The Language of Teaching Mathematics: Implications for Training ITAs

Abstract

M National attention has been given to the concern of university mathematicians and other educational leaders about the effects of having basic courses in mathematics taught by so many nonnative speakers of English from non-U.S. cultural/educational backgrounds (National Research Council, 1989). While Rounds (1985, 1987) and Gass, Haynes, Rittenberg, and Wieferich (1989) have concentrated on the teaching of mathematics by successful and/or less-than-successful graduate teaching assistants (TAs) and international graduate teaching assistants (ITAs), the work reported here focuses on the use of language in the teaching of regular university faculty, rather than TAs. Arrangements were made with the Department of Mathematics at Georgia State University to audiotape classes taught by three nativeEnglish-speaking faculty members: an associate professor, an assistant professor, and a part-time instructor teaching college algebra and precalculus mathematics. In the fall quarter, 1987, two class sessions from each course were taped and transcribed (a total of 6 hrs, 20 min). In the winter quarter, 1988, one of the authors attended four classes taught by an associate professor and one class taught by a part-time instructor for a total

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