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Addressing Multi-language Diversity in Mathematics Teacher Education Programs

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Mathematics Education and Language Diversity

Part of the book series: New ICMI Study Series ((NISS))

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Abstract

In this chapter, mathematics teacher educators (MTEs) from two different environments, namely South Africa (RSA) and the United States (US), join together to share our insights on the role that MTEs might play in the preparation mathematics teachers need in order to address language diversity in their mathematics classrooms. Although from two different contexts, we believe there are more similarities than differences in the issues and challenges MTEs face who must prepare and support teachers. Hence, we begin by raising awareness of some issues involved in helping students learn to read, write, speak, and listen to mathematics—a foreign language for most students, regardless of their English language proficiency. We then discuss issues related to orchestrating classroom discourse, with special attention to multilingual mathematics classrooms. We end by sharing strategies MTEs might use in preparing teachers to teach students from linguistically diverse backgrounds.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In this chapter, we use the word teachers to refer to both prospective teachers and practicing teachers enrolled in either undergraduate or graduate teacher education programs, respectively.

  2. 2.

    For simplicity in this argument, we ignore the fact that students’ home language may also lead to a mathematics that may well be quite different from the school mathematics with which they engage.

  3. 3.

    In this chapter, code-borrowing refers to the use of English terminology in an indigenous sentence, and has to be distinguished from transliteration, discussed under Section 7.3.3.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Denisse R. Thompson & Gladis Kersaint

  2. North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa

    Hannatjie Vorster & Marthie S. Van der Walt

  3. Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

    Lyn Webb

Authors
  1. Denisse R. Thompson
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  2. Gladis Kersaint
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  3. Hannatjie Vorster
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  4. Lyn Webb
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  5. Marthie S. Van der Walt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Denisse R. Thompson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Richard Barwell

  2. Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia

    Philip Clarkson

  3. Institute for Educational Development East Africa, Aga Khan University, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

    Anjum Halai

  4. University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi

    Mercy Kazima

  5. University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    Judit Moschkovich

  6. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

    NĂşria Planas

  7. University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

    Núria Planas  & Mamokgethi Setati Phakeng  & 

  8. Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Paola Valero

  9. Ministerio de EducaciĂłn, Lima, Peru

    Martha Villavicencio UbillĂşs

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Thompson, D.R., Kersaint, G., Vorster, H., Webb, L., Van der Walt, M.S. (2016). Addressing Multi-language Diversity in Mathematics Teacher Education Programs. In: Barwell, R., et al. Mathematics Education and Language Diversity. New ICMI Study Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14511-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14511-2_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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