Abstract
Statement of Problem
High school seniors’ completion of secondary math courses is a challenge for the public school system specifically within the state of California. California is currently comprised of the highest U.S. percentage of students who speak a language other than English. Legislation such as the California Assembly Bill 899 (October, 2013) provides the needed focus on academic content standards for English language development students, however, applicable and effective instructional tools and adequate teacher preparation to apply them has been the focus of educational research. Observations of teacher instructional practices of the Transition to Quantitative Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning with Advanced Mathematical Topics courses offered through California State University, Sacramento substantiates a necessity for support of language learners within the curriculum. An online professional development resource is needed to engage teachers in understanding and implementing best practices for language learners.
Sources of Data
Foundational English language development instruction theory and research in tandem with current mathematical literacy instruction theory and research are used as a guide for this project. Additionally, the California Common Core State Standards for both language arts and mathematics are consulted in the development of resources for both teachers and students to interconnect language development and mathematics concepts.
Conclusions Reached
An online teacher professional development module can be created to support teachers in meeting the needs of their language learners. A focused module communicating differentiated, discussion-based instructional practices can assist teachers in promoting the language development of the emergent bilingual population within the QRAT and TQR mathematics courses. Based upon teacher professional learning theory, an engaging and meaningful module with relevant student and teacher resources provide thoughtful and evaluative learning.