Response to questioning in the immersion classroom

Abstract

Students in second-language immersion mathematics classrooms can struggle to verbalize their responses to problems, how they reached the response and why the answer makes sense. Alberta curricula require that students be able to communicate their learning. This study used a qualitative research model, an action research approach to investigate systematically the purposeful use of questioning to encourage higher level thinking and student ability to express that thinking verbally in a second-language. Interchanges between students and students and teacher during mathematics activities were videotaped and these served as a record of what took place while the research was conducted. Students were surveyed and interviewed regarding their feelings about answering questions in a variety of learning situations. Students with a variety of levels of competency in the second-language were able to find ways to communicate in that language to make themselves understood and to relate the processes they used to find a response. This however does not happen if clear attention is not paid to several factors. When activities and questioning are purposefully planned, considering language acquisition, critical, complex and creative thinking, technology, collaboration, curriculum and dialogue, and questioning, students can be successful in expressing their learning. Elementary second-language immersion students are capable of expressing their thinking verbally in their second-language while problem-solving in mathematics class.