefited from pausing from my teaching practice to read this book. I dipped in and out of the text and found myself being distracted by the chapter headings and wanting to read the sections non-sequentially. Contributions have been submitted written in from experiences of Somali, Latino, Welsh, Australian, Pakistani and Maltese students exploring a variety of multilingual experiences within Mathematical Classrooms.
The book caused me to consider three main points, firstly not surprisingly I considered my practice and the strategies I implement to support multilingual students. Secondly, I was also prompted to question if I use multilingual students efficiently as a resource. Their skills and knowledge could accelerate and support the understanding of the entire class and yet for some reason that had never dawned on me before. Thirdly, I had never previously considered the cultural impacts upon Mathematics when teachers and students communicate about a subject using different languages as their terms of reference.
This book is certainly worth a read for anyone researching multilingualism within Mathematics. As an NQT + 1, this struck me as a useful read for trainee teachers. Either trainee’s who are working with multilingual students to provide inspiration, or indeed for those who are training in schools with a homogeneous language to widen their knowledge base. I fully intend to make this a summer, reread, where I shall examine the contributions with respect to improving and raising the quality of my own teaching.
Emma Folman • Mathematics teacher
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Multilingual Matters (15 Sep 2009)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1847692044
ISBN-13: 978-1847692047
Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 1.5 cm
