Response to Chapters 1, 2, and 3
Before reading the first few chapters in the text, I had never given much consideration to the difficulty of learning new academic languages for students who have not fully mastered the English language. I was born and raised in Canada and grew up in an English speaking home which meant that I never had to experience the struggles of learning multiple languages at the same time. Reflecting on the language used in math (my area of specialization) I can see how this could become especially tricky for some students. Words such as “prime”, “difference”, or “product” have a completely different meaning in the context of math than they may have in a persons’ every day life. After being made aware of the many possible traps waiting to confuse students I was surprised to see some of the solutions that were listed in the book. Suggestions to overcoming these obstacles such as using facial expressions, hand gestures, and metaphors seemed so obvious and yet I had never thought of them as tools that a teacher could consciously take advantage of to aid in the education of their students. Previously, I had thought of these things as a natural part of conversation that was given very little thought. This made me realize that there are some seemingly small things that teachers are able to make a conscious effort to do that can make a world of difference for students.