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Supporting prospective teachers to notice and name student language resources as mathematical strengths

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Abstract

Deficit discourse and framing of multilingual students and their academic potential is a persistent challenge in mathematics education research and practice. It is a challenge for teachers of all experience levels to learn how to use asset-based language when working with students who are learning mathematics in a non-dominant language. This article reports on a study that explored how prospective teachers (PTs) position multilingual students and their primary language when learning mathematics. The participants are elementary and secondary PTs who were introduced to and had the opportunity to practice asset-based discourse to describe students’ mathematical strengths. Findings illustrate that after these learning opportunities PTs’ positioning of multilingual students shifted from using deficit and uncommitted discourse to asset-based. A closer look, however, showed no explicit mention of the value of the student’s primary language for learning mathematics. Only a few PTs did so implicitly. This study shows it is possible for PTs to shift deficit language, but that more explicit support is needed to help them communicate the value of language/linguistic diversity in the learning of mathematics.

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Acknowledgements

This publication was supported in part by funds to the first author (Sandra Crespo) as a LessonSketch Research and Development fellow and to her inquiry group members (the co-authors in this publication) on NSF Grant DRL-1316241. The graphics used in these images are © 2017 The Regents of the University of Michigan, all rights reserved. All graphics are used with permission, in compliance with terms of use.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA

    Sandra Crespo

  2. University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, USA

    Diana Bowen

  3. University of Maryland, College Park, USA

    Tarik Buli

  4. Clemson University, Clemson, USA

    Nicole Bannister

  5. University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, USA

    Crystal Kalinec-Craig

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  1. Sandra Crespo
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  2. Diana Bowen
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  3. Tarik Buli
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  4. Nicole Bannister
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  5. Crystal Kalinec-Craig
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Correspondence to Sandra Crespo.

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Crespo, S., Bowen, D., Buli, T. et al. Supporting prospective teachers to notice and name student language resources as mathematical strengths. ZDM Mathematics Education 53, 461–473 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-020-01205-2

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