May 20- 23, 2019

A&A Plaza Hotel, Puerto Princesa City

 LANGUAGE AND
SCIENCE AND MATH
LEARNING
JONALYN B. VILLAROSA
Palawan State University
Puerto Princesa City
“ The heart has a reason which reason knows not.”

“ In difficult times carry something beautiful in your

heart.”

“ By space the universe encompasses me and swallows

me up like an atom; by thought I comprehend the
world.”
“ When I want to understand what is happening today or
try to decide what will happen tomorrow, I look back.”

“Wake! For the Sun, who scatter’d into flight

The Stars before him from the Field of Night
Drives Night along with them from Heav’n
And strikes the Sultan’s turret
With a shaft of light.”

“The moving finger writes, and having writ, moves on.”

BLAISE PASCAL
French mathematician, physicist,
inventor, writer, and philosopher
( 1623-1662)
-laid the foundation of probability theory
-invented the Pascaline, an early
calculator
-deriving the proof of existence of
vacuum
-wrote “New Experiments Concerning
Vacuums”
-published “Les Provinciales” (The
Provincial Letters) and “Pensées”

https://www.biography.com/scholar/blaise-pascal
OMAR KHAYYAM
Persian mathematician, philosopher, poet,
and astronomer

- wrote “Treatise on Demonstration of

Problems of Algebra”
-wrote “Explanations of the Difficulties in the
Postulates of Euclid”
-wrote ‘Problems of Arithmetic’, a book on music
and algebra.
-built an observatory with a team of scientists;
led the team in making the Jalali Calendar
-wrote more than a thousand ‘Rubaiyat’ or
verses
https://famous-mathematicians.com/omar-khayyam/
 Objectives
1. Point out the relationship between language proficiency
and academic performance in Science and Mathematics;
2. Describe the stages of language acquisition;
3. Apply appropriate teaching strategies for each stage of
language acquisition;
4. Distinguish the factors which affect second language
acquisition; and
5. Use strategies and techniques in developing language
proficiency.
 Outline
1. Relationship between Language Proficiency and
Academic Performance in Science and Mathematics:
How Language, Science, and Math Intersect
a. Related Studies
b. K to 12 Standards ( E, S, M)
2. Language Acquisition
a. Stages of Learning a Language
3. Factors Affecting the Process of Learning a Second
Language
4. Tips in Developing Language Proficiency
 Relationship between Language Proficiency and
Academic
Performance in Science and Mathematics

There is a significant relationship between the

students’ English language proficiency and their
academic performance in Science and Mathematics.
Racca, R.M.B. & Lasaten, R.C.S. ( 2016)

Language proficiency in English is significantly related to

academic performance.
Aina, J.K., Ogundele, A.G., & Olanipekun, S.S. (2013)
 Relationship between Language Proficiency and
Academic
Performance in Science and Mathematics

For school-age students, academic language is crucial for school
success.
Francis,D., Rivera,M., Lesaux,N., Kieffer,M., &
Rivera,H. ( 2006)


There is a significant positive relationship between English language
proficiency and academic achievement of of final-year senior
secondary school students (FYSSS), particularly in the four subjects:
English, biology, government, and mathematics.
Ozowuba, G.U (2018)
 Relationship between Language Proficiency and
Academic
Performance in Science and Mathematics

English proficiency is a statistically significant predictor

of mathematics scores.

Henry, D.L., Nestor, N., & Baltes, B. (2014)

 Relationship between Language Proficiency and
Academic
Performance in Science and Mathematics

Language is the basis of all communication and the primary

instrument of thought. Thinking, learning, and language are
interrelated. Language is governed by rules and systems (language
conventions) which are used to explore and communicate meaning.
It defines culture which is essential in understanding oneself
(personal identity), forming interpersonal relationships
(socialization), extending experiences, reflecting on thought and
action, and contributing to a better society. Language, therefore, is
central to the peoples’ intellectual, social and emotional
development and has an essential role in all key learning areas.

Source: K to 12 English Curriculum Guide, May 2016

 Relationship between Language Proficiency and Academic
Performance in Science and Mathematics
Grades 7 to 10 Key Stage Standards
ENGLISH MATH
Students should be able At the end of grade 10, the learner demonstrates
to interpret, evaluate understanding and appreciation of key concepts and
and represent skills involving numbers and number sense (sets and real
information within and numbers); measurement (conversion of units); patterns and
between learning area algebra (linear equations and inequalities in one and two
texts and discourses. variables, linear functions, systems of linear equations, and
inequalities in two variables, exponents and radicals,
quadratic equations, inequalities, functions, polynomials,
and polynomial equations and functions); geometry
(polygons, axiomatic structure of geometry, triangle
congruence, inequality and similarity, and basic
trigonometry);statistics and probability (measures of central
tendency, variability and position; combinatorics and
probability) as applied - using appropriate technology - in
critical thinking, problem solving, communicating,
reasoning, making connections, representations, and
decisions in real life.
Source: K to 12 Curriculum Guide
SCIENCE
At the end of Grade 10, the learners should have
developed scientific, technological, and
environmental literacy and can make decisions that
would lead to rational choices on issues confronting
them. Having been exposed to scientific
investigations related to real life, they should
recognize that the central feature of an investigation
is that if one variable is changed (while controlling all
others), the effect of the change on another variable
can be measured. The context of the investigation
can be problems at the local or national level to allow
them to communicate with learners in other parts of
the Philippines or even from other countries using
appropriate technology.
The learners should demonstrate an
understanding of science concepts and apply
science inquiry skills in addressing real-world
problems through scientific investigations.
Source: K to 12 Curriculum Guide
 Language Acquisition
Stages of Learning a Language
1. Pre-Production (Silent Period)
2. Early Production (Receptive)
3. Speech Emergent (Survival)
4. Beginning Fluency
5. Intermediate Fluency
6. Advanced Fluency (Proficient)
 Language Acquisition

1. Pre-Production (Silent Period)

The learner takes in the language but does not speak it.
This period often lasts six weeks or longer, depending on the
individual.
 Language Acquisition
Pre-Production (cont.)
Instructional Strategies
a. Emphasize listening comprehension (use read-alouds and
music).
b. Use visuals and have students point to pictures or act out
vocabulary.
c. Speak slowly and use shorter words, but use correct English
phrasing.
d. Model "survival" language by saying and showing the
meaning. Gesture, point and show as much as possible.
 Language Acquisition
Pre-Production (cont.)
e. Support from more advanced classmates through
interpretation.
f. Avoid excessive error correction. Reinforce learning by
modeling correct language usage when students make
mistakes.
 Language Acquisition
2. Early Production (Receptive)
The individual begins to speak using short words and
sentences, but the emphasis is still on listening and
absorbing the new language. He/ She commits many errors
in this stage.
This stage may last about six months.
 Language Acquisition
Early Production (cont.)
Instructional Strategies
a. Add opportunities for students to produce
simple language.
b. Ask student to point to pictures and say the new
word.
c. Ask yes/no and either/or questions.
d. Have students work in pairs or small groups to
discuss a problem. Have literate students write
short sentences or words in graphic organizers.
 Language Acquisition
Early Production ( cont.)

Instructional Strategies
e. Model a phrase and have the student repeat it
and add modifications.
f. Avoid excessive error correction. Reinforce
learning by modeling correct usage.
 Language Acquisition
3. Speech Emergent ( Survival)
Speech becomes more frequent, words and
sentences are longer, but the individual still relies
heavily on context clues and familiar topics.
 Language Acquisition
Speech Emergent ( Survival)
Instructional Strategies
a. Start using more academic vocabulary.
b. Introduce new academic vocabulary and model
how to use it in a sentence.
c. Provide visuals and make connections with
student's background knowledge as much as
possible.
d. Ask questions that require a short answer and are
fairly literal.
 Language Acquisition
Speech Emergent ( Survival)

e. Introduce charts and graphs by using easily understood

information.
f. Have students re-tell stories or experiences and have
another student write them down.
g. Provide the student with a fill-in-the blank version of the
assignment with the necessary vocabulary listed on the
page.
h. Provide minimal error correction. Focus only on
correction that directly interferes with meaning.
i. Reinforce learning by modeling the correct usage.
 Language Acquisition
4. Beginning Fluency

Speech is fairly fluent in social situations but is

challenged by new contexts and academic language.
The individual has difficulty expressing oneself due to
gaps in vocabulary and appropriate phrases.
 Language Acquisition
Beginning Fluency (cont.)
Instructional Strategies
a. Have students work in pairs and groups to discuss
content.
b. Ask questions that require a full response with
explanation. If you do not understand the student's
explanation, ask for clarification by paraphrasing
and asking the student if you heard them correctly.
c. Model more advanced academic language
structures such as, "I think," "In my opinion," and
"When you compare." Have students repeat the
phrases in context.
 Language Acquisition
Beginning Fluency (cont.)
d. Re-phrase incorrect statements in correct English,
or ask the student if they know another way to say it.
e. Introduce nuances of language such as when to
use more formal English and how to interact in
conversations.
f. Have students make short presentations, providing
them with the phrases and language used in
presentations ("Today I will be talking about") and
giving them opportunities to practice the
presentation with partners before getting in front of
the class.
 Language Acquisition
Beginning Fluency (cont.)

g. Correct errors that interfere with meaning, and pre-

identify errors that will be corrected in student
writing, such as verb-tense agreement. Only correct
the errors agreed upon.
h. You may want to assist in improving pronunciation
by asking a student to repeat key vocabulary and
discussing how different languages have different
sounds.
 Language Acquisition
5. Intermediate Fluency

Communicating is fluent but with minor gaps in

vocabulary and in new context. This stage may last for
a year or more after speech emergence.
 Language Acquisition
Intermediate Fluency ( cont.)
Instructional Strategies
a. Identify key academic vocabulary and phrases
and model them. Ask students to produce the
language in class activities.
b. Use graphic organizers and thinking maps and
check to make sure the student is filling them in
with details. Challenge the student to add more.
c. Help the student make connections with new
vocabulary by instructing him or her in the
etymology of words or word families.
 Language Acquisition
Intermediate Fluency ( cont.)
d. Create assessments that give students an opportunity to
present in English after they have an opportunity to practice in
pairs or small groups.
e. Introduce more academic skills, such as brainstorming,
prioritizing, categorization, summarizing and compare and
contrast.
f. Ask students to identify vocabulary by symbols that show
whether the student "knows it really well, kind of knows it, or
doesn't know it at all." Help students focus on strategies to get
the meaning of new words.
 Language Acquisition
Intermediate Fluency (cont.)
g. Have a "guessing time" during silent reading
where they circle words they don't know and write
down their guess of the meaning. Check the
results as a class.
h. Introduce idioms and give examples of how to use
them appropriately.
i. Provide correction/feedback, even on errors that
do not directly affect meaning. (ex. syntax,
pragmatics, pronunciation, and other elements that
do not necessarily affect meaning but do
contribute to oral fluency).
 Language Acquisition
6. Advanced Fluency ( Proficient)
The individual communicates fluently in all contexts
and can maneuver successfully in new contexts and
when exposed to new academic information. It takes
most learners at least two years to reach this stage,
and then up to 10 years to achieve full mastery of the
second language in all its complexities and nuances.
 Language Acquisition
Advanced Fluency ( Proficient)
Instructional Strategies

a. Continue use of visual support, building on

background knowledge, pre-teaching vocabulary
and making connections between content areas.
b. Offer challenge activities to expand the student's
vocabulary knowledge such as identifying
antonyms, synonyms and the use of a thesaurus
and dictionary.
 Language Acquisition
Advanced Fluency ( Proficient)

c. Demonstrate effective note-taking and provide a

template.
d. Offer error correction on academic work and on oral
language. Because students at this stage have
achieved near-native fluency, they benefit from
support in fine-tuning their oral and written
language skills.
 Factors Affecting the Process of
Language Learning

a. Language structure
b. Attitude
c. Self- confidence
d. Motivation
e. Duration of exposure to language
f. Classroom conditions
g. Environment
h. Family background
i. Availability of competent teachers
 Teaching Tips

The key to learning a new language and developing

proficiency in speaking and writing that language is
consistency and practice. A student must converse with
others in the new language on a regular basis in order to
grow their fluency and confidence. It’s important for students
to continue to work with a classroom teacher on a specific
content area related to the new language such as history,
social studies or writing.
  Judie Haynes
 Teaching Tips
1. Teaching Academic Vocabulary
Vocabulary Building/ Taxonomies ( Workshop 1)
a. Demonstrate that vocabulary can have multiple
meanings.
Example1 : Time flies like an arrow.
Meaning 1: Time (a verb) flies (a noun) in flight just
as you time arrows in flight.
Meaning 2: Time (the noun) passes as quickly as an
arrow flies.
 Teaching Tips
Teaching Academic Vocabulary (cont).
CELL
a. A small compartment, receptacle, or cavity
b. The fundamental structural unit of plant or animal
c. The unit composing all or part of a battery consisting of electrodes
in contact with an electrolyte and in which current is generated.
_______
1. All animals and plants are composed of cells.
2. The best way to get the strongest current through a given
resistance is by arranging the cells in a series.
3. An important ingredient in the manufacture of Pollen B is honey
which is extracted from the cells of a beehive.
Source: Villamin, A; Salazar, A; & Gatmaitan. W. Developmental Reading
 Teaching Tips
Teaching Academic Vocabulary (cont).

Source: https://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/lessons/science-words-with-multiple-meanings/
 Teaching Tips
1. Teaching Academic Vocabulary (cont.)
b. Encourage students to offer bilingual support to each other.

c. Provide visual cues, graphic representations, gestures,

realia, and pictures.

Source:
 Teaching Tips
1. Teaching Academic Vocabulary (cont.)
d. Identify key phrases or new vocabulary to pre-
teach.
Workshop 4: Defining Format

2. Building Background Knowledge

a. Modify the linguistic complexity of language and
rephrase math/science problems.
Workshop 5: Profiles
b. Guide students to cross out the unnecessary
vocabulary in word problems.
 Teaching Tips
2. Building Background Knowledge ( cont.)

c. Build knowledge from real world examples.

Contextualization
Localization

d. Use manipulatives purposefully.

 Teaching Tips
3. Increasing Student-student Interaction with
Academic Language
a. Have students translate symbols into words, and
write the sentence out.
Workshop 1- Vocabulary Building/ Taxonomies
Workshop 2- Composing with Words

b. Create a "sentence frame" and post it on the board.

Workshop 6 – Frames

c. Have students share problem-solving strategies.

 Teaching Tips
3. Increasing Student-student Interaction with Academic
Language (cont.)

d. Allow students to discuss how they are thinking about

math/science.
Workshop 3- Metacognition

e. Incorporate writing activities like writing journals.

Workshop 3- Metacognition

f. Challenge students to create their own problems.

 Teaching Tips
Language objectives( cont.)
Content Area Content Objective Language
Standard Objective

Demonstrate Distinguish between Orally describe

understanding that liquids, solids, and characteristics of
matter has three gases and provide an liquids, solids, and
forms: solid, liquid, example of each. gases to a partner.
and gas.
 Content-based Instruction in
Language Arts
Grade 10 Science
Unit 2: Force, Motion, and Energy

The moving iron core within the Earth acts like a giant bar
magnet. It produces a weak gas magnetic field that surrounds
and partially protects us from solar radiations. In like manner,
the moving changes within the sun generate an eruption of
radiations. This produces a solar magnetic field that spreads
throughout the solar system and beyond. Moreover, a solar
wind of charged particles constantly interacts with the Earth’s
changing geomagnetic field.
Source: Science Grade 10 Learner’s Material
 Reflection
How do you see yourself now?

I now see myself as a Math/ Science teacher

and language teacher!
 References
Aina, J.K., Ogundele, A.G., & Olanipekun, S.S. (2013). Students’
Proficiency in English Language Relationship with Academic Performance
in Science and Technical Education. Retrieved from
http://pubs.sciepub.com/education/1/9/2/

Biography.com Editors. Blaise Pascal Biography (2014). Retrieved from

www.biography.com/scholar/blaise-pascal

Department of Education. K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum Guide. Retrieved from

http://www.deped.gov.ph/k-to-12/about/k-to-12-basic-education-curriculum/grade-1-to-10-
subjects/

Famous Mathematicians. Omar Khayyam (n.d.) retrieved fromhttps://famous-

mathematicians.com/omar-khayyam/

.
 References
Henry, D.L., Nestor, N, Nicolae, & Baltes, B. (2014)
Examining the Relationship Between Math Scores and English Language
Proficiency. Journal of Educational Research and Practice 2014, Volume 4, Issue
1, Pages 11–29

Hill, JD & Björk, CL. Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language
Learners Facilitator's Guide. Retrieved from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108052/chapters/The-Stages-of-Second-
Language-Acquisition.aspx.

Himmel, J. Language Objectives: The Key to Effective Content Area Instruction for
English Learners. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-
objectives-key-effective-content-area-instruction-english-learners
 References
Ozowuba, G.U (2018). Relationship Between English Proficiency
and Academic Achievement of Nigerian Secondary School Students. Walden
University. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=6522&context=dissertations

Racca, RMB & Lasaten, RCS ( 2016). English language proficiency and academic
performance of Philippine Science High School students. International Journal of
Languages, Literature and Linguistics, Vol. 2, No. 2, June 2016.
http://www.ijlll.org/vol2/65-LL0011.pdf

Robertson, K & Ford, K. Language Acquisition: An Overview. Retrieved from

http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview
 References
Rothstein, A; Rothstein, E, & Lauber, G. ( 2007). Write for Mathematics. California,
Corwin Press.

The Room 241 Team (2012). Five Stages of Second Language Acquisition.
Retrieved from https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/five-

stages-of-second-language-acquisition/