Beyond Words: How to support EAL students in maths

In a busy primary classroom, the "Explore" phase of a maths lesson is often a hive of chatter. But for teachers navigating a modern classroom, that chatter can feel like a barrier.

When a significant portion of your class is pre-verbal or adjusting to English as an additional language (EAL), the traditional expectation to "verbalise your reasoning" can leave some of our most vulnerable learners behind.

So, how do we ensure these pupils aren't just observers of EAL in schools, but active participants in high-level mathematical thinking?

The answer lies in shifting our definition of classroom communication. If a child cannot yet tell you how they solved a problem, we must provide the tools that allow them to show you. Here is how to support EAL students in maths using visual and structural scaffolding.

Shifting Focus: EAL in the Maths Classroom

For pupils managing EAL in education, the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) approach is more than a pedagogical journey — it’s a critical communication scaffold.

When pupils begin a lesson with physical manipulatives — base ten blocks, place value discs, or cubes — they are engaging in "gesture-based modelling." A pre-verbal student might not be able to explain the concept of exchanging ten ones for one ten in English, but by physically moving those materials, they are demonstrating conceptual mastery.

To support this visual communication in your classroom:

• Maintain the same structure: Keep the visual layout of your manipulatives consistent as you move from concrete to pictorial. This reduces the cognitive load for pupils who are already working hard to process linguistic instructions.
• Bridge the gap: Link the "Explore" task directly to the textbook representations. This helps pupils map their own physical methods to the worked images on the page, providing a visual "anchor" for their thinking.

Scaffolding Talk (Even Without Speech)

We often ask children to "tell your partner what you think." For a student navigating English as an additional language, this can be incredibly daunting. We can lower this barrier by using structured stem sentences and character-led reasoning.

By providing ready-made language frames like "I know this because..." or "It can't be because...", we give SEND and EAL learners the expressive handles they need to participate. But what if a child is truly pre-verbal?

In these instances, you can lean on textbook characters to spark discussion. Asking a question like, "Amira thinks the answer is 12. Do you agree?" allows an EAL learner to engage with a ready-made reasoning task. They can point, nod, or use a "thumbs up or down" to show agreement, participating in the logic of the lesson even if the words aren't there yet.

Digital Scaffolds: EAL Maths Resources and Tools

The right digital tools can act as powerful EAL maths resources for inclusive teaching. One of the most effective ways to support these pupils is to adapt your interactive presentation slides before the lesson begins:

• Visual Overlays: Pre-teach key vocabulary by overlaying images, diagrams, or multilingual symbols onto the introductory task slides.
• Simplify and Reveal: Use editing tools to hide distracting text or simplify the word problems on the screen, allowing pupils to focus entirely on the core mathematical structure.
• Alternative Recording: Instead of demanding a written journal entry, let students capture a photo of their concrete model or drawing. This provides an evidence of understanding that is just as valid as a paragraph of text.

By prioritising visual reasoning and providing non-verbal avenues for participation, we ensure that every learner — regardless of their verbal ability — can thrive in the maths mastery classroom.

See it in action: Watch how this inclusive approach transforms classroom engagement in this video featuring Craig Robinson.

Learn more

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