For students who don’t speak English, learning math demands more than mastering numbers—it requires learning a new language. Teachers can expect to see increasing numbers of English-language learners in their classrooms over the next several years. The number of ELL students in K12 schools has grown 28% since 2000, and by 2025, nearly 25% of public school students will be ELL students, of whom 70% will be Spanish-language speakers.
In 2022, students nationwide showed the largest decline in NAEP math scores in two decades. However, public school fourth-grade ELL students scored 23 points lower than their non-ELL peers, and eighth-grade ELL students scored 35 points lower. To ensure all students have an equal opportunity to engage and excel in math, we must adjust our instruction.
Here are four strategies teachers can use to help English-language learners become more confident—and successful—in math.
1. Provide visual aids
When you teach students to look at fractions as parts of a pizza, they can immediately relate to parts of a whole. A picture can illustrate math concepts for ELL students much more effectively than verbal or written words.
Teachers can simplify complex ideas using visual supports such as graphic organizers that can define terms, explain math facts, and illustrate concepts critical to problem-solving. By providing students with charts, graphs, pictures, diagrams and number lines, you can further scaffold math problems for students learning math and English, boosting their confidence and success.
2. Facilitate hands-on activities
Research also indicates that manipulatives are especially useful for teaching struggling students, students with learning disabilities and English-language learners. Math manipulatives provide ELL students with hands-on experiences that help them confidently explore and investigate mathematical concepts and processes. By providing students with basic materials such as connecting cubes, links, or base-10 blocks, teachers can more efficiently help them grasp concepts—and English learners can more easily demonstrate to teachers what they know.
3. Offer language scaffolds
We often refer to math as a “universal language” due to its overreliance on symbols. But students must understand the verbal and written language that supports it to be successful.
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English-language learners usually need more vocabulary and confidence to discuss mathematical strategies, engage in discussions with peers or defend their reasoning. Your educators can do the following to make math more accessible to these students.
- Preview and pre-teach math vocabulary: Introduce all students to the math vocabulary they will encounter in upcoming lessons. Encourage students to create and keep vocabulary word walls or notebooks they can refer to as they work through problems. ELL students can write definitions of these words in their native language to help them remember and understand key terms or concepts.
- Teach non-math vocabulary: ELL students may not be familiar with vocabulary presented in problems that involve currency, measurement units or temperature. By revisiting non-math vocabulary, teachers can help these students grasp words to help them navigate math and the world around them.
- Simplify the language in word problems: If students have difficulty unraveling the words in a math problem, they’re less likely to want to solve it. Teachers can substitute more common words in the problem to reduce the language barrier for ELL students. They can offer two versions—stripped-down and original—to help them build their math comprehension and English language skills.
- Show that vocabulary can have multiple meanings: Most students get tripped up by homophones or words with multiple meanings. For example, terms such as product, expression, even and odd have different meanings in math than in reading or social studies. Teachers should explain these nuances to ELL students just learning the language.
4. Encourage collaboration to promote mathematical discourse
If you don’t know English well, speaking in front of the whole class or following classroom conversations can be intimidating. Teachers can allow ELL students to express their ideas in lower-stakes settings by placing them in pairs or groups.
Just as students with varying math abilities benefit from working together, so do students at different stages of English proficiency. Consider grouping students who share a native language but ensure one speaker can speak more advanced English. The student with stronger English language skills benefits by teaching their partner what they know, and the student learning English benefits from hearing instructions and concepts in their native language. This collaborative approach supports ELL students and fosters a sense of inclusion and community throughout the classroom.
Teachers must adapt their instructional approaches to accommodate language barriers to bridge the gap in math achievement for English-language learners. Visual aids, hands-on activities, language scaffolds and collaborative learning can significantly enhance ELL students’ understanding and confidence in math. As we welcome a more diverse student body, embracing these methods will help ELL students succeed in math and prepare all students to thrive in a multicultural world.
