A Student-Centered Approach to Teaching Mathematics to English Language Learners in the Montessori Classroom

Making math instruction accessible to students can be a challenge, particularly when students have limited English proficiency. This paper explores how teachers can best suit the needs of their non-native English speakers when teaching math. Teacher affect, visuals and translanguaging are used in this study in an attempt to boost student confidence and academic progress. These strategies result in an increase in student confidence and engagement, as measured by a math attitude survey as well as observation data. Centered around a Montessori classroom, this paper shows how aspects of the Montessori philosophy cater to English learners and suggests additional supports that may be beneficial.