Oral Language in the Mathematics Classroom: Does it Really Mater?

So I thought I'd try and put some of my thoughts about oral language down in writing with the hopes that it will help me clarify my thoughts. I really enjoyed the video clips and discussion we had in class about African-American English and Appalachian English. It really got me thinking about what a language is. Initially upon being presented with the topic of the class I thought it would be interesting to learn about but not too applicable to teaching math. After all, I don't plan on assigning any huge writing assignments and math has a very unique vocabulary that I would most likely be exposing my students to for the first time. Therefore I figured I could teach my students correct math vocabulary and I could deal with whatever oral language preference my students had in their other speaking. However, as I thought more about it I realized I needed to take off my rose-colored glasses and see that it was going to be harder than I thought to deal with oral language.
Two challenges really stood out to me. For starters, the "language" of mathematics is a precision one. Words take on very specific and literal meanings in a mathematical context. Therefore, if my students bring a more ambiguous or less understood oral language into the class the specificity of the words and the message they need to convey could be lost. I would be doing my students a disservice if I let that happen. Mathematics is a language understood globally. My students need to understand that and I need to hold them accountable for speaking that language ti ensure their future success in mathematics.

The second challenge appeared when I considered my classroom as a diverse place where multiple forms of oral language will be present. To my mind came the image of a school I once worked in that had very dichotomous student population, students' families were either very well off or economically struggling. I observed that those that had more well off families didn't interact as much with the students from struggling families. I now believe part of the reason for that was that they didn't use the same oral language. This same problem carried over into the classroom. Even when students were forced to collaborate in groups assigned by the teacher, there was a resistance and lack of flowing communication. Oral language, I now believe, was a huge contributor to the wall that was between them. If I expect my students to collaborate, and I assure you I do, then I will have to work on breaking the wall that differing oral languages create.

Finally, my thoughts on oral language have turned to myself. I fully acknowledge that being raised in Utah for all but 6 years of my life that I have developed a "Utah accent." That fact, coupled with my desire to teach for a time outside of Utah, means that my oral language might come into conflict with that of my students. While I don't consider a Utah accent a separate language, I do foresee some students having a problem with some of the things I say. To overcome this I feel the best approach is to make sure my explanations are clear and that I give directions, instructions and explanations in various methods beyond just speaking. Things like written material, dialogue between peers and visuals will all help me overcome language barriers.

All in all oral language is a big deal. There's no way to avoid it and only a teacher who cares nothing for their students would disregard it. Although my knowledge and experience with its diversities and challenges is limited, I'm glad to have at least been made aware of it and my need to address it. Even in what I thought would be my isolated math class.

Starting It Off Right

Hello my fellow classmates and the world beyond. My name is Eric Arthur and I am studying Mathematics education with a coaching and physical education minor. I also have plans to get into educational administration somewhere down the road of life but for now I am satisfied to teach and coach. You’d think that after an entire first week of classes I would have this introduction thing down. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment but I’ll do my best.

A brief background of myself would probably be the best place to start. I was born in Salt Lake City, UT and claim West Jordan, UT as my home town after living there throughout my entire childhood. I was also born on the 4^th of July so for all those who didn’t know the fireworks are actually for me and not for any other reasons you might have been given. I have attended the University of Utah and Utah State during my college years. I transferred up here two years ago after getting married in the summer of 2009. While it’s taken some adjusting, I’m glad I came up here because it prompted my change of majors into the education field. I still have a few semesters left and plan on graduating Dec. 2012.

Growing up I always considered myself an intelligent jock. I think I have almost a split personality disorder of some sort because I couldn’t be more different in these two areas of life. I am pretty quiet and reserved when it comes to my academic life (although I have been known to passionately debate on topics I feel strongly about) and the complete opposite in any type of sporting event. I become super competitive, aggressive and command much more respect and attention while playing. My passion is and always will be for soccer but I also play/enjoy basketball, ultimate Frisbee, and distance running. In fact I’ve taken very well to running and have run many races including two marathons.

My other passion in life is mathematics and teaching. I love seeing those light bulb moments on student’s faces when something just clicks and becomes perfectly clear to them. There’s nothing better to me as a teacher than knowing that a student has left my classroom with a better understanding than they entered with. I consider myself a very logical person and I think that is why I’m so drawn to math. While there are many ways at arriving at an answer, every path must follow a logical progression of ideas in order for it to be valid. Navigating that path to its logical conclusion, especially when there are obstacles to overcome, is extremely satisfying to me.

I can’t really identify one major event in my life that set me on the path to a teaching career. I’ve had my fair share of influential teachers, only one of which actually taught math, but I can’t say that I have one that pushed me here. I’ve worked a lot with underprivileged youth as a tutor and mentor and I’ve seen firsthand how desperately good teachers are needed in the world today. I’ve also seen the influence a good teacher can have on troubled students and I hope to have at least one of those experiences in my life. I’m not delusional enough to think that I’ll change every student in my class but nothing is worth doing if you don’t shoot for the moon with it. I look forward to this semester and class because I hope to expand my understanding of what it takes for a student to really learn in any given content area. Then, with any luck, I'll be able to turn that knowledge to good use and be a better teacher for it. Here's to a great semester!