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For years, research into the best instructional approaches for students identified as English learners has pointed to the concept of translanguaging.

Identified by bilingual education researcher Ofelia García, it's both a skill set and a total shift in the way language is thought of, used, and taught in K-12 classrooms where multiple languages are honored and addressed, even as English remains the dominant language of instruction, said Marybelle Marrero-Colon, the associate director of professional development for the Center for Applied Linguistics.

Researchers are looking into how it can be applied to formal assessments, such as state standardized tests on which English learners might struggle to demonstrate their academic proficiency because they are tested in an unfamiliar language.

Here's a look at what translanguaging means in the context of classroom instruction and how all educators, including monolingual English-speaking teachers, can cultivate spaces for translanguaging to occur.

Translanguaging is the ability to move fluidly between languages and a pedagogical approach to teaching in which teachers support this ability.

In translanguaging, students are able to think in multiple languages simultaneously and use their home language as a vehicle to learn academic English.

A student could be reading an article about the solar system in English, but in their brain, they are also thinking and making connections in Spanish. They might annotate in Spanish or first write down reading comprehension responses in Spanish and then figure out how to provide the responses in English, said Marrero-Colon.

It's all about encouraging students to access their full linguistic repertoires, said Emily Phillips Galloway, an assistant professor at the Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University.

Translanguaging is also multimodal. More research is underway, for instance, on hearing impaired translanguaging by students who are part of families with American sign language, Spanish sign language, and signs families create for themselves, said Maria Cieslak, the professional development content manager at the Center for Applied Linguistics.

Teachers can engage in a variety of activities that deliberately encourage translanguaging, ranging from providing vocabulary in multiple languages to collaborative translation opportunities. The goal is to get students translanguaging as a practice that can be leveraged toward supporting literacy outcomes and engagement, as well as other academic endeavors.

For example, two students could be assigned to solve a word problem, and one might be stuck on a word in English. The two students can then use an equivalent word in their home language to make sense of what the word problem is asking of them, Phillips Galloway said.

Or in group activities, students can be prompted to share with the rest of the class how something taught in English would make sense in Spanish by highlighting similar and different grammatical structures between the two languages, Marrero-Colon said.

"When you translate, you don't have to do it word for word. You're really trying to capture the feeling of that text," Marrero-Colon said.

Once teachers start doing these activities, research has found that students who have not spoken before start speaking and students who were not as engaged in text-comprehension activities suddenly are, she added. That's occurring because they are being encouraged to use their home language in class to think about language use overall.

Translanguaging extends beyond translation to something where students gain an understanding of how language functions and works.

Although translation activities are a way to engage in translanguaging, it's not word-for-word translation. It's about a student using the words and thoughts they have in their home language to make sense of English and then be able to respond in English, said Kia Johnson, the director of PreK-12 language and literacy at the Center for Applied Linguistics.

Translanguaging requires students to think about language components such as the placement of adjectives, what cognates are in various languages, and more in multiple languages at once, Phillips Galloway said.

Teachers don't have to speak the home languages of students to help them engage in translanguaging.

It does require teachers to be comfortable being a learner themselves as students teach them what they know about their own language. Some teachers may fear that students may engage in off-task behavior in languages the teachers don't understand, but research has found that in such cases, teachers are still able to register what is going on and get students back on task, Phillips Galloway said.

She also said that teachers who work in states with laws requiring English-only instruction can and should still allow students to use other languages in the classroom to help them access academic content.

The key, Marrero-Colon said, is flexibility. For instance, a student may need to write an essay in English. They can instead start with building a PowerPoint primarily of images that convey a story or meaning. The teacher can then use the PowerPoint to help students come up with words and phrases, then move to sentences and paragraphs, and so on.

All students can benefit from a classroom welcoming of translanguaging because few use academic English at home, regardless of their home language.

For instance, Black students may be fluent in African American Vernacular English and can use translanguaging activities to engage in academic classroom English, Johnson said.

An example of English-only translanguaging is asking students to turn William Shakespeare's sonnets into modern pop songs, because it is a use of language in different registers, or levels of formality, Phillips Galloway said.

Students are also more interested in acquiring more languages after hearing their peers use their home languages, which helps them succeed in an increasingly global society, she added.

The more opportunities students have to use language, whether that's English or not, breeds more language use, which is then associated with language learning.

"I think the mistake that we often make is that we don't help students to make the connections between the linguistic resources that they bring in languages other than English," Phillips Galloway said. "And in the course of doing that, we take a whole set of resources that could be used for comprehending texts as they read in English, or learn to write text in English, we take those resources off the table."

More research has found that allowing students to participate in translanguaging helps English learners eventually outperform their monolingual peers because they become more flexible in thinking about and using language in academic contexts, Marrero-Colon said.

Improved curriculum, professional development, and mindsets around the value of home languages can all help schools to encourage translanguaging and support students in the process.

Phillips Galloway is working with colleagues on a curriculum that better guides teachers in translanguaging activities since not all curricular materials recognize the concept.

Researchers at the Center for Applied Linguistics, including Cieslak, also work on professional development and policy discussions that help educators and policymakers alike understand how English learners bring with them linguistic assets that should be nurtured for overall academic success.

"It's about understanding cultural identity, and my language is part of my identity," Cieslak said. "And I'm going to naturally translanguage, whether you tell me I can or cannot."

Ileana Najarro is a reporter for Education Week covering race and opportunity in schools across the country.

A version of this article appeared in the August 16, 2023 edition of Education Week as What Is Translanguaging and How Is It Used in the Classroom?

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What Is Translanguaging and How Is It Used in the Classroom?

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Research into the best instructional approaches for students classified as English learners has pointed to the concept of translanguaging.

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Science For All

Translanguaging Using Technology
Supporting Translanguaging Practices in the Middle School Science Classroom

The United States is becoming increasingly more bilingual and multilingual, with more than 25% of school-age children speaking a language other than English at home (Zeigler and Camarota 2018). Science teachers, however, often aren't provided with the tools or knowledge to best support emergent multilingual students in the challenging academic language demands of the middle school science classroom (Lee, Quinn, and 2013). Recent studies point to the potential benefits of translanguaging pedagogy as a means of promoting greater understanding and use of scientific language practices among multilingual students (Karlsson, Larsson, and Jakobsson 2019; Poza 2018). This article presents a collection of instructional technology tools that middle school science teachers can use to support translanguaging practices among emergent multilingual students.

Translanguaging

Translanguaging pedagogy is grounded in the natural translanguaging practices of multilingual learners, who use their full linguistic repertoires to make meaning of new experiences or information. Translanguaging pedagogy centers the cultural and linguistic assets that multilingual students bring to formal and informal learning experiences and provides recommendations for how teachers can support students' use of their full linguistic repertoires to develop conceptual and linguistic understanding. Unlike traditional English language learners (ELL) models that historically discourage students' use of multiple languages in school settings, translanguaging pedagogy positions students' use of their primary home language(s) as an asset that should be invited into the classroom setting to support understanding of school topics and emergent language use. For example, while subtractive approaches to multilingualism often discourage or punish students for using their home languages in the classroom, translanguaging teachers celebrate students' multilingualism and offer opportunities for students to share and use their full linguistic repertoires to build conceptual knowledge of topics and support the class's understanding of diverse languages. Teachers who incorporate translanguaging pedagogy seek to incorporate students' full linguistic repertoires to promote students' sense of school belonging and develop academic literacies and subject-matter knowledge (García and Wei 2014).

García, Johnson, and Seltzer (2017) outlined that the core components of teachers' translanguaging pedagogy are:

Stance: Teacher belief that students' diverse linguistic practices are valuable resources that should be built on and leveraged in their education.

Design: The development of a strategic teaching plan that integrates students' in-school and out-of-school language practices. Instructional units, lesson plans, and assessment are designed in a way that is informed and driven by students' language practices and ways of knowing. Units, lessons, and assessments are also designed in a way to ensure that students have regular exposure to, and practice with, specific language features needed for different academic tasks.

Shifts: An ability to make moment-by-moment changes to an instructional plan based on student feedback.

Recent research around translanguaging pedagogy shows that multilingual students who are taught using translanguaging methods report feeling an increased sense of belonging and personal connection to their teacher and classmates (DeNicolo 2019). Research also points to the effectiveness of translanguaging pedagogy in supporting students' contextualization of key words and concepts and developing students' metalinguistic awareness (García, Flores, and Woodley 2012; García and Leiva 2014).

Translanguaging in the science classroom

Despite a growing body of research highlighting the benefits of translanguaging pedagogy in the general K-6 classroom and the 6-12 English classroom, there is limited evidence of teachers integrating this pedagogical approach in the secondary science classroom. Based on anecdotal data collected by the authors from pre-service and in-service secondary science teachers, many monolingual, English-speaking secondary science teachers feel intimidated by translanguaging pedagogy and the perceived amount of effort that it would take to integrate the pedagogy in their classroom.

In this article, we propose that technology can be integrated strategically to diminish monolingual, English-speaking science teachers' intimidation of translanguaging approaches and support multilingual students' full linguistic repertoires to better develop disciplinary science understanding. We discuss a collection of practices, tools, and resources that can support the integration of translanguaging pedagogy and collaborative engagement in scientific discourse and inquiry among multilingual students in the middle school science classroom. Note: Many of the technology applications in this article are available at no cost to teachers, at least on a limited basis. Some tools require a paid subscription, and we note this in our description.

Practice 1: Enabling interaction across languages

Secondary science can be particularly challenging for emerging multilingual learners due to the high level of academic and disciplinary vocabulary used (Clark et al. 2012). As students transition into engaging in disciplinary-specific science discussions, it is important for students to have access to developmentally appropriate resources and the ability to meaningfully respond to those materials. Translational and multimedia response tools can provide important, two-way access to language for both students and teachers in the translanguaging classroom (Carhill-Poza 2017). Two technology platforms that can support this kind of work are described next.

Google Classroom

Google Classroom is primarily used to support teachers in efficiently organizing and transferring resources to their students while also creating a digital workspace for learning and collaboration. However, there are a number of basic Google Classroom features and add-ons that can support teachers in modifying their current teaching to promote both translanguaging and scientific disciplinary literacy.

Many middle school science teachers are already using Google Classroom, which allows students to complete work in Google G Suite's popular Google Docs and Google Slides applications. Science teachers may be less familiar with the Google Classroom "Tool Library," which links to a variety of educational tools, including translation tools ( see Figure 1). Google Classroom has a dictionary and voice-typing feature that can be particularly effective at scaffolding emerging multilingual learners' use of academic vocabulary. Oral fluency in a language typically precedes written fluency, so voice typing can support multilingual students' engagement in the argumentation required for scientific learning by recording their spoken word without additional spelling and grammatical challenges (Kim and García 2014; Tong et al. 2014). The recordings appear as typed text at the location of their cursor, allowing students to make connections between aural and written speech. Google Voice Typing supports 119 languages (as of the publication of this article), allowing students to easily switch between languages to describe their scientific observations. Science educators will find that when using the same menu, they can translate students' speech, allowing them to assess and respond to the students' ideas in whatever language the student prefers to share. Google Classroom's Dictionary feature also allows students to co-create, maintain, and share bilingual academic dictionaries that can support all learners in accessing new disciplinary content.

Most Google Classroom tools work best when using Google Chrome, and Google Chrome has an ever-expanding collection of extensions that can be used to support more translanguaging pedagogy. One free extension is Google Translate (or Translate+ for additional languages), Google Dictionary, and Read&Write-all of which can increase students' accessibility of English texts throughout a student's online experience. Science educators can use the same tools to understand student-selected or student-created materials, in whatever language in which they are written. Although the Google translation tools are not perfect, they are often adequate enough for science educators to ensure that students are getting the "gist" of a particular content objective. Other add-on audio and video response tools, like Speech Recognition, SoundWriter, and Screencastify, can also be integrated to allow multilingual students to provide explanations of their thinking in their language of choice. Google Classroom is an excellent general tool, with a variety of add-on features, that can support multilingual students in accessing and engaging with disciplinary content. More information about these tools can be found in the Google for Education Teacher Center (see Online Resources for link).

OneNote for Classrooms

OneNote for Classrooms is another powerful technological tool that can support science teachers' integration of translanguaging pedagogy. OneNote for Classrooms, a Microsoft 360 application, integrates both multimedia and an Immersive Reader into the OneNote notebook. Science teachers can create class notebooks, share pages with individual students, and create spaces for student group collaboration. Teachers and students can create multimodal pages that include a combination of text, images, clipped videos, active links, student-created drawings, hand-drawn or typed annotations, audio, text entries, or comments. Through OneNote's Immersive Reader, multilingual students can easily and privately access features that allow them to personally differentiate their access and responses to texts. Students are able to instantly translate written material into 80 different languages, 40 of which can be read aloud with linguistically matched AI narrators. In Figure 2, we highlight how students are able to control the level of language scaffolding from single word to whole document using OneNote's Immersive Reader. These screenshots illustrate the same document displayed in English and Spanish with pictorial and aural supports. Educators can facilitate use of Open Educational Resources (OER) texts and other online resources by using the OneNote web clipper to collect materials relevant to their lessons. Using the three buttons at the top right, students use a simple menu to translate individual words, highlight sentences or whole documents, hear content read aloud, and check parts of speech in either language. Students who are monolingual can also use OneNote to more meaningfully interact with the multilingual writing of their classmates, fostering more collaboration and peer-teaming across documents written in more than one language.

Figure 2

Screenshots of the OneNote Immersive Reader showing multiple levels of language support. OneNote Immersive Reader (n.d.) ©2020 Microsoft. Retrieved from https://education.microsoft.com/en-us/resource/9b010288. Screenshot by author. Text material used for this demonstration was taken from College Physics, an OER resource (Urone and Hinrichs 2012).

Practice 2: Interactive presentation tools

Teachers often use PowerPoint or Google Slides to introduce or review concepts. If the teacher uses differentiated practices or Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to support multilingual students, they often pair their presentation texts with images or videos that allow the students to see the concept or language-in-use. During this time, students are usually asked to take notes or record their understanding in a graphic organizer.

For multilingual learners, following oral presentations and taking notes around complex, scientific topics can be challenging. By adapting instruction through the use of interactive presentation tools, like Pear Deck or Nearpod, teachers can allow multilingual students to privately self-differentiate and support collaborative understanding of complex, scientific concepts among all students. Both Pear Deck and Near Pod allow students to write down their ideas or draw pictures to share their thoughts with the teacher and their classmates. The teacher can explicitly invite students to use any language of their choice to think about or respond to an idea, encouraging students to use their full linguistic repertoires to engage with new concepts. During or after class, the teacher can privately review students' responses and use an online translation tool to understand comments made in a language that they don't understand. These tools provide another opportunity for middle school science students' full linguistic repertoires to be invited into the science classroom to build their developing scientific knowledge. Both Pear Deck and Nearpod have free options available for entry-level users.

Practice 3: Amplifying student voices through video response

Student learning in both the content area and target language is enhanced when students bring their full linguistic repertoire into the learning activity. The use of voice and video response applications can enable and encourage students to express their emerging understanding and interact with others in ways that may not be possible within live classroom discussions. Digital discussion technologies like VoiceThread and Flipgrid can help create a safe space in which multilingual learners can practice using scientific discourse as many times as needed to build confidence before sharing their thoughts with the class. Additionally, as learners interact with each other on these platforms, they are able to practice both speaking and listening skills.

VoiceThread

VoiceThread is one example of a voice and video response platform that can be used to engage multilingual students in conversations about their scientific practices through multimodal storytelling or argumentation. With VoiceThread, students are able to upload a variety of images, documents, and videos and then comment on them using text, audio, or video. One strength of VoiceThread is that each student has the ability to choose how they want to contribute to the conversation independently. This technology provides an excellent way for middle school students to share and teach one another about the results of classroom inquiry. For example, students are able to use VoiceThread to produce a virtual lab report, in which they can present background research, describe their experimental design, show videos of their experiment in progress, display photos of scientific results, share graphs, and explain their results. These VoiceThread creations can remain private between the teacher and student, or the teacher can make student videos public for the rest of the class. When public, other students are able to comment on peers' experiments, helping the research team members draw deeper conclusions based on peer discussions. Students who speak other languages outside of the dominant classroom language often feel more comfortable contributing to discussions in a format like this, since they have additional time for translation, processing, and participation. VoiceThread, however, is somewhat limited in that it does not provide direct opportunities for teachers and other students to translate the primary language of the multilingual student. Students may provide their own captions; however, VoiceThread's native machine captioning service may take several days and must be ordered for each participation. VoiceThread has a free option, but educators may prefer a premium subscription that provides access to and governance over student subaccounts.

Flipgrid

Another free technology tool, Flipgrid, can integrate some of the multimodal features of the VoiceThread with additional tools to support translanguaging and connected learning. Flipgrid is a secure video discussion board app that can be downloaded easily onto students' phones, tablets, laptops, or computers. A new collaboration with Microsoft has created an enhancement allowing students to use Immersive Reader to translate and better understand Flipgrid discussion prompts and linked articles. Students can record their scientific observations, questions, or thoughts orally in a variety of languages both inside and outside of class. Students can also share articles and links, making cultural or interest-based connections to science content. Flipgrid has a "closed caption" feature that can be used to make content accessible to learners no matter which language is used. Although this feature is not a translator, it transcribes the spoken word in a variety of languages. These transcripts can then be exported into Google Translate or another translation software to provide a basic understanding of the students' thinking regardless of the language they use in their own posts. Going beyond the single classroom, Flipgrid makes it easy to invite interaction across class sections, with students' families, and with invited content experts. Teachers may even find that they are able to locate partner classrooms in which the multilingual students' primary language is spoken using Flipgrid's #GridPals program to build meaningful global relationships.

Conclusion

Translanguaging pedagogy is a teaching practice that increases multilingual students' feelings of belonging in the science classroom and supports their understanding of scientific concepts. While many monolingual, English-speaking science teachers want to invite multilingual students' full linguistic repertoires into the classroom, they are often unfamiliar with easily accessible tools that can support translanguaging in their classes. Technological tools like those mentioned in this article can support teachers, particularly monolingual English-speaking science teachers, in effectively integrating translanguaging pedagogy in the middle school science classroom. *

Disclaimer: The authors have not been compensated in any way for the review of these tools. Tools described in this article do not represent endorsement by the National Science Teaching Association.

References

Carhill-Poza, A. 2017. Re-examining English language teaching and learning for adolescents through technology. System 67 (July): 111-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2017.05.003

Clark, D.B., S. Touchman, M. Martinez-Garza, F. Ramirez-Marin, and T. Skjerping Drews. 2012. Bilingual language supports in online science inquiry environments. Computers and Education 58 (4): 1207-1224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.11.019

DeNicolo, C.P. 2019. The role of translanguaging in establishing school belonging for emergent multilinguals. International Journal of Inclusive Education 23 (9): 967-984.

García, O., N. Flores, and H. Woodley. 2012. Transgressing monolingualism and bilingual dualities: Translanguaging pedagogies. In Harnessing linguistic variation to improve education, ed. A. Yiakoumetti, 45-75. Oxford, England: Peter Lang.

García, O., S.I. Johnson, and K. Seltzer. 2017. The translanguaging classroom: Leveraging student bilingualism for learning. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.

García, O., and C. Leiva. 2014. Theorizing and enacting translanguaging for social justice. In Heteroglossia as practice and pedagogy, eds. A. Blackledge and A. Creese, 199-216. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.

García, O., and L. Wei. 2014. Language, bilingualism and education. In Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education, 46-62. London, England: Palgrave Macmillan.

Karlsson, A., P. Nygård Larsson, and A. Jakobsson. 2019. Multilingual students' use of translanguaging in science classrooms. International Journal of Science Education 41 (15): 2049-2069.

Kim, W.G., and S.B. García. 2014. Long-term English language learners' perceptions of their language and academic learning experiences. Remedial and Special Education 35 (5): 300-312. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932514525047

Lee, O., H. Quinn, and G. Valdés. 2013. Science and language for English language learners in relation to Next Generation Science Standards and with implications for Common Core State Standards for English language arts and mathematics. Educational Researcher 42 (4): 223-233.

Poza, L. E. 2018. The language of "Ciencia": Translanguaging and learning in a bilingual science classroom. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 21 (1): 1-19.

Tong, F., B.J. Irby, R. Lara-Alecio, and J. Koch. 2014. Integrating literacy and science for English language learners: From learning-to-read to reading-to-learn. Journal of Educational Research 107 (5): 410-426.

Urone, P. P., and R. Hinrichs. 2012. Falling objects. In College Physics. Houston, TX: OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/college-physics/pages/2-7-falling-objects

Zeigler, K., and S.A. Camarota. 2018. Almost half speak a foreign language in America's largest cities. Washington, DC: Center for Immigration Studies. https://cis.org/Report/Almost-Half-Speak-Foreign-Language-Americas-Largest-Cities

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Science For All Supporting Translanguaging Practices in the Middle School Science Classroom The United States is becoming increasingly more bilingual and multilingual, with more than 25% of school-age children speaking a language other than English at home (Zeigler and Camarota 2018).

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https://ealjournal.org/2016/07/26/what-is-translanguaging/

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'Translanguaging' - the use of different languages together - can be a powerful tool for learning ... but it can also go against the grain for language teachers who are used to supporting learners to master the intricacies of a single language. In this post, we ask what the research tells us about 'translanguaging' and how it can be used to support EAL learners in the classroom.

Picture the scene: two students are sitting together, working intently on a handout. They have different first languages but some shared knowledge of the words and phrases of each other's languages, so they are moving in and out of English to get their message across. Another two students are sitting together nearby. Both of them are Spanish speakers, but are very strong in English and often use it as their main language. At other times, as now, they blend Spanish and English together.

Are either of these examples of translanguaging?

In both cases, yes. The young people are using resources from different languages together, with very little regard for what we might call the 'boundaries' of named languages such as 'Spanish' or 'English'. They are using elements of each language together to communicate more effectively. This is translanguaging: it's about using the all your language resources to communicate.

Translanguaging is the act performed by bilinguals of accessing different linguistic features or various modes of what are described as autonomous languages, in order to maximize communicative potential.

Ofelia García (2009: 140)

Translanguaging is about communication, not about language itself. There are times when we need to be language teachers, focusing on accuracy in English so that our learners can pass exams and be taken as proficient speakers in wider society. Much of the time, though, we are working with students to explore concepts, add to their knowledge, make connections between ideas and to help them make their voices heard by others. This is often about communicating, and this is where using all our language resources can be very valuable.
A (very) brief history of translanguaging ...
Translanguaging is nothing new - it can be a very natural way for multilingual people to communicate - but as a focus of research it emerged in the 1980s in Bangor, north Wales. Cen Williams and colleagues were investigating strategies for learners to use two languages (Welsh and English) in a single lesson. They came up with the term 'trawsieithu' to describe reading or hearing input in one language (e.g. English) and writing or speaking about it in another (e.g. Welsh, or vice versa). The term was translated into English (and popularised) as 'translanguaging' by their colleague Colin Baker (see Lewis, Jones and Baker 2012).

Since then the term has expanded to cover the use of multiple languages in many contexts. It is one of a series of related terms (such as polylanguaging and flexible multilingualism) and the subtle differences between them suggest the wide range of academic work investigating how multiple languages are used - especially for learning. We can use 'translanguaging' as our general term.
The beginnings of a translanguaging pedagogy
Translanguaging pedagogy challenges what Jim Cummins (2008) called the 'two solitudes' approach to bilingualism, in which languages were kept strictly separate. It sees languages as a property of the community: the language resources that are relevant to the classroom are those shared by the students and the teacher. This separates the languages of the classroom community and the language of the test or the curriculum. We can use our classroom repertoire to learn, share and communicate, coming to focus on the language of the curriculum (highly formal and accurate English, for example) as necessary. It means making a distinction between forms of learning that require display (such as essays, often written in 'best English') and forms of learning that do not (such as worksheets). We can move between them within a lesson: perhaps using all our repertoire to discuss and to draft, moving into more formal/correct English to report to the group, back into translanguaging to revise the work-in-progress and into a very formal register for the final written product.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the strongly monolingual slant of recent education policy, much work into translanguaging pedagogy has been done outside mainstream classrooms. Creese and Blackledge (2010), for example, have looked at Gujarati and Chinese complementary schools. Li Wei and Zhu Hua (2013) studied learners at university, but connected translanguaging to migration and identity development in ways that are very relevant to school-based language policies. Hornberger and Link (2012) look at children the US, with an explicit focus on the restrictive language policies of that country, and offer ideas that are very applicable to the UK. A good starting point is García and Li Wei (2014) - a recent and very readable (only 165 pages) discussion that has a strong focus on translanguaging and education, with one author based in the US and one based in the UK.

The first issue of the EAL Journal (published in September and free to all NALDIC members) features Li Wei writing about translanguaging and the EAL classroom. Click here for information on how to join.
Recent developments
García's recent work has focused on translanguaging pedagogy as a political act, a critical response to the monolingual bias of current education policy. Earlier this year the South London EAL Group (part of NALDIC's national network of regional interest groups) discussed García's work on translanguaging stance - a teacher's political commitment to encouraging bilingualism in her classroom. The video below features Constant Leung discussing this approach and explaining how it connects to the UK context:
Constant Leung discussing Ofelia García's work on translanguaging, at NALDIC's South London EAL group. But what about exams?
Very often, we meet the colleagues who are keen to encourage multilingualism in their classroom (even experiment with a translanguaging pedagogy), but who are worried about how it will affect their students' exam performance.

A translanguaging approach is entirely consistent with high expectations in exams - if we recognise the difference between language and communication.

testing the proficiency of children in a language must be kept separate from testing their proficiency in language.

(Otheguy, García and Reid 2015: 299)

Translanguaging pedagogy is about you and your students. It draws on the languages you have available to your group - so even if you don't speak all (or any) of the other languages your students do, you can welcome them and encourage the learners to use them in the classroom. You can then make a distinction between your classroom approach to languages and the language resources the students will need to use in exams. If you have used a translanguaging pedagogy in your classroom (even if that wasn't the term you used for it) we would love to hear from you.
References
Creese, Angela and Adrian Blackledge (2010). Translanguaging in the Bilingual Classroom: A Pedagogy for Learning and Teaching? Modern Language Journal 94 (1), 103-115.

Cummins, Jim (2008). Teaching for Transfer: Challenging the two solitudes assumption in bilingual education. In: Jim Cummins and Nancy H. Hornberger (eds). Encyclopedia of Language and Education Vol. 5: Bilingual Education (2nd edition edition). Boston: Springer Science + Business Media.

García, Ofelia (2009). Education, multilingualism and translanguaging in the 21st century. In: Ajit Mohanty, Minati Panda, Robert Phillipson and Tove Skutnabb-Kangas (eds). Multilingual Education for Social Justice: Globalising the local. New Delhi: Orient Blackswan, pp.128-145.

García, Ofelia, S. Johnson and K. Seltzer (forthcoming). Translanguaging Stance. In: Ofelia García (ed.). The Translanguaging Classroom. Philadelphia, PA: Carson.

Lewis, Gwyn, Bryn Jones and Colin Baker (2012). Translanguaging: origins and development from school to street and beyond. Educational Research and Evaluation 18 (7), 641-654.

Li Wei and Zhu Hua (2013). Translanguaging Identities and Ideologies: Creating Transnational Space Through Flexible Multilingual Practices Amongst Chinese University Students in the UK. Applied Linguistics 34 (5), 516-535.

Otheguy, Ricardo, Ofelia García and Wallis Reid (2015). Clarifying translanguaging and deconstructing named languages: A perspective from linguistics. Applied Linguistics Review 6 (3), 281-307.

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Interested in translanguaging and what it means for EAL? We look at the research and share the essential info.

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When we learn a new language, we aren't aware of how it will impact our lives.

By learning a new language, or two, you're adding more ways to express yourself and communicate with the world and the people around you.

That's why we'll talk about the benefits of translanguaging and how it can help you at home if you're part of a multilingual family or live in a multiracial community.

Join us, and let's learn about translanguaging!
You can also read: Join 559 million people on the planet who speak Spanish!
Sign up for your free trial Spanish class today. ➡️ The Pros and Cons of Bilingual Education for Kids

What Is Translanguaging?

Although there is no specific definition, Gwyn Lewis said translanguaging was first used in Wales in the 1980s.

The word indicates how bilingualism and multilingualism have developed in academia and how it has changed politics and society.

One of the first uses given to the word is to explain the phenomenon as something spontaneous that shapes the communication of bilingual or multilingual people.

Translanguaging is the phenomenon that shows us bilingualism or multilingualism from another perspective.

This theory tells us that by learning more than one language, we can communicate autonomously in different languages. Also, we can pick the most important characteristics of each language to adapt to different contexts.

Translanguaging is a way in which you can communicate with all your linguistic resources without following each language's grammatical rules.

This phenomenon seeks to help multilingual people communicate better, regardless of whether or not they're 100% fluent in the languages they have learned.

According to researchers Sara Vogel and Ofelia García, if we look at translanguaging from a sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic perspective, it can help us understand how bilingual people communicate and how they go from one language to another.

Translanguaging privileges bilingual exchanges instead of just monolinguistic ones, as it enables people to understand and communicate complex information.
We recommend: 5 Benefits of Learning Another Language [Tips from a Multilingual Person]
So, we can say that translanguaging is more than using all languages we know to communicate. It's a phenomenon that makes us forget the barriers between languages and open our minds to understand how everything is connected.

5 Benefits Translanguaging Has for Bilingual/Multilingual Families and Individuals

Using translanguaging at home can bring many benefits to your kids. Here are five that you can use to help them improve their language learning.

Translanguaging helps kids feel more comfortable and at ease.

It shows them that all their knowledge, background, and mother tongue are important to their education.

This will make them become more active and use both languages.

In other words, they'll feel motivated!

During dinnertime, you can talk to your kids in their mother tongue and encourage them to use words from the language they're learning to finish a thought.

Translanguaging pedagogies can potentially transform relationships between children, teachers, parents, and society.

This creates spaces where everyone learns from each other, as children have language skills that parents or teachers don't have.

Think of it as a superpower!

You can pair your children with classmates who are on the same language level and have them exchange opinions and talk about things that matter to them. It doesn't have to be too serious. Remember that they're children.

This way, they'll continue to learn and use all their languages more fluently.

Your children's mother tongue is important to them. With it, they can learn a new language!

Yes, really! It's a platform.

Let us explain.

Your kids can use the vocabulary and definitions of their first language to comprehend the structure of other languages, especially if they're related. They can also infer the meaning of new words.

Try helping your kids do their homework with this technique in mind.

Ask them to explain a topic or task in the language they're learning. Then you can discuss it with them and find more information using their first language. This will give them a deeper understanding and a meaningful learning experience.

Using translanguaging in the classroom -and in all settings- encourages multilingual interactions and collaborations between peers or people of the same age.

Children who are fluent in Spanish can be an excellent support for children who are learning it from scratch.

This helps children overcome obstacles.

You can use this idea at home. Try taking your kid to a place or event where people speak the language they're learning.

It could be a sporting event or a concert. How about signing them up for salsa lessons?

Gain a Sense of Belonging and Community

Involving the people closest to your children in translanguaging will help them feel valued. This will also let them know they're essential to their community.

And as for your children, it gives them more security, consistency, and positivity when learning a new language.

In a study conducted in Canada, researchers found that students who were part of communities versed in translanguaging were more aware of the similarities and differences between their mother tongue and the language they were learning.

The students who were part of a translanguaging group got better scores than those who were in the monolingual group.

So, you can talk to your kids' cousins, uncles, and close friends to help them do the same things you do to help them, like the things we discussed in this article.

Also, let them know they can talk to you if needed and practice any language with you.

Read also: What Is the Difference Between a Polyglot and a Multilingual Person?

Transform Your Kid's Language Learning With Translanguaging!

We've learned that this phenomenon, technique, or theory can significantly help your children learn languages and improve their social development.

It helps them become active members of society. With translanguaging, they can feel part of a culture that's different from theirs.

Furthermore, this approach helps them take ownership of their own learning by breaking down barriers with the help of their peers and using creativity to bond with those around them.

We are sure you're very inspired to help your kids to learn a new language, and we recommend starting with Spanish.

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"HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!"

Want more free Spanish resources and learning strategies? Check these out!

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Unpacking the Benefits of Translanguaging

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Let's talk about the benefits of translanguaging and how it can help you at home if you're part of a multilingual family.

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4 Ways Translanguaging Helps ESL Students Learn English

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4 Ways Translanguaging Helps ESL Students Learn English

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There are numerous "tried and true" methods and techniques for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Yet, many emerging approaches are also proving effective and gaining traction in advanced ESL teacher preparation programs.

For example, take the Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction (M.Ed. C&I) online program from the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM). This program combines traditional ESL approaches with a distinct and intentional focus on the social and cultural aspects of language acquisition.

According to program literature, students in ULM's M.Ed. C&I - ESL online program explore the "interrelated nature of language and culture and the development of sociolinguistic competence in first and second language acquisition." Additionally, the program supports the emerging ESL methodology called "translanguaging" in discussion with the multicultural, multifaceted conception of language use and acquisition.

In an article for the Heinemann Blog, Drs. Carla España and Luz Yadira Herrera define translanguaging as "when a multilingual person's full linguistic repertoire is used and honored, instead of trying to keep narrowly focused on a single language." Translanguaging is a common, natural practice for many people in any multilingual environment.

Translanguaging is both a theory and a pedagogical approach. In translanguaging theory, multilingual people do not possess separate, autonomous language systems in their minds. Rather, as the authors of A Pedagogy of Translanguaging explain, "the bilingual [or multilingual] mind is seen as a holistic system that contains diverse linguistic resources, employed as needed for different communicative purposes."

Given this, translanguaging pedagogies strive to move past strict language separation and narrow, single-language use in schools. Instead, embracing translanguaging in schools involves intentionally incorporating and encouraging flexible language use, valuing and leveraging the entirety of each student's linguistic repertoire.

Translanguaging in the classroom can help any student develop more fluid linguistic skills while normalizing multicultural experiences and fostering cultural competence. However, ESL leaders must emphasize the particular importance of translanguaging for English language learners (ELLs) in today's schools. Here are four areas in which translanguaging can benefit these students:
1. Language Acquisition and Learning New Content
In an article by HMH, Drs. Yvonne and David Freeman explain that a first language is an essential resource and tool for students learning a new language. They write, "a student's home language can serve as a scaffold in the process of acquiring additional languages and a scaffold for learning academic content in the new language."

Using first language vocabulary to define and understand new concepts helps students explore and comprehend new vocabulary and ideas. This can help students grasp the meanings of new words with more context and a deeper level understanding. It also facilitates the application of knowledge students already have to what they are learning in various subjects.
2. Peer-to-Peer Collaboration, Relationships and Learning
Translanguaging in the classroom encourages multilingual interactions and collaboration between peers. Multilingual students who already have strong English skills can be excellent resources and help their early learning ELL peers with language acquisition.

The relationships these interactions foster can bolster a student's sense of community and comfort with trying new language skills. Interacting with peers who have experienced a similar language learning curve can normalize an ELL's experience and help them overcome challenges with language acquisition and progress.

Notably, this can also be of great help to teachers, especially those who are not fluent in their students' first languages. It can create a supportive, collaborative environment where every classroom member is involved with teaching and learning.
3. Student Comfort, Self-Efficacy and Engagement in the Classroom
Translanguaging can make a student feel more comfortable and at ease in other ways. It shows students that their prior experience, knowledge, first language and background are respected and valued equally by those in their new environment.

Plus, by the fundamental nature of translanguaging, students are encouraged to participate in any way they can, using all their linguistic skills. This builds self-efficacy and engenders classroom engagement. Participation and engagement cyclically drive more motivation and learning.
4. School-Home-Community Engagement
Drs. España and Herrera note that engaging family, caregivers and community members as "language partners" is an essential aspect of translanguaging in teaching. This support can help a student's community outside of school know their contributions are important and valued.

Improved school-home-community engagement can result in additional support for ELLs in language acquisition, education and their general development. It can also engender more consistency and positivity regarding language acquisition and respect for peers' first languages and cultures.

Translanguaging can be a critical component of rich learning experiences for all students, especially ELLs. By studying concepts like translanguaging through culturally responsive ESL master's programs like that at ULM, educators can learn how to better help their students acquire new languages. Moreover, in assisting colleagues to understand and incorporate translanguaging pedagogy, these teachers can support student success throughout their educational experiences.
Learn more about the University of Louisiana Monroe's online Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction program.

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How Translanguaging Aids English Language Learners - ULM Article

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There are numerous "tried and true" methods and techniques for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Yet, many emerging approaches are also proving effective and gaining traction in advanced ESL teacher preparation programs. For example, take the Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction (M.Ed. C&I) online program from the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM).

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4 Ways Translanguaging Helps ESL Students Learn English

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4 Ways Translanguaging Helps ESL Students Learn English

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There are numerous "tried and true" methods and techniques for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Yet, many emerging approaches are also proving effective and gaining traction in advanced ESL teacher preparation programs.

For example, take the Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction (M.Ed. C&I) online program from the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM). This program combines traditional ESL approaches with a distinct and intentional focus on the social and cultural aspects of language acquisition.

According to program literature, students in ULM's M.Ed. C&I - ESL online program explore the "interrelated nature of language and culture and the development of sociolinguistic competence in first and second language acquisition." Additionally, the program supports the emerging ESL methodology called "translanguaging" in discussion with the multicultural, multifaceted conception of language use and acquisition.

In an article for the Heinemann Blog, Drs. Carla España and Luz Yadira Herrera define translanguaging as "when a multilingual person's full linguistic repertoire is used and honored, instead of trying to keep narrowly focused on a single language." Translanguaging is a common, natural practice for many people in any multilingual environment.

Translanguaging is both a theory and a pedagogical approach. In translanguaging theory, multilingual people do not possess separate, autonomous language systems in their minds. Rather, as the authors of A Pedagogy of Translanguaging explain, "the bilingual [or multilingual] mind is seen as a holistic system that contains diverse linguistic resources, employed as needed for different communicative purposes."

Given this, translanguaging pedagogies strive to move past strict language separation and narrow, single-language use in schools. Instead, embracing translanguaging in schools involves intentionally incorporating and encouraging flexible language use, valuing and leveraging the entirety of each student's linguistic repertoire.

Translanguaging in the classroom can help any student develop more fluid linguistic skills while normalizing multicultural experiences and fostering cultural competence. However, ESL leaders must emphasize the particular importance of translanguaging for English language learners (ELLs) in today's schools. Here are four areas in which translanguaging can benefit these students:
1. Language Acquisition and Learning New Content
In an article by HMH, Drs. Yvonne and David Freeman explain that a first language is an essential resource and tool for students learning a new language. They write, "a student's home language can serve as a scaffold in the process of acquiring additional languages and a scaffold for learning academic content in the new language."

Using first language vocabulary to define and understand new concepts helps students explore and comprehend new vocabulary and ideas. This can help students grasp the meanings of new words with more context and a deeper level understanding. It also facilitates the application of knowledge students already have to what they are learning in various subjects.
2. Peer-to-Peer Collaboration, Relationships and Learning
Translanguaging in the classroom encourages multilingual interactions and collaboration between peers. Multilingual students who already have strong English skills can be excellent resources and help their early learning ELL peers with language acquisition.

The relationships these interactions foster can bolster a student's sense of community and comfort with trying new language skills. Interacting with peers who have experienced a similar language learning curve can normalize an ELL's experience and help them overcome challenges with language acquisition and progress.

Notably, this can also be of great help to teachers, especially those who are not fluent in their students' first languages. It can create a supportive, collaborative environment where every classroom member is involved with teaching and learning.
3. Student Comfort, Self-Efficacy and Engagement in the Classroom
Translanguaging can make a student feel more comfortable and at ease in other ways. It shows students that their prior experience, knowledge, first language and background are respected and valued equally by those in their new environment.

Plus, by the fundamental nature of translanguaging, students are encouraged to participate in any way they can, using all their linguistic skills. This builds self-efficacy and engenders classroom engagement. Participation and engagement cyclically drive more motivation and learning.
4. School-Home-Community Engagement
Drs. España and Herrera note that engaging family, caregivers and community members as "language partners" is an essential aspect of translanguaging in teaching. This support can help a student's community outside of school know their contributions are important and valued.

Improved school-home-community engagement can result in additional support for ELLs in language acquisition, education and their general development. It can also engender more consistency and positivity regarding language acquisition and respect for peers' first languages and cultures.

Translanguaging can be a critical component of rich learning experiences for all students, especially ELLs. By studying concepts like translanguaging through culturally responsive ESL master's programs like that at ULM, educators can learn how to better help their students acquire new languages. Moreover, in assisting colleagues to understand and incorporate translanguaging pedagogy, these teachers can support student success throughout their educational experiences.
Learn more about the University of Louisiana Monroe's online Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction program.

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How Translanguaging Aids English Language Learners - ULM Article

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There are numerous "tried and true" methods and techniques for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Yet, many emerging approaches are also proving effective and gaining traction in advanced ESL teacher preparation programs. For example, take the Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction (M.Ed. C&I) online program from the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM).

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Maria Cioè-Peña and Tom Snell
The Graduate Center, City University of New York

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In speaking about newcomers who are identified as English language learners, teachers can at times be heard saying that these children come to school "with nothing." What teachers mean by "nothing" can vary. The word can be used to express limited literacy or numeracy, as defined in the most orthodox fashion. However, more often this determination of something versus nothing is based on a student's ability to communicate and produce work within the rigid standards of "academic English" and "grade-level." It is for this reason that the use of translanguaging in all classrooms could be very beneficial to the way that teachers interact with their students and the way that student abilities are evaluated.

Translanguaging is the discursive practice, widely used among bilingual communities, in which linguistic features are adopted from fixed languages and combined into an integrated repertoire. Translanguaging, in an educational context, is situated within a constructivist and culturally responsive pedagogy that honors the richness, complexity, and fullness of students' linguistic repertoires. Translanguaging creates a learning space for emergent bilinguals that more fully realizes the possibilities of social justice. It does this by shifting the discourse away from a deficit model of students with diverse languages, and creating translanguaging spaces that students experience as empowering, adaptable, relevant, and reflective of their own life experiences.

INTRODUCTION

When people in bilingual communities use language, the linguistic features at their disposal are adapted across what are considered separate languages. These features are used freely, interchangeably, and in novel combinations, and combined into an integrated whole that exceeds traditional language boundaries. We call this discursive practice translanguaging. Translanguaging recognizes a formal equality among all languaging features and practices, because these features are situated as part of a complete system that is fully "owned" by its user. Like translanguaging, social justice education challenges us to expand traditional forms of thinking and use culturally responsive or culturally sustaining pedagogy to create greater equity in access and achievement for all learners. Translanguaging is an essential part of this approach.

Translanguaging is an organic response to a world in which objects, ideas, and actions can be described and captured in a multitude of varying language codes, styles and modes. Translanguaging in an educational context allows teachers and students to have access to the full range of their linguistic practices, as they share in the collaborative construction of knowledge. Because each person's linguistic repertoire is unique, translanguaging brings all the potential of all those resources to bear as teachers and students co-create knowledge in the classroom. Thus translanguaging is firmly situated in the tradition of constructivist pedagogy, with its emphasis on learning through negotiation and social interaction, as students make their objects of study relevant to themselves. By honoring the richness, complexity, and fullness of students' linguistic repertoires, translanguaging creates opportunities for deeper understanding, as learners produce new knowledge and claim ownership of their effort and its results.

APPROACHES

The use of translanguaging in any classroom is itself a socially just act because it shifts the discourse from a deficit model to an additive model. What does this mean? For most multilingual students, school represents a place where they must go to acquire the English language. English is presented as the language of power and progress; as a result, their home language practices, which are meaningful to individuals, are placed in a position of weakness and degeneration. However, being multilingual is actually quite valuable. In the American education system the approach has been towards home language suppression and English language acquisition through a process of encouraging a functional monolingualism. Although this may be carried out with the best of intentions, it nonetheless results in a negative and unjust learning environment for children. These English-only environments can often result in feelings of failure and shame when students are unable to learn English quickly enough, or oppression if they are successful at acquiring English but suffer home language loss potentially losing their ability to communicate with their families and "native" community.

Translanguaging creates a space within schools where the practice of social justice can thrive. At the core of social justice work within education is the desire to transform the world through teacher action, collective student action, and the empowerment of individuals to create change that is meaningful and sustainable. One of the primary goals of social justice curricula is to highlight for students their ability and responsibility to enact change within their communities. By creating translanguaging spaces, we create spaces that students experience as empowering, adaptable, relevant, and reflective of their own life experiences. These spaces create real learning opportunities as students can immediately have a greater impact on their environment. Beyond that, students' socio-emotional development is nurtured in translanguaging spaces because these spaces emphasize students' rightful place in their community, as well as our interconnectedness. Through the recognition and support of linguistic variance, students gain an increased level of independence, a higher level of confidence in their abilities, and a greater degree of competence, engagement and productivity.

The incorporation of translanguaging spaces in the social justice classroom also creates an opportunity to reproduce in classrooms the inclusivity that students seek in their communities as they search for a safe space to construct their identities. Small-group work is a powerful tool for activating these spaces. It allows students to talk directly to each other without having their discourse constantly mediated by an instructor. It creates novel possibilities for authentic collaboration, and allows students to rehearse new skills in a lower-stakes setting. Small group work also has the potential to give students the tools they need to share their experiences in a safe space, dispelling stereotypes while developing confidence in their abilities.

By incorporating translanguaging spaces into their practice, teachers have the potential to change the discourse, the perceptions, and judgments that are placed on their students. Teachers enable students to recognize their own innate abilities and build on the strong foundation that exists by allowing students to use their home language to communicate and facilitate their learning. Additionally, students can then perceive their home language not as something that is hindering their progress but as a tool that can enhance it. A student who has limited English proficiency may remain silent in an English only classroom, inadvertently showing a lack of progress and comprehension simply because they lack the English language skills needed to express themselves. However, in a translanguaging space that same student would be able to use his or her home language skills to facilitate their learning and to communicate understanding, incorporating them more fully as a member of the learning community rather than just a silent observer. English-only spaces can be very lonely, so by opening up these translanguaging spaces teachers can introduce community and interconnectedness as well as exhibit an appreciation of diversity. Translanguaging is a sterling example of culturally responsive pedagogy in action, as students' linguistic resources are valued and brought to bear on the learning process in all contexts.

Translanguaging spaces are enhanced by culturally and linguistically responsive practices. Texts that reflect learners' experiences, culture, and language repertoires have a much greater likelihood of engaging them in authentic discussion and higher-order thinking. These texts activate students' prior knowledge and lower the barriers to engagement. Teachers who make multilingual and/or multicultural texts available to their students let their students know that their experiences are valued while increasing their access to achievement. In this way, translanguaging goes beyond a simple recognition of diversity, but rather employs the diverse linguistic repertoires in the classroom as meaningful resources for learning.

While translanguaging may seem to be in conflict with traditional means of assessment, especially in an era of hyperaccountability, it has the potential to give teachers access to the full academic capacities of their students. This can be accomplished through the use of multilingual assessments, which can give both a broader and deeper picture of a student's knowledge and skills. For example, if a student is asked to recall a list of details or a narrative, and is only allowed to use a small portion of her linguistic resources, she may produce a response that is reflective of linguistic capacity only, and not the full range of her awareness. Given the opportunity to use all her linguistic resources, she can demonstrate a more extensive understanding of the concepts being assessed.

Social justice in education is, at its core, the demonstration of a deeper reverence for humanity. When we honor the human spirit and all its potential in every single learner, we bring the project of social justice to the reality of our teaching practice. Translanguaging allows us to form deeper connections to each member of the learning community, by recognizing the unique linguistic repertoire of each person as a complete and integrated whole-while we challenge each learner to add features to their repertoire and expand the audience they can reach. Translanguaging also allow learners to explore their own experiences more deeply, by allowing them to construct an understanding of their own selves in a language that is deeply meaningful to them.

IMPLICATIONS

Translanguaging for social justice through education opens up a world of possibilities for emergent bilingual students. Translanguaging practices may include multilingual and culturally-responsive texts, small group collaborations, and performance-based assessments. The power of culturally-responsive texts can be accessed through resources as simple as a song, a website, a film or YouTube video, or a newspaper article. For example, teachers can introduce newspapers in a variety of languages which the students can use to assess multiple perspectives regarding a major event or social issue. These ideas can be discussed and explored in a small group, which could then be developed into a collaborative project such as a poster or presentation. In small groups, students share responsibility for a final project, develop leadership abilities and cooperative working skills, and create a product that is reflective of their collective voice. Finally, when students share their small group work with their peers, teacher create an opportunity for authentic, performance-based assessment. It is authentic because students feel a real investment in their work and the understanding they have created; it is performance-based because it is grounded in their actual linguistic abilities and lived experiences. Teachers who want to extend these possibilities can use multilingual assessments to grant their students a higher capacity to show what they know. These assessments could be papers written in a variety of languages, mixed-media projects, or multilingual presentations.

These are just a few examples of how translanguaging can be used to preview, develop and assess academic development. The key here is for teachers to constantly be thinking about how to make learning more accessible, by opening up the possibilities inherent in the multiple languages students can use. This can and should be done regardless of the teacher's linguistic repertoire since the goals of translanguaging in this context are not grounded in the teacher's ability to understand what students produce but rather to give students an opportunity to create. More broadly, translanguaging grants all students a space to feel successful and interact with the curriculum when they are able to engage with content using language features of the own choosing.

FURTHER READING

Celic, C., & Seltzer, K. (2011). Translanguaging: A CUNY-NYSIEB guide for educators. New York: CUNY-NYSIEB, The Graduate Center, City University of New York.

García, O., & Flores, N. (2012). Multilingual pedagogies. In M. Martin-Jones, A. Blackledge, & A. Creese (eds.), The Routledge handbook of multilingualism (pp. 232-246). London & New York: Routledge.

García, O., & Leiva, C. (2014). Theorizing and enacting translanguaging for social justice. In A. Blackledge & A. Creese (eds.), Heteroglossia as practice and pedagogy (pp. 199-216). Dordrecht: Springer.

García, O., & Li Wei. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism and education. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Piccardo, E. (2013). Plurilingualism and curriculum design: Toward a synergic vision. TESOL Quarterly, 47(3), 600-614.

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Theory, Research, and Action in Urban Education

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Maria Cioè-Peña and Tom Snell The Graduate Center, City University of New York In speaking about newcomers who are identified as English language learners, teachers can at times be heard saying that these children come to school "with nothing." What teachers mean by "nothing" can vary.

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Translanguaging is when a multilingual person’s full linguistic repertoire is used and honored, instead of trying to keep narrowly focused on a single language.

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A tool for Equity in Classroom Assessment

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A tool for Equity in Classroom Assessment

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Translanguaging Practices for Educational Equity: Bilingual Middle School Classroom

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Translanguaging Practices for Educational Equity: Bilingual Middle School Classroom

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Translanguaging Practices for Educational Equity

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Translanguaging Practices for Educational Equity

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Translanguaging to Support Students' Bilingual and Multilingual Development

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Translanguaging to Support Students' Bilingual and Multilingual Development

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Dr. Ophelia Garcia - Books on Translanguaging

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Dr. Ophelia Garcia - Books on Translanguaging

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Pedagogical Translanguaging and Its Application to Language Classes

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Pedagogical Translanguaging and Its Application to Language Classes

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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00336882221082751

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Dr. Soccorro Herrera - Books on Culture and Language

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Dr. Soccorro Herrera - Books on Culture and Language

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Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA), Kansas State University
Executive Director and Professor
Kansas State University

Dr. Socorro Herrera is a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education at Kansas State University and directs the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA). Her K-12 teaching experience includes an emphasis on literacy development and her research focuses on literacy opportunities with culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLD), reading strategies, and teacher preparation for diversity in the classroom. Her work also has appeared in journals such as the Bilingual Research Journal, Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, Journal of Research in Education, Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, and the Journal of Latinos and Education. In addition to her writing, Dr. Herrera conducts multi-state and international professional development on issues related to teacher preparation for pre-service teachers, biography-driven instruction, and classroom accommodations for CLD students.

Dr. Herrera has authored several books including Accelerating Literacy for Diverse Learners: Strategies for the Common Core Classrooms, K-8 (2014), Assessment Accommodations for Classroom Teachers of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (2007, 2013), Crossing the Vocabulary Bridge: Differentiated Strategies for Diverse Secondary Classrooms (2011), Mastering ESL and Bilingual Methods: Differentiated Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (2005, 2011), Biography-Driven Culturally Responsive Teaching (2010), and Teaching Reading to English Language Learners: Differentiated Literacies (2010, 2014).

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Dr. Socorro Herrera's schedule for Beyond Envisioning Equity: Situating Teacher of Color Voices

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See what Dr. Socorro Herrera will be attending and learn more about the event taking place Mar 5 - 6, 2021 .