Maths for EAL pupils: reduce the language load, keep the maths
How teachers help children who are still learning English in maths: reduce the language load, work hands-on and build key maths vocabulary step by step.
In brief: Children who are still learning English can take part in much of a maths lesson when they work hands-on, when actions are accompanied by spoken language and when the key words are on display in the classroom. What matters is including them in the shared work of the class instead of leaving them alone with self-study material for long periods. Digital practice can help when tasks work through pictures and actions. Mazio Math has no dedicated feature for children who are still learning the language of instruction. Its tasks are interactive, and children answer the learning assistant by tapping.
Many primary classes include children who have only recently started learning English, often described as pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). This article shows how you can reduce the language load in maths lessons without scaling down the maths, and what a lesson can look like.
Why language is a hurdle in maths
Maths seems to need little language. In fact, children have to understand instructions (“Complete”, “Compare”, “Explain why”), know technical terms (“tens”, “sum”, “half”) and describe how they worked something out. The PIKAS guide “Sprachbildung im Mathematikunterricht” (language development in maths lessons) devotes a chapter of its own to children who know very little German yet and calls them “German starters”. Among other things, it recommends:
- Find out what the child can already do: The starting point is the question of what the child can already do in maths. Some children bring prior knowledge from their country of origin.
- Verbs first: Children who are new to the language should learn instruction verbs such as “place”, “draw” and “calculate” early on. The guide refers to a verb card file with pictures.
- Make words visible: Vocabulary posters and word walls show the terms for the current unit, with pictures.
- Talk through actions: Whoever places counters in a twenty frame says what they are doing. Children who are new to the language watch first and then try it themselves.
- Learn together: Isolated individual work in support booklets should not take over. Mathematical understanding develops above all through exchange with others.
- Allow mistakes: A supportive atmosphere reduces the fear of speaking.
Language hurdles and what helps
| Hurdle | Example | What can help |
|---|---|---|
| Instruction | “Make it up to the next ten.” | Symbol card, demonstrating, a worked example on the board |
| Technical term | “tens”, “ones”, “sum” | Word wall with pictures, showing a tens rod and a unit cube |
| Number word | “seventeen” is written as 71 | Place value chart, build the number, then say it |
| Comparison words | “more than”, “fewer than”, “between” | Compare using materials, sentence frames on the wall |
| Word problem | Long text about shopping or a timetable | Picture instead of text, text in short sentences, reading aloud |
| Explaining | “Explain how you worked it out.” | Sentence starters such as “First I …”, “Then …” |
A lesson with reduced language load
- Introduction (5 minutes): You show the word wall for the unit and say three words together, such as “tens”, “ones”, “bundle”.
- Hands-on work (15 minutes): The children build numbers with tens rods and unit cubes. A partner describes it: “That’s 2 tens and 5 ones.”
- Representing (10 minutes): The children draw what they have built and write the number next to it.
- Practice (10 minutes): Short practice on the tablet or in the exercise book.
- Plenary (5 minutes): Each child says one sentence using a word from the word wall.
What Mazio Math contributes
Some features of Mazio Math can make access easier for children who are still learning the language of instruction.
Reading aloud: Task texts can be read aloud. A child can hear the task while looking at the picture. In grade 1, Mazio Math asks at the start whether everything should be read aloud.
Another language: In their profile, children can switch Mazio Math between German, English, Danish, Norwegian and French. Tasks, interface and help texts are translated into these languages. A child who understands one of these languages better can read a task in that language and then carry on in the language the class is working in.
Interactive tasks: The tasks are interactive. Children reflect shapes, find rectangles or read charts directly on the tablet. Every task gives feedback that matches the answer given. Every unit is set in its own world with places and characters.
Help with mistakes: When a child makes a mistake, the learning assistant Mazio helps directly within the task, with a question, with highlights in the picture and, if needed, with a given partial step. Children reply to Mazio only by choosing one of the answers offered. A partner can help with reading the questions.
Preparing the word wall: Look at a unit beforehand the way a child sees it. Tapping a card on the shelf opens the details with the worksheet and teaching notes, where available. “Open & play” shows the unit from the children’s point of view. Note down the words that appear in the tasks and add them to the word wall. Some units begin with an explanation, such as “What is symmetry?”. You can go through explanations like these with the class beforehand.
A short note: With a note, you give the children a sentence that appears below the title of the content. Keep it short and use familiar words, for example “Calculate first, then puzzle”.
Joining in during the lesson: Under “Live” you start the lesson and see what the children are working on. Tapping a child’s card shows you what that child currently sees on their Mazio Math page. The child sees an orange frame while you are looking. You can then come to their desk with materials and solve the task together, hands-on.
Example from grade 2: The class is working on place value. On the class board there is a Basiscamp sub-world from the world “Numbers to 100”, for example on “Tens and ones”. Beforehand, the class built numbers with tens rods and added the words “tens” and “ones” to the word wall. Two children who are still learning English work as a pair with a child who speaks English confidently. The difficulty adapts to each child’s previous work.
Next step: What Mazio Math offers teachers is described under Mazio Math for teachers. The content available for grade 2 is shown in Maths in grades 1 and 2 (in German). Lesson routines are described under Mazio Math in the classroom. You can create an account under register for free and look at the tasks yourself. Using Mazio Math with a class is currently available to schools in Germany. If your school is in another country, registration records your interest.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a maths app for children who are still learning English?
Look for apps whose tasks work through pictures and actions and require little text. Mazio Math has no dedicated feature for children who are still learning the language of instruction. Its tasks are interactive, and children answer Mazio by tapping. The language support in lessons remains decisive.
What is a word wall in maths?
A word wall is a collection of the terms children need for a topic, such as “tens”, “ones”, “bundle”. It stays clearly visible in the classroom throughout the unit, often with pictures. The children use it when speaking and writing.
Should children who are still learning English practise maths separately?
Only at times. Separate sessions help with learning the most important words. Mathematical understanding, however, develops above all through exchange with others. That is why children who are still learning English should work on the shared topic with the class as often as possible.