Math+Research+Article

“Moving Beyond the Word Wall: How Middle School Mathematics Teachers Use Literacy Strategies” Ellen S. Friedland, Susan E. McMillen, Pixita del Prado Hill [|Moving Beyond the Word Wall]

I came across this study when researching for my PIP project. It is a study that focuses on 6 middle school mathematics teachers and their use of literacy strategies in the math classroom. The teachers’ educational experience varied, as did the schools where they taught. The researchers observed classes where the teachers //believed// they demonstrated literacy strategies being used in the math classroom. Prior to the observations, the researchers gathered data from the teachers. The article provides a good description of the data gathered. I also felt that the article provided good examples of strategies that are being used in mathematics classrooms.

The results of the research are not surprising, but reinforce my personal beliefs about the progress being made in the area of content literacy in math classes. All of the teachers in the study agreed that incorporating literacy into the math class is important; they felt that it improves their ability to assess student understanding and to monitor progress. In addition, the teachers felt that incorporating literacy strategies helped to improve communication and classroom relationships. However, the article also emphasized the teachers' frustration with the lack of PD and support for math teachers in the area of content literacy.

The article provides vignettes that demonstrate literacy strategies as they are used in the math class. It analyzed the vignettes and reported which were examples of good literacy usage; it also demonstrated lessons where the attempts were made but fell short. I believe these examples help to improve teacher understanding of literacy in the content area.

Finally, the article suggests ideas for improving literacy in the math classroom. The authors suggest that educational leaders should promote literacy, provide PD for math teachers (as many have never taken literacy courses as part of certification), create time for math teachers to work with literacy specialists, and review the texts and resources used in school to ensure they contain powerful literacy strategies.