Mathematics Preservice Teachers Learning About English Language Learners Through Task Based Interviews and Noticing
This article describes the 3rd cycle of an intervention in a mathematics content course that was designed to foster awareness among middle school mathematics preservice teachers (PSTs) of the challenges that English language learner (ELL) students face and the resources they draw on as they learn mathematics and communicate their thinking in English only classrooms. Pairs of PSTs engaged 2 different ELL students in a videotaped task based interview using 4 measurement tasks. Following each interview, the PSTs wrote a structured report guided by Mason's (2002) framework of noticing. The results of the intervention indicated that the PSTs went beyond awareness of ELLs' needs and challenges and also adopted strategies outlined in the literature that were aligned with best practices for teaching ELLs. The article also discusses the potential of the intervention and how it can be used by other mathematics educators.