Addressing the Needs of English-Language Learners in Science and Math Classrooms
Cathleen McCargo
In recent years, national reform efforts in education have advocated higher academic standards
for all children in science and math. Rigorous standards have been mandated by legislation such
as the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. In its recent proposal for reauthorization of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Department of Education emphasized the
importance of standards in all academic areas. Professional organizations such as the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Science Teachers Association, the National
Science Foundation, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science have all
proposed standards. In response to these national movements, states and local school districts
across the country have developed standardized tests to assess children's knowledge in various
content-specific disciplines.
Although implementing higher standards challenges teachers to rethink the ways in which they
help children build subject knowledge and critical thinking skills, these reform efforts have
serious implications for schools that serve large populations of English learners. English learners
enrolled in science and math classes face a double challenge in that they are learning English
while simultaneously learning content. Factors such as age of entry into the United States, age of
entry into school, previous educational background, and type of program in which they are
enrolled all influence English learners' ability to succeed in these classes.
Questions and Issues
Why Is It Important for Science and Math Teachers To Consider Children's English Proficiency?
Science and math teachers often find that English proficiency varies widely among English
learners. For this reason, the question of what and how to teach becomes critical. Depending on
the English skill level of the class, instructors may need to teach in their students' native
language or use a sheltered instructional approach in which they help children acquire content
and develop English language skills at the same time.
How Does an Understanding of Social Language and Academic Language Help Teachers in
Their Instruction of English Learners?
Science and math teachers need to be aware that much of the language used in interpersonal
communication differs from the language used in education and that children may be more
proficient in one than the other. Social language is the language used to converse with a friend or
to complete routine tasks. In contrast, academic language is the language of subject-matter
discussions and textbooks. Although children may appear proficient in their ability to engage in
daily conversations in English, they may have difficulty understanding or using English when
reading textbooks, writing papers, or engaging in other academic learning activities.
The ESL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students, developed by the Teachers of English to Speakers of
Other Languages Association (TESOL), identify goals for English learners. These standards are
designed for use with existing content area standards to help teachers develop children's
proficiency in social language skills (for example, requesting information) and in academic
language skills (for example, representing information graphically). Research shows that the
development of academic language skills may require five to nine years of instruction (Cummins,
1980). Science and math teachers should understand that it may be a long time before the English
learners perform on a par with the native English speakers in their classes.
The development of academic language skills is further complicated by the specialized language
or register characteristic of science and math disciplines. Teachers should familiarize children
with this specialized language so that they can recognize and use it successfully in science and
math courses.
What Effect Does Previous Schooling Have on Achievement in Science and Math Classes?
An awareness of children's cultural backgrounds, particularly the level of schooling attained
prior to arrival in the United States, helps teachers get a clearer picture of their students' needs.
For example, English learners in science and math classes may be on different educational levels
from those of their same-age peers as a result of limited or interrupted schooling.
Educational level has important implications for the selection of instructional strategies,
including decisions about the language of instruction. By understanding children's educational
backgrounds and cultures, teachers gain invaluable insights into what has already been learned
with respect to the curriculum, allowing them to tap into their students' abilities instead of
highlighting their deficits (see, for example, Secada, 1983). Having this awareness helps teachers
understand how children comprehend, for example, procedures for solving math problems.
Teachers should be familiar with the various ways that children may approach mathematical
operations--that is, the teacher's usual method may differ from the one children initially learned
in their native country. Allowing children to express their comprehension of particular operations
helps teachers understand their thinking processes and assess their content knowledge. It also
provides valuable language practice.
The approaches described in this section involve instruction in English. However, many
researchers cite that teaching English learners in their native language, particularly when new
concepts are being taught, facilitates understanding of the content (Buchanan and Helman, 1993).
Should Children Learning English Take Science and Math Courses?
Yes. Although children may lack the English proficiency and educational background to fully
communicate their ideas and understandings in a science or math class, many have some math
knowledge that teachers can build on, and most can participate in science experiments in ways
that do not demand high levels of language use. Exposure to science and math concepts helps
facilitate the acquisition of language and the development of cognitive skills.
Implications for Practice
Because of the growing numbers of English learners in school districts across the country and the
wide range of needs that these learners bring to the classroom, schools might consider the
following suggestions, grouped into four broad categories: curriculum and materials, instruction,
assessment, and professional development.
Curriculum and Materials
Curriculum and materials appropriate for English learners are often lacking. Thus, these children
are often excluded from science and math classes, or they take the classes without fully
benefiting from them. Given the wide range of English proficiency levels and developmental
levels that can exist within a classroom, teachers should use appropriate curricula to address the
needs of all children.
Teachers can adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of English learners, particularly those with
low levels of literacy, by identifying and clustering similar learning objectives across grade
levels. Clustering should also take into account factors such as student age, educational
background, and level of English proficiency (Buchanan and Helman, 1993). For children who
have had gaps in their educational experience, clustering has several benefits. First, it allows
teachers to move children along as quickly as possible and revisit objectives if necessary.
Second, clustering learning objectives allows teachers to integrate a variety of math strands into
one lesson.
Instruction
Appropriate instructional strategies are needed to make academic material accessible. For
example, children who have had minimal or interrupted schooling may benefit from instruction
in science and math in their native language. Children with low native literacy skills will benefit
from instruction focused on literacy development. Children who have had previous schooling
will do well with a "sheltered" approach to learning science and math, in which teachers make
extensive use of supplementary materials and provide multiple opportunities for interaction to
make academic content accessible in English. Sheltered content classes are often organized
around themes that tap into children's life experiences while addressing curricular objectives.
Assessment
Because English learners have the dual challenge of learning language and academic content
simultaneously, teachers need to implement a variety of assessment procedures that allow
children to successfully demonstrate what they know and can do.
Several assessment techniques proposed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics are
essential for teachers who work with English learners, particularly those with low levels of
literacy. These techniques can be divided into three categories: those that are a part of instruction,
such as spot checks, checklists, and anecdotal records of student progress over time; those that
include multiple assessment methods that target what children know, such as rating scales/rubrics
and portfolios; and those that holistically assess children's language skills--listening, speaking,
reading, and writing--in an integrated math and language course (Buchanan and Helman, 1993).
Professional Development
Collaboration between English as a second language (ESL) teachers and content teachers is
essential and can be advantageous for both groups. Because content teachers are already familiar
with the curriculum and materials, ESL teachers can benefit from their knowledge and expertise
in solving problems. At the same time, ESL teachers can make science and math teachers more
aware of the types of language activities that can be built into the content area classroom to
promote children's language development. Language teachers should be trained to integrate
language and content instruction, and content teachers should be trained in ESL methodologies.
Conclusion
To prepare English learners to meet high academic standards at all grade levels, educators have
to consider many factors. Science and math teachers need to develop children's language and
academic skills as well as teach content material. In addition to general language proficiency,
children need to learn the special variety or language register of the discipline. Knowledge about
factors such as age, language proficiency, and developmental levels related to children's formal
schooling can help science and math teachers adapt curricular objectives, identify appropriate
materials and instructional strategies, and determine whether native language support should be
provided.
Because the structure and content of programs vary from district to district, program staff should
determine the amount of support necessary for science and math teachers who instruct English
learners. Whether a program uses a sheltered approach with ESL staff, or a native language
approach, or depends on interdisciplinary planning and teaching among content and language
teachers, collaboration and professional development are clearly needed to help English learners
meet high standards in science and math.
References
Buchanan, K., and M. Helman. 1993. Reforming Mathematics Instruction for ESL Literacy
Students. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.
Cummins, J. 1980. "The Cross-Lingual Dimensions of Language Proficiency: Implications for
Bilingual Education and the Optimal Age Issue." TESOL Quarterly 14: 175-87.
Secada, W. 1983. The Educational Background of Limited English Proficient Students:
Implications for the Arithmetic Classroom. Arlington Heights, IL: Bilingual Education Service
Center.
| Cathleen McCargo is Coordinator of the Sheltered Instruction Project at the Center for Applied
Linguistics and taught English as a Second Language at Bell Multicultural High School in
Washington, D.C., for 10 years. She is a fluent speaker of Spanish.
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 Federal Support for Science and Mathematics Education
This page was updated on Fri Nov 2 19:14:46 GMT 2001
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