6 ways to make mathematics more accessible to multilingual students

<img src="https://technicalterrence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/6-ways-to-make-mathematics-more-accessible-to-multilingual-students.jpeg" class="attachment-medium-landscape size-medium-landscape wp-post-image" alt="Using edtech tools and other supports, teachers can make mathematics more significant and attractive to multilingual students (MLS).” srcset=”https://technicalterrence.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/6-ways-to-make-mathematics-more-accessible-to-multilingual-students.jpeg 500w, https://www.eschoolnews.com/files/2025/04/math-multilingual-learners-150×100.jpeg 150w” />

Key points:

• All students are math language students, regardless of their home language
• Foment of metacognition and integration of ai for ells
• How to admit multilingual students in Stem
• To get more news about language students, visit the innovative teaching center of ESN

Mathematics is not just the numbers. It is also the language.

Many mathematical tasks involve reading, writing, speaking and listening. These language demands can be particularly challenging for students whose main language is not English.

There are many ways in which teachers can close language barriers for multilingual students (MLS) while making mathematics more accessible and attractive to all students. There are some here:

1. Introduce and reinforce academic language

Like many disciplines, mathematics has their own language. Has specialized terms, such as numerator, divider, polynomialand coefficient–The students cannot be found out of class. Mathematics also include daily words with multiple meanings, such as product, plane, strange, even, square, degree, and mean.

One way to help students build the necessary vocabulary for each lesson is to identify and highlight key terms that can be new to them. Write the terms on a board. Publish the terms on the mathematics walls. Ask students to record them in mathematical vocabulary notebooks to those who can refer throughout the year. Perform a practical activity that provides a context for vocabulary that students are learning. Strengthen the terms asking students to draw photos of them in their notebooks or use them in conversations during group work.

Help students learn to speak mathematics competent today will pay dividends (another word with multiple meanings!) In the coming years.

2. Incorporate visual aids

Images and multimedia Improve the acquisition and commitment of the English language of the MLS. Image cards, for example, are a useful tool for building students' vocabulary skills in group work, paired or independent. Many digital platforms include prepared online cards, as well as resources to create image and leaves cards.

Visual aids Also help MLS understand and remember content. Aid such as photographs, videos, animations, drawings, diagrams, graphics and graphics help concrete abstract ideas. They connect concepts with the daily world and the experiences of the students and the previous knowledge, which helps to promote understanding.

Even physical actions such as manual gestures, modeling the use of a tool or showing work samples along with verbal explanations and instructions can give students the necessary clarity to address mathematics tasks.

3. Use digital tools

A key benefit of digital mathematics tools is that they make mathematics feel accessible. Many ML may feel more comfortable with digital mathematics platforms because they can practice independently without worrying about taking extra time or giving the incorrect answer in front of their peers.

Digital platforms also offer integrated language supports and accessibility characteristics for various students. The characteristics such as the text to the voice, the adjustable speech rates, the digital glossaries and the closed subtitle improve mathematical understanding and strengthen literacy skills.

4. Promote practical learning

Practical learning causes mathematics to come alive. Mathematics manipulators allow MLS to “touch” mathematics, deepen their understanding. Physical and digital manipulations, such as patterns blocks, dice, spinning, ten blocks of ten and algebra, students who enable students to explore and interact with mathematical ideas and discover the wonders of mathematics in the world that surround them.

Many Lessons modelsResearch -based research, explorations and practical activities, and simulations also help students connect abstract concepts and real -life scenarios.

PHET SIMSFor example, create an environment similar to the game where students learn mathematics through exploration and discovery. In addition to addressing mathematical concepts and applications, these free simulations offer language translations and inclusive characteristics, such as voice and interactive descriptions.

Whether students make mathematics manipulating materials in their hands or on their devices, practical explorations encourage students to experiment, make predictions and find solutions through tests and errors. This not only encourages critical thinking, but also helps generate trust and perseverance.

5. Use the student's home language as support

Research suggests that students' Home languages It can also be educational resources.

In public schools in the United States, Spanish is the most commonly reported Language of origin of students who learn English. More than 75 percent of English students speak Spanish at home. To help schools incorporate the students of the students' home into the classroom, some digital platforms offer curricular content and supports in English and Spanish. Some even provide the option to alternate from English to Spanish with clicking a button.

In addition, artificial intelligence and online translation tools can translate lesson materials into multiple languages.

6. Create verbal scaffolding

To answer mathematical questions, MLS has to discover the answers and how to express their answers in English. Verbal scaffolding like Prayer frames and prayer stems can lighten the Cognitive load Give students a starting point to answer questions or express their ideas. In this way, students can focus on the content of the lesson instead of having to spend additional mental energy discovering how to say their answers.

Prayer frames are often useful for students with an initial level of English domain.

• A square has           sides  
• An isosceles triangle has at least            equal angles.

Prayer stems (also known as prayer initiators) help students put their thoughts so that they can give an answer or participate in a discussion.

• The pattern I noticed was                               .               
• My answer is                             . I discovered it by                               .

Either online or paper, these phrases and blank prayers help students explain their thinking orally or in writing. These scaffolding also support the development of academic language by showing key terms in context and providing opportunities to use new vocabulary words.

Making cozy mathematics for all

All students are math language students. Regardless of their language at home, each student must feel that their mathematics classroom is a place to learn, participate, contribute and grow. With the correct strategies and tools, teachers can effectively support MLS while maintaining the rigor of the level of degree level and making mathematics more accessible and attractive to all.

(Tagstotranslate) Mathematics Integration