Before I get into what research has to say, I’d like to point out some personal experiences as how Chinese has helped me with my students. I spent about 1 year intensively learning Chinese Mandarin, and it included the culture. Language and culture here seem so intrically connected, so sometimes knowing how to say it in Mandarin is almost as important as why they say it like that in Taiwan. I believe when I use comparisons to their language, and I seem to know about their culture, my kids tend to want to open up more to me and have a more dear, tender regard towards me. With that said, I’ll now mention some points which are research-based as to how using the learners primary language can benefit their English Language learning.
First, research has shown to improve proficiency in math and English (Genesee, 2010). As these are high-priority subjects in many countries around the world, I can see how a student being able to connect the dots of problem solving and another language, in their language would be very useful. Their research mentioned faster bilingual proficiency in math and English, again, than others using only one language. Many times, I have seen teachers assuming the kids don’t know the math, simply because they don’t understand the instructions. However, after they go home and their tutor translates what it means, they suddenly come back knowing all the content. So, it seems data and research mentioned by Genesee is applicable globally, beyond those already researched.
Furthermore, the same paper mentioned above, and numerous other videos, often mention how multilingual learners have higher cognitive advantages for problem solving skills. A particular video which I embed below, mentions how more gray matter has been found in brains of multi-lingual learners compared to monolingual. It is interesting to know that this gray matter is not only composed of more neuron connections in our brain, but also the very thing that got affected when infected with COVID-19 according to research in the UK (Haseltine, 2022). Interesting, don’t you think? Would it mean learning a language or practicing multi-lingual habits be a solution to more gray matter Post-Covid?
Other benefits mentioned by the research included: Inter-languages transfer – meaning they take the knowledge from one language and use it to understand or amplify the other; confidence and a sense of fearlessness (Cloud, 2016)- meaning they don’t feel so anxious about confronting a new language, such as English; and a correlating overall academic success when including the learners primary language.
Scaffolding
It is interesting and eye-opening to see how their primary language can be helpful in the students’ learning. It brings up the question then, how much scaffolding should be done for them and to what extent? Well firstly, it is imperative to note scaffolding in education means the teacher provides structured assistance to the students, and little by little removes it. This is done until the student can be independent and can do things on their own (Horwits et al, 2019). Usually scaffolding is done based on the zone of proximal development as coined by Lev Vygotsky (GCU, 2022). Just like in buildings, at first the teacher may need to hold the students hard for them to stand up, and as they acquire techniques to understand vocabulary, concepts in math or science, and the content for the week or semester, the teacher slowly starts to remove that massive support and allows them to figure out some on their own. Eventually, the goal is for the student to require as little support from the instructor to apply their problem solving skills and analysis.
Scaffolding not only would include going over solutions together with children, or providing fill in the blanks of single words to understand content. Scaffolding can include images, infographics, discussions, group work, charts, games, and more. Thus, one would argue that using further comparisons or decoding of meaning can be done using the learners primary language. In a way, it would be another section of scaffolding, focosuing on building those bridges of material/knowledge learned in their primary language to the new ones in English. By the student being able to visualize and contextualize certain vocabulary that may be out of their reach, they can also incorporate their primary language to cement, recall easily, and connect the knowledge. Below is an embedded site that breaks down scaffolding into three sections. It points out materials or strategies that are best fit depending on the purpose.
You can find a really neat infographic about scaffolding here.
How to implement these benefits in a math classroom (in Taiwan)?
When I am teaching math, I feel that our students are mostly well versed in the subject already and many times have memorized one way of solving the problem. The goal then in bilingual schools, is to ensure the student learns “Western” problem solving styles beyond this, and are able to comprehend textbooks in English containing math content.
- I believe students understanding key vocabulary and being able to use it in their conversations, discussion, and homework is essential. Thus, I will start by giving students listening skills some practice as I pronounce the words out loud. Being able to pronounce vocabulary makes it easier for them, many times, to remember how to spell and use later on.
Vocabulary:- check if there are words that sound like the new vocabulary to make comparisons and easier to remember for the students
- if there are no words, check if there are syllables or sounds in the new words that may exist in their mother tongue. English and Chinese, for instance, don’t have a connecting alphabet, but syllables of English may sound like words or characters in Chinese.
- Make sure to include images connecting where the academic vocabulary is found and used. See if they can figure out what it is in Chinese. Chances are, they already learned it in their Chinese math class. If they can’t figure out the Chinese for the words yet, move on and see if they do so in the process.
- Go over some math of addition of fractions for them. Every time, for example, if the vocabulary words are fractions, numerators, and denominators, use these to go over the process together.
- After a few problems together, ask the students to share with a partner how they solved another similar math problem, using the vocabulary words, or their mother tongue to refer to the parts as they explain.
- After their discussion, have a class recap of what is a fraction and its parts. Check if everyone figured out the names of those parts in their mother tongue yet, and add notes for their future reference.
- If they know the vocabulary and math concepts in Chinese already, I can go as far as to compare how they solve or read fractions in Chinese vs. English. In Chinese we read fractions from the denominator up to the numerator, while in English it’s the inverse: top to bottom. Add a note so they don’t get mixed up.
Go over instructions for the assignments before they leave, ensure everyone is clear on what to do. Emphasize word problems that can use the academic vocabulary in their answers, instead of “top number” for numerator, students should use the new vocabulary words they have learned, rather than the easy one. They can, however, also add notes like, “The sum of the numerators (top numbers) is…”
References
Genesee, F. (2023, January 5). The home language: An English language learner’s most valuable resource. Colorín Colorado. https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/home-language-english-language-learners-most-valuable-resource
Cloud N., YouTube. (2016). Using the native language as a resource. Colorín Colorado. Retrieved August 6, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joHM964tTVs.
Haseltine, W. A. (2022, October 12). A case of shrunken brains: How covid-19 may damage brain cells. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2022/03/21/a-case-of-shrunken-brains-how-covid-19-may-damage-brain-cells/?sh=5c282f9470ff
Horwits et al., YouTube. (2019). What is Scaffolding? Parent Lab. Retrieved August 7, 2023 from https://youtu.be/rVaRdVt6Ihw
Grand Canyon University. (2022, February 23). What is scaffolding in education?. GCU.
https://www.gcu.edu/blog/teaching-school-administration/what-scaffolding-education
Sibold, C. (2011). Building english language learners’ academic vocabulary – ed. Institute of Education Sciences. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ951842.pdf
