Translanguaging

In this article, Anderson, and Lightfoot (2018) share findings from a survey study in India exploring the use of languages other than English in a variety of teaching contexts and the surrounding community context. They also investigated attitudes towards language mixing in the classroom and their translingual teaching practices. This study revealed that even within the multilingual context of India where classrooms are multilingual by “default,” teachers’ attitudes towards language…

In this practitioner-focused article, the author provides accessible definitions and examples of translanguaging. The author presents a view of languages as “fluid”, “malleable,” and the means through which sense is made of the world. Translanguaging emphasizes how individuals do this act of sense making across all the language varieties available to them. The bulletin goes on to share four teachers’ experiences with, and perspectives on, translanguaging in differing contexts across…

This article explores the implementation of pedagogical translanguaging in trilingual schools within the Basque Autonomous Community, where Basque, Spanish, and English are taught. Traditionally, these languages were separated in instruction, but the study introduced teachers to translanguaging, encouraging them to use students' entire linguistic repertoires. The article presents three case studies: a primary school science class using cognates across the three languages, a secondary school English grammar class comparing sentence…

This research paper explores the use of translanguaging in multilingual classrooms, highlighting its benefits for language learning and academic achievement. Through classroom observations, interviews with teachers and students, and analysis of instructional materials, the study found that translanguaging enhances student engagement, comprehension, and critical thinking by allowing students to use their native languages alongside the language of instruction. However, challenges such as language policy constraints, the need for teacher training,…

In this article, Cummins (2021) examines the emergence of translanguaging pedagogy and its potential to challenge traditional monolingual educational practices. Focusing on bilingual and multilingual contexts, he critiques the longstanding "two solitudes" and "maximum exposure" approaches that prioritize the dominant language over students' home languages. Cummins highlights how translanguaging allows students to use their entire linguistic repertoire, promoting deeper understanding and reinforcing their bilingual identities. Drawing on historical examples from…

In this chapter, García and Li Wei (2015) explore the concept of translanguaging within bilingual and multilingual education, challenging traditional bilingual education models such as subtractive and additive bilingualism. Translanguaging is defined as the dynamic and fluid use of multiple languages by bilingual individuals, which transcends conventional linguistic boundaries. The authors argue that translanguaging should be central to bilingual education as it reflects the natural language practices of multilingual individuals…

Jonsson (2013) investigated how six adolescents at an international boarding school in Sweden engaged in translanguaging practices through their personal diaries. Through an analysis of the diaries, as well as interviews with the students, Jonsson demonstrates how students engaged in translanguaging for their own purposes and how translanguaging was an integral part of their identities as plurilingual students. Her study also sheds light on how students’ languaging practices often do…

This article provides an overview of translanguaging that allows readers to engage in informed discussions in response to the evolving use of language in globalized and transnational contexts. Leung and Valdés describe 1) a range of contextual climates in which additional language instruction takes place (e.g., a country with refugee or international students), 2) a comparison of additional language teaching settings, 3) early social and political environments that proposed the…

This article provides an overview of translanguaging that allows readers to engage in informed discussions in response to the evolving use of language in globalized and transnational contexts. Leung and Valdés describe 1) a range of contextual climates in which additional language instruction takes place (e.g., a country with refugee or international students), 2) a comparison of additional language teaching settings, 3) early social and political environments that proposed the…

In this article, Lin and He (2017) examine the role of translanguaging in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) classrooms, particularly focusing on its implementation with South Asian ethnic minority students in a Hong Kong secondary school. The study investigates how translanguaging facilitates both content learning and identity affirmation in a multilingual setting, despite the dominant monolingual policies in place. The authors argue that translanguaging not only aids in pedagogical…