UC San Diego

Many students come to think of math class with negative connotations because they do not see the relevance of math to their out-of-school settings. "Making X Relevant" uses English Language Learners' (ELLs) interests to foster self -efficacy and deepen their understanding of mathematics through oral and written explanations and authentic context. Multiple strategies such as pre and post surveys and tests, teacher questioning, written explanations, oral presentations and student work were used to assess the effectiveness of "Making X Relevant". "Making X Relevant" was successful in fostering students' self-efficacy by increasing their level of confidence on their content knowledge and deepening their understanding of math. This was demonstrated through their success in class, or improvement in oral explanations and/or written form. They were able to use reasoning and the procedures chosen to accomplish given tasks. Not all students succeeded in passing the unit content exam, but all felt that they had increased their self-confidence and understanding of math and could see the relevance of the content to out-of- school settings