Instructional Strategies

My students could classify quadrilaterals and explain properties with confidence. But when it came to multi-step angle problems, everything fell apart. Here’s what teaching quadrilaterals taught me about recognition vs. application in geometry.

Before even starting a math problem, many ELL students are managing multiple layers of language and instructions. This post explores why cognitive load matters and how simplifying problem language can help students access the math.

In high school math, vocabulary can be just as challenging as the problems themselves. Many struggling learners—and especially English Language Learners—get stuck on dense textbook definitions. In this post, we explore why math vocabulary for English language learners matters, why simplified definitions and visuals make a difference, and how teachers can start supporting ELLs in math today.