One article that showed up in my Google Alerts was an article titled Math Instruction for English Language Learners, by Kristina Robertson. As a math instructor I have found there is not too much information on teaching math to ESL students, so this peaked my interest right away! There was a lot of useful information in this article. It discusses the importance of language acquisition, building background knowledge, increasing student language production, and explicitly teaching academic language.
At the end of the article it discussed ways you can use technology in your math classroom. One tip that I found interesting was: Look for interactive games that offer students a chance to practice their mathematical skills. She tells us about a Nintendo DS game called Brain Age. The game provides excellent mathematical training for numbers and tracks results, showing student improvement over time. I would never had thought to use Nintendo in my instruction, but I know the students would love it. Whenever I tell them they are playing a game, their faces light up. I could only imagine what their faces would look like if I told them they would be playing Nintendo.
It also shared a great website called Vital NY (Video Teaching and Learning for NYS Educators) on Teachers' Domain offers an online library of free media resources from the best in public television. It was created by PBS Channels 13 and
21. It seems like a great resource for teachers. I did a simple search of "Make a Ten" and chose second grade. It came up with over 700 results. These results included videos, interactive games, lesson plans, and much more. Looking forward to using this in the future!
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Taryn,
ReplyDeleteGreat that you were able to find an article related to math of ELLs. I feel as if this would be harder to find since the focus is always on ELA skills for ELLs. I like your discussion about interactive math games, which all of the students I work with enjoy. The Nintendo DS game sounds fun! If you told the students they were going to pratice these math skills on a Nintendo DS, I'm sure they would be thrilled. And you would be the coolest teacher around!