Teaching with Cognates
This article focuses on the challenges students and teachers face when trying to facilitate for English Language Learners. It goes into detail about the strict guidelines that are implemented into the school which leaves teachers struggling to find ways to help students be more familiar with the English Language. Many teachers are now relying on cognates, words in two languages that share similar spelling, pronunciation and meaning. These cognates benefit students and tend to help seal the gap between the two languages and help students communicate more effectively. There are many cognates associated with mathematics teaching that can be used to help students progress in mathematics. Teachers can use word walls to help explain the relationship between the two words in the different languages so students have a better grasp on the similarities.
I really liked this article because it made me think about a topic that I am very unfamiliar with. I never really process the likelihood of having a student in my classroom with a different dominate language than everyone else in the classroom. I can only imagine the confusion of all parties involved, especially the child himself. Using cognates seems like it could be a huge break through fro students trying to master English. They could even be put into a card game like memory where students have to match the Spanish word to the English word or used on flash cards. The opportunities are endless but need to be instructed in order for students to achieve at their highest ability.
Gomez, C. (2010). Teaching with cognates. Teaching Children Mathematics, 16(8), Retrieved from http://www.nctm.org/eresources/view_media.asp?article_id=9233
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