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Challenges in Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Elementary Settings with Math Instruction using Learning Technologies

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Abstract

This research effort reports the findings of an empirical study focusing on the ways in which technological tools are implemented specifically in mathematics education in a Title I school. The purpose was to identify the perspectives and actions of the school’s mathematics specialist and the multi-graded (grades 2–3) classroom teacher as they attempted to deliver instruction with technology for both English Language Learners1 (ELL) and non-ELL students. Findings showed that a critical factor in access to mathematics education and technology for ELL students in a multi-graded 2–3 classroom in a Title I (K-5) school setting was language. Although potentially powerful technologies—analog (concrete objects) and digital (software) were used, many ELL students could not access the content solely because of language difficulties. Teachers used the concrete objects as modeling tools, to reveal students’ thinking, and for communication of foundational mathematics. Conversely, the software used served none of these functions because the available software did not do the kinds of things the manipulatives did, teachers’ knowledge of exemplary software was insufficient, the school used an impoverished model of technology integration, and teachers were constrained by the school district’s policies of English immersion for ELL students.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, University of Houston, Houston, USA

    Tirupalavanam G. Ganesh

  2. Division of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA

    James A. Middleton

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  1. Tirupalavanam G. Ganesh
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Correspondence to Tirupalavanam G. Ganesh.

Additional information

This paper was presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, 2005, Montreal, Canada, on Tuesday, April 12, 2005, 4:05–5:35 pm, in Le Centre Sheraton Montreal/Salon 7, in a session titled, “Science and Mathematics Teaching for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students” sponsored by Division K-Teaching and Teacher Education/Section 1—Research on Teaching Practices, Teacher Knowledge, and Teacher Education in Math and Science.

Tirupalavanam G. Ganesh is a December 2003 graduate of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Educational Media and Computers, Division of Curriculum and Instruction, at the College of Education, Arizona State University. He also holds a Master of Computer Science degree from Arizona State University. His teaching interests include graduate and undergraduate courses for in-service and pre-service teachers in the use of learning technologies for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and technology integration. His research interests include studying the impact of informal learning experiences in settings such as museums and after-school programs, technology integration, and teacher’s practices in elementary/middle schools. Address correspondence to Tirupalavanam G. Ganesh, Assistant Professor, Instructional Technology, College of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, University of Houston, 256 Farish Hall, Houston, TX 77204-5027. Tel.: +1-713-743-0574; e-mail: tganesh@uh.edu.

James A. Middleton is Division Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the College of Education, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1992, in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His teaching interests include mathematics methods for secondary teachers and graduate courses in children’s mathematical thinking and technological innovation. His research interests include motivational processes in education, children’s mathematical thinking especially in the area of rational number and geometry, and technological innovation in mathematics instruction and assessment. James A. Middleton, Director, Division of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, Arizona State University, Box 871011, Tempe, AZ 85287-1011. Tel.: +1-480-965-9644; e-mail: james.middleton@asu.edu.

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Ganesh, T.G., Middleton, J.A. Challenges in Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Elementary Settings with Math Instruction using Learning Technologies. Urban Rev 38, 101–143 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-006-0025-7

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