Focusing on Language Purposefully

How can Multilingual Learners develop language and conceptual understanding of mathematics simultaneously?

• Multilingual Learners learn language most deeply when they understand how it is used for mathematical purposes.

• Multilingual Learners benefit from making choices about language that empower them to engage in mathematical practices.

• Language use by Multilingual Learners grows more technical and expert over time.

Learn more: WestEd’s National Research and Development Center to Improve Education for Secondary English Learners has published a theory/research-to-practice brief focused on productive ways to challenge and support Multilingual Learners’ language development as they learn mathematics. Based upon three insights about how language and ideas develop together, educators can enact three key shifts in how they design and implement language-rich learning opportunities for Multilingual Learners (Chu & Evans, 2025).