Engaging in the discourse of fractions in a bilingual Maltese classroom

Abstract

Context: The island of Malta is a former British colony, and to this day, education continues to be accessed bilingually. For mathematics education, Maltese and English are used for verbal interaction, with subject-specific words tending to be retained in English. Written mathematics texts are in English, including textbooks, worksheets, digital texts, and examinations. Thus, the “academic” language of mathematics is generally considered—and accepted—to be English.

Objective of Research: It is important for Maltese students to gain access to the academic (English) mathematics language to access the discourse of power and still use Maltese in the process. The focus of this study is language as part of the discourse of fractions. The research question was: How can Maltese bilingual children be supported in accessing the discourse of fractions?

Participants: The author assumed the dual role of teacher and researcher. The students were 16 nine-year-old children attending a fourth-grade class. Six of these children also participated in two interviews each.

Intervention: The author adopted a teacher/researcher role and taught the topic Fractions (five lessons). The topic was chosen at the request of the class teacher. The class teacher stated that although her students had previously mastered fractions of a region (e.g., 1/3 of a circle), they had not understood fractions of quantities (e.g., 1/3 of a set of 12 books). During her teaching, the author focused on language explicitly; she started discussions on fractions with the students using Maltese and English, and gently prompted them toward increased use of mathematical English. The aim of this more detailed articulation of mathematical ideas was for the children to express a better understanding of fractions of quantities.

Research Design: This qualitative case study centered its analysis on the classroom interaction and interview data. The theoretical framework drew from Anna Sfard’s definition of mathematical discourse, namely, that a discourse consists of words, endorsed narratives, routines, and visual mediators. “Understanding of fractions” was considered in terms of participation in, or engagement with, in the discourse of fractions.

Conclusions: The initial use of translanguaging enabled new discourse elements related to endorsed narratives, routines, and visual mediators. These three elements then supported lengthier and varied contributions in the academic language, and thus, I argue that the endorsed narratives, routines, and visual mediators served as “anchors” to support new language practices (new words of the discourse). Ultimately, the children’s engagement with the four discourse elements indicated that by the end of the five lessons, they had a better understanding of fractions of quantities.