Exploiting the Power of Multiple Languages for Mathematics Learning
▶Summary
The ML² project was initiated to address the urgent need for pedagogical strategies that enable mathematics teachers to work effectively in linguistically diverse classrooms. In all three partner countries, teachers expressed uncertainty about how to draw on students’ home languages as learning resources rather than treating them as obstacles. At the same time, there was a notable lack of teaching materials and professional development opportunities focused on this aim. We applied for this project to develop, through co-creation and research-based design, practical tools for promoting multilanguage-responsive teaching—an approach that treats students’ full linguistic repertoires as epistemic resources for conceptual understanding. The project aimed to support teachers in recognizing language variation as an asset for engaging students in reasoning, generalizing, and justifying mathematical ideas. By designing multilingual OER and PD modules, ML² sought to transform classroom practice, strengthen teacher agency, and respond to European priorities for inclusion and educational equity in STEM education.
▶Objectives
The ML² project aimed to enable mathematics teachers to engage with the linguistic diversity of their classrooms through multilanguage-responsive teaching. Our goal was to develop research-informed and practice-based resources—OER, professional development modules, and a digital handbook—that support teachers in using students’ full linguistic repertoires as tools for mathematical meaning-making. We wanted to shift instructional practices from compensatory support to inclusive strategies that treat language variation as a cognitive resource. By engaging teachers in co-design and reflection, we aimed to strengthen their agency, build sustainable professional learning structures, and foster classrooms where all learners can participate meaningfully in mathematical thinking, regardless of language background.
▶Activities
The ML² project implemented a coherent set of activities to promote multilanguage-responsive teaching in mathematics. We co-developed and trialed multilingual OER with teachers from three countries, supported by two international LTTAs that combined task
▶Impact
The ML² project produced three key outputs that support multilanguage-responsive teaching. Output 1 consists of multilingual teaching materials on topics like fractions, variables, and completing the square, which invite students to contrast multiple lang