Supporting Secondary Reading – An Alert to My Bias
Fang and Schleppegrell’s discussion of using functional analysis when approaching specialized academic language highlighted some key elements that I had not yet considered. Along with the difficulty of new vocabulary and concepts that academic texts can introduce, there is always a specific style, tone, or voice associated with various areas of study. Common expressions, tendencies to compact as much information as possible using new and complicated word and sentence structure, and general expectation of audience familiarity add to the entire challenge of adapting to other levels of language.
As a math specialist, I have always had a perception of mathematics as a universal language that needed few words to describe involved problems. This statement in itself is my bias, as well as something that I must now be very careful to approach with my students. Perhaps the greatest barrier does not lie in understanding the methods to solve the problems, but being able to confidently decide what the problem needs to be solved. As the article details, one small sentence expects the reader to hold knowledge from several areas of the subject so as to be able to formulate the problem never mind attempt at its solution. The weight in terms of multiple definitions and contextual connotations that math terminology holds is often taken as understood and mastered. Thus if a student encounters a challenging or unfamiliar problem, he/she should be able to call on their past knowledge of what the pieces of the question describe to build a suitable response.
Now being able to recognize my own personal assumption, I must now work to not carry forward into the classroom. Adopting the techniques that were outlined in the article could greatly help me assist my future students in becoming comfortable and confident with managing such language. After all, as teachers we cannot expect answers from our students if they cannot first understand what is the question!