Chapter 4: The Symbiotic Relationship Between Language and Mathematics: Bootstrapping Writing, Discourse, and Mathematics in Dual Language Programs

Recently, especially in California, there has been a renowned commitment to support our English language learners (California Department of Education, 2017). With the adoption of the English Learner Roadmap, California seeks to find instructional support to welcome, understand, and educate our diverse student population of emergent bilingual learners (California Department of Education, 2017). One way to support multilingual learners is to bootstrap the development of English and home language skills with the acquisition of academic proficiency. By using home language as a leverage, both content and language skills can be strengthened. In this chapter, I explain the structural pillars of effective dual language programs and how they support mathematical instruction within the context of the “new way” of teaching mathematics in TK–12. The new approaches to mathematics teaching include common core standards, different levels of mathematical understandings, and math coherence across standards and skills. I also address the language and literacy connection in mathematics by presenting the salient literature that attests to the value of writing and discourse in scaffolding mathematical understandings, concepts, and skills. Finally, research shows that the dual language program is the optimal environment for mathematics learning because the use of home language allows students to access a broader linguistic repertoire to express mathematical concepts and reasoning (Moschkovich, 2007c). By supporting mathematical proficiency through dual language programs, we are contributing to a more equitable educational pathway for our multilingual learners.