Translanguaging in the Classroom

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When it comes to teaching emergent bilingual students--or students we typically call English Language Learners--it is important to make bilingualism the center of the curriculum, or the norm--you could say. You see, most language classrooms mistakenly normalize a monoglossic ideology that views languages as “autonomous wholes.” This perspective mistakes bilinguals as “double monolinguals” leading to linguistically segregated classrooms. Similar to a nation state, languages--by this model--are given borders that speakers should not cross. To combine languages would be a form of contamination--or worse, a retreat into unwanted vernaculars such as Spanglish.

The problem with this rigid approach is that there is no evidence that the brain separates languages. There is no Mandarin part of the brain, nor an English one. Research shows, in fact, that for bilinguals “both languages are always active (in the brain) to some degree.” A better approach to language teaching is to cater to our students’ full linguistic repertoires--or all the languages they know. If a student is a native Spanish speaker, but can only use English in the classroom, she is forced to use only a small percentage of her linguistic repertoire--the very thing that allows her to think. This hinders her ability to grow conceptual knowledge because of the inability to rely on the first language as a foundation of learning. And it also ignores the cultural identity and funds of knowledge the student brings to the classroom.

To enact a curriculum that caters to the skills of emergent bilinguals, teachers must adopt a translanguaging stance. You see, languaging is important because language is the product of democratic action. If you can get enough people to use a word, that word--by the action of the masses--will be incorporated into the dictionary and recognized as an official word. Young people are particularly adept at languaging. This is why students have to explain to me--the teacher-- what lit, boojie and bet mean, and how to use these words correctly. Our students are changing the English language right in front of us with their constant languaging. This is precisely what we want our emergent bilinguals to do in our classrooms. We want our students to be taking action with language--to have an experimental mindset and to combine languages--yes, combine languages.

This act of combining languages is the “trans” part of translanguaging.This is the sort of language you often hear at bilingual households. Sentences may start in one language--a few words of another language may be sprinkled on--and the rest of the sentence then returns to the original language. This creative blending of languages can only be done if the speaker has a deep understanding of word meanings and their nuances. Few words--at least conceptually--directly translate from one language to the next--and if a bilingual speaker has a vast linguistic repertoire, they are going to instinctively grab the most precise word for the situation--despite the language that word belongs to.

Translanguaging also builds emergent bilinguals’ metalinguistic awareness. This is the understanding that language is merely an object and the result of cultural phenomena--and that learning another language is just stepping into another cultural practice and form of communication. Most students are already experts in a language or dialect--and you, as the teacher, need to make sure students know this. Being “bad at English”--as the students put it-- does not mean students are bad at languages--it just means they are not yet familiar with the structures, rules and nuances of the new language. When students are able to compare and contrast language structures and word meanings and view language from a metalinguistic viewpoint, it gives students a sense of control and agency over their own learning. And when students feel like they are in control of their learning--intrinsic motivation is born.

Sources

Bialystock, E. [UniofReading]. (2015, June 3). How bilingualism helps the brain [Video file]. YouTube. Retrieved from    • How bilingualism helps your brain  

Garcia, O. [CUNY NYSIEB]. (2015, Nov. 5). Sesson II: What is Translanguaging [Video File]. YouTube. Retrieved from    • Session 2: What is translanguaging?  

Garcia, O., Ibarra Johnson, S., & Seltzer, K.: https://amzn.to/3bAXgVG

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