Strengthening Oral Language Skills in Mathematics for English Language Learners Through Desmos® Technology

Abstract

Abstract-A major focus of teaching English Language Learners (ELL) in mathematics classrooms is to provide multiple opportunities for students to use authentic language. Barrier games offer ELLs a balance between productive (speaking, writing) and receptive (listening, reading) language. In a barrier game, students work in pairs to complete an information gap activity where learners are missing the information they need to complete a task and need to talk to each other to find it. With Desmos®' Polygraph program, students are provided online tools for transforming informal language into formal language similar to a Barrier Game. Following a background of barrier games in mathematics, this article will provide a detailed description of Polygraph and its potential for all students to learn and apply authentic mathematical language.

Re-conceptualizing Techno-Linguistics: Using Technology for English Language Teaching?

“…Researchers from the two areas could collaborate and help teachers integrate technology with linguistics theories in the classroom. For example, teacher educators who specialize in SFL could help language teachers learn SFL-based knowledge; technology experts could familiarize teachers with applications to deliver or apply SFL knowledge through technological assistance [11] [12] [13]. In the process, using technological functions (e.g., multimedia features or applications), teachers could also be assisted in developing SFL materials designed for preand post-learning activities to deliver or enhance students' SFL knowledge and its application to academic literacies [14].…”

A Systematic Review on Mathematical Language Learning Using PRISMA in Scopus Database

“…In language area, online tools such as Barrier game or Desmos®' Polygraph program are developed for transforming informal language into formal language. Such online tools facilitate students' construction of mathematical knowledge through learning and application process to be more authentic (Caniglia et al, 2017). Additionally, language games are also used in small groups for science intervention (Serder & Jakobsson, 2015).…”

“…First category, the 'what' represents the approaches employed in the articles to encourage mathematical language usage among students. Out of 20 articles summarized, 3 current studies employed online learning environment (Caniglia et al, 2017;Medina Herrera et al, 2019;Walkington et al, 2019) and two studies utilized technology for data collection (Rudd et al, 2008;Van Jaarsveld, 2018). In the focus of current study, technology was not merely used by the researchers to collect data; but the students themselves applied Cardenas (2002) 2002 Explicit instruction when the discourse is analyzed or formalized.…”

“…The interpretation of meaning does not merely depend on knowledge of key words or concepts (Hornburg et al, 2018), but also relies on understanding the key words used in mathematics (Purpura et al, 2016). Understanding the keywords refers to students' capability of using appropriate mathematical vocabulary (Barwell, 2015;Caniglia, Borgerding, & Meadows, 2017;Firmender, Gavin, & McCoach, 2014) including the ability to discriminate mathematical vocabulary usage to promote academic outcomes (Van Jaarsveld, 2016). This can be known through students' spoken words that transform from everyday language to more formal mathematical language (Simpson & Cole, 2014).…”

“…The connection between informal and formal mathematical languages represents the beauty of word pattern (Serder & Jakobsson, 2015). Therefore, from previous definitions, mathematical language can be defined as specific focus on vocabulary to help students in connecting informal and formal mathematical languages using linguistic and communicative resources to obtain information (Caniglia et al, 2017).…”