The situated multiliteracies approach to classroom participation: English language learners’ participation in classroom mathematics practices
Date
2015
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Guided by sociocultural theory and the theory of multiliteracies, learning is perceived as a shifting participation in practices, which is mediated by multiple physical and symbolic tools. Drawing on the situated multiliteracies approach, which integrates these two theories, the purpose of this ethnographic research is to examine the participation of English language learners (ELLs) in mathematics practices in an urban Canadian classroom. This study describes ELLs’ successful participation in classroom mathematics practices in relation to the context that supported their participation. I highlight the teacher’s use of multiple languages and physical and symbolic tools, along with her affirmation of students’ identities as multimodal users. The finding from this study calls for broadening the definition of language in content-area classrooms and for embracing identities created through classroom interactions as an integral part of learning.
Description
Keywords
sociocultural theory, multiliteracies, English language learners, classroom mathematics learning, multilingual classroom