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It synthesizes sociocultural approaches to second language acquisition and systemic functional linguistics to explain how language and concepts grow together during mathematical inquiry. Drawing on two summers of field trials from the RAMPUP summer bridge, it presents three practical ideas educators can implement, emphasizing multiple communication modes and observable language growth over sustained, meaningful opportunities.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/rethinking-language-in-mathematics-for-english-learners-practical-ideas-for-educators/586090/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/rethinking-language-in-mathematics-for-english-learners-practical-ideas-for-educators/586090.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Jordan Avery","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why does the brief reject treating language as a prerequisite for mathematics learning?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The brief states that language development is a consequence of deep conceptual exploration and thinking, not a prerequisite. 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However, many school systems and math teaching practices have remained in the past, not meeting the full needs of or realizing the immense potential of students who are bureaucratically designated as “English Learners .” Such students are a rapidly growing population, increasing by more than 50 percent from 2011 to 2021, to over 2.2 million English Learners in grades 6–12 (Irwin et al. , 2024) . Most English Learners, who in many states are additionally labeled “Long Term,” have been in the category their entire school careers and do not identify with their bureaucratic designation as “English Learners” (Brooks, 2022; Kibler et al. , 2018) . They must navigate multiple barriers to access grade-level coursework (Thompson, 2017; Umansky, 2016) . Education systems’ failure to adequately challenge and support English Learners is reflected in the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, in which 5 percent of 8th grade English Learners are at or above Proficient in mathematics, compared to 29 percent of their non–English Learner peers (National Center for Educational Statistics, n. d.) .  \nApproaches to language in secondary-level mathematics teaching have tended to treat language as a prerequisite (de Araujo & Smith, 2022) . However, this brief asserts that language development is a consequence of—not prerequisite for—deep conceptual exploration and thinking (Walqui & Bunch, 2019; Walqui et al. , 2025) .  \nIn this brief, we explore three ideas about language and mathematics taken from theory and research. Specifically, the brief synthesizes sociocultural approaches to second language acquisition and systemic functional linguistics to inform and reshape how educators approach the role of language in learning (Chu & Hamburger, 2022; Walqui & van Lier, 2010) . We then offer secondary educators three practical ideas based on that theory and research that they can implement in their classrooms instead of more prevalent—but generally less productive—approaches .  \nWhat Research and Theory Say About Language and Mathematics  \nWe introduce three ideas about language by centering on students and their ideal learning experiences . By focusing on the desired learning for students, we can then identify the necessary conditions and teacher actions to achieve that learning. We offer three propositions concerning the relationship between language and concepts, the modes of communication, and growth over longer periods of time. In each case, we offer what theory or research says and what we have observed in field trials of the Reimagining and Amplifying Mathematics Participation, Understanding, and Practices (RAMPUP) summer bridge among students bureaucratically designated as “English Learners .” This 3-week summer bridge program for rising 9th grade students isan enrichment course designed to engage students with crosscutting concepts such as patterns and equivalence (Chu & Hamburger, 2022; Chu & Jackson, 2025) . Over two summers, we conducted field trials, which included classroom observations, through an iterative development process that refined the usability and feasibility of the RAMPUP materials . The classroom observations provided real-world examples of these three key ideas about language.  \nIn brief, these ideas are that, first, language and concepts develop in conjunction with each other as students engage in mathematical inquiry. Second, students’ language use fluently integrates multiple modes of communic","cbCaiibKxmMD2b17","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiibKxmMD2b17","pdf",663362,16,"English","# What Research and Theory Say About Language and Mathematics\n## Students Develop Language and Concepts Simultaneously","[{\"question\":\"Why does the brief reject treating language as a prerequisite for mathematics learning?\",\"answer\":\"The brief states that language development is a consequence of deep conceptual exploration and thinking, not a prerequisite. Under ideal conditions, language and conceptual understandings develop simultaneously during mathematical inquiry.\"},{\"question\":\"What theoretical perspectives does the brief use to reshape educators’ approaches?\",\"answer\":\"It synthesizes sociocultural approaches to second language acquisition and systemic functional linguistics. These frameworks inform and reshape how educators approach the role of language in learning.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the RAMPUP summer bridge inform the brief’s practical ideas?\",\"answer\":\"The brief draws on two summers of field trials, including classroom observations. These observations provided real-world examples used to refine the usability and feasibility of RAMPUP materials and to ground the three key ideas.\"}]","Rethinking Language in Mathematics for English Learners - Practical Ideas for Educators | PDF",1792056921]