M27 U4 A1: What is Translanguaging?
M27 U4 A2: Translanguaging and Assessment
1. What is Translanguaging?
A Working Definition of Translanguaging:
Translanguaging is the strategic utilization of one language to facilitate and enhance the acquisition of another within subject-area classes (Garcia & Tatyana, 2016).
Key Principles:
Multilingual speakers recognize their language repertoires as dynamic systems, demonstrating the ability to shuttle between languages for effective communication (Hurst, 2017).
This approach embraces and utilizes the entirety of students' linguistic repertoires, incorporating native language(s) and additional languages as valuable resources in the learning process (Admin, 2018).
Purpose and Empowerment:
According to Huynh (2021), the primary purpose of translanguaging is to empower individuals to be multilingual.
Empowerment is manifested through actions such as mobilizing multiple languages to process content, communicating using multiple languages within the same sentence, and choosing words, phrases, or sentences from different languages for effective communication (Huynh, 2021).
Teaching Method:
As a teaching method, translanguaging encourages students to freely employ all their language skills in the classroom, fostering a comprehensive and dynamic approach to language learning (Garcia & Tatyana, 2016; Admin, 2018).
Conclusion:
Translanguaging enriches the educational experience by leveraging diverse linguistic abilities, creating an inclusive and effective environment for language acquisition.
2. What Theories Guide Translanguage?
Sociocultural Theory (社會文化理論):
Focuses on social interaction and cultural context in learning.
Views language as a tool for communication and meaning-making within specific social and cultural contexts (Nsengiyumva et al., 2021).
Challenging Language Ideologies (具有挑戰性的語言意識形態):
Questions the dominance of monolingualism(單語制) and strict language separation.
Acknowledges the interdependence (相互依賴) of languages in multilingual communities (Yang et al., 2017).
Dynamic Systems Theory of Language (語言的動態系統理論):
Sees language as a dynamic system evolving in response to internal and external factors (Cenoz & Gorter, 2022).
Emphasizes fluidity and flexibility (流動性和靈活性) in using linguistic resources for communication and meaning-making (Hurst, 2017).
Constructivism (建構主義):
Highlights active construction of understanding through interactions.
In translanguaging, learners use their full linguistic repertoire to engage with academic content and social interactions (admin, 2018).
Critical Pedagogy (批判教育學):
Focuses on education's role in challenging social inequalities.
Promotes practices that empower students' linguistic and cultural identities, aiming for social justice and equity in education (Hurst, 2017).
3. How Translanguaging is used to create access to content for students?
Valuing the multilingualism of students (Teaching for Biliteracy, 2015).
Valuing the multilingualism of students (Teaching for Biliteracy, 2015).
Creating a classroom environment where students feel comfortable using all their languages.
Encouraging students to use their full linguistic repertoire (語言庫) in class discussions and activities (Nsengiyumva et al., 2021).
Overcoming Language Barriers
The flexibility in language use allows students to leverage their linguistic strengths and overcome language barriers that may impede their learning (Yang et al., 2017).
Code-switching and code-mixing facilitate comprehension and deepen understanding (Teaching for Biliteracy, 2015).
Increasing Comprehension and understanding of the concepts.
By accessing concepts in their strongest languages, students can better understand and engage with the material (Hurst, 2017)
By providing explanations, examples, and analogies in multiple languages, making the content more accessible and comprehensible (García, 2023).
Summarizing content in students' native language, providing bilingual texts or audiovisual materials, and encouraging peer discussions in various languages to support comprehension (Teaching for Biliteracy, 2015).
Differentiation
Differentiate instruction based on students' language proficiency levels and learning needs.
Provide additional support in students' native languages as needed, ensuring that all students have the same access to the content (3 benefits of welcoming home languages into our classrooms, n.d.).
Increased Engagement and Motivation
Students can express their thoughts, ask questions, and engage in discussions using their full linguistic repertoire. This promotes deeper understanding and higher-order thinking skills as students analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information across languages (García, 2023). In conclusion, translanguaging serves as a powerful tool for creating access to content for students by valuing their multilingualism and fostering a supportive learning environment. Overcoming language barriers, it enables students to leverage their linguistic strengths through code-switching and code-mixing, facilitating comprehension and deepening understanding. By accessing concepts in their strongest languages, students enhance comprehension and engagement with the material, aided by bilingual resources and peer discussions. Differentiating instruction based on language proficiency levels ensures equitable access to content, providing additional support in students' native languages when necessary. Overall, translanguaging promotes increased engagement and motivation, allowing students to express themselves across languages, fostering deeper understanding, and cultivating higher-order thinking skills.
4. How Can Teachers Support Translanguaging?
Teachers can make use of the PIE Framework’s 3 principles (admin, 2018):
Principle 1: Purposeful Design of Translanguaging Pedagogies
Intentionally design activities to align with lesson goals.
Provide a structured and purposeful approach to language use within the learning environment (Hamman, 2018).
Linguistic flexibility introduced must serve the specific objectives of the lesson.
Example: In a math class, the teacher assigns word problems that can be solved using both English and Spanish. Students are encouraged to use whichever language they feel most comfortable with to understand and solve the problems. This intentional design allows students to apply their mathematical skills while utilizing their linguistic abilities.
Principle 2: Promotion of Interaction and Inclusion:
Fostering interaction and inclusivity among students.
Active engagement with peers is recognized as enhancing meaning-making in the learning process (Vygotsky, 1978).
Platform for students to draw upon their diverse linguistic backgrounds, contributing to cross-linguistic transfer of knowledge.
Example: During a group discussion in a geography class, students are given the opportunity to share their personal experiences and knowledge about different countries and cultures. The teacher encourages students to communicate in their preferred language, fostering an inclusive environment where everyone's contributions are valued regardless of the language used.
Principle 3: Enriching Learning Across all Languages:
Tools for enriching learning across all languages within a student's repertoire.
The pedagogies aim to facilitate language and knowledge transfer by activating (激活) the interdependency (相互依賴)among different linguistic resources , enabling flexible negotiation of meaning and fostering deeper metalinguistic knowledge. (Cummins, 1979, 1981).
Example: In a music class, students learn to sing a song in both Vietnamese and Chinese. As they practice singing in both languages, the teacher discusses the similarities and differences in pronunciation and meaning between the two versions. This enriches students' understanding of the song and deepens their appreciation for linguistic diversity
In summary, the PIE Framework offers three key principles for teachers to enhance learning through translanguaging. By designing activities with specific goals, promoting interaction and inclusivity, and enriching learning across languages, educators create an inclusive and dynamic environment. Examples, such as using multiple languages for math problems or encouraging diverse language discussions in geography class, illustrate how these principles can be applied, fostering a richer understanding of content and appreciation for linguistic diversity among students.
5. How Translanguaging Creates Equity for Language Learners?
Equitable Language Support:
Allowing students to use their additional language repertoires (資料庫) to comprehend academic content, instructions, and complete tasks without relying solely on the language of instruction (Cummins, 2006).
Clear indication of what a student really knows, compared to what that student knows in the target language (Hurst, 2017).
Cross-Linguistic Transfer and Flexibility:
Allowing students to transfer knowledge and skills between languages. It affords flexibility in the use of both first and second languages (Garcia & Wei, 2014; Garcia & Kano, 2014).
Allows students to maintain existing practices, communicate effectively in multiple languages, and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for academic success.
Cultural Respect and Validation:
Respect for students' home languages and cultures. It validates the linguistic diversity that students bring to the learning environment (Marrero-Colón, 2021).
Activates students' prior knowledge by allowing them to draw on their linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
Important for identity formation. It legitimizes the interrelationship between the languages as well as the acquisition of new knowledge (Hurst, 2017).
In conclusion, the theories behind translanguaging, including Sociocultural Theory, Challenging Language Ideologies, Dynamic Systems Theory of Language, Constructivism, and Critical Pedagogy, collectively emphasize the dynamic, context-dependent, and socially embedded nature of language use. They advocate for a flexible and inclusive approach that acknowledges the interplay of social, cultural, and individual factors in language learning and communication. Translanguaging, as informed by these theories, promotes a more holistic understanding of language and encourages the active engagement of learners with their full linguistic repertoire for effective communication and meaning-making in diverse contexts.
Relevant References:
Sources
admin. (2018, September 10). A Pedagogy of Translanguaging. Language Magazine. https://www.languagemagazine.com/2018/09/10/a-pedagogy-of-translanguaging/
Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2022). Pedagogical translanguaging and its application to language classes. RELC Journal, 53(2), 342–354. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882221082751
Cummins, J. (1979). “Linguistic Interdependence and the Educational Development of Bilingual Children.” Review of Educational Research, 49(2), 222–251.
Cummins, J. (2006). Language, power, and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Multilingual Matters Ltd.
García, J. A. (2023, May 7). Unpacking the Benefits of Translanguaging. Homeschool Spanish Academy. https://www.spanish.academy/blog/unpacking-the-benefits-of-translanguaging/
García, O. & Tatyana, K. (2016). Translanguaging with multilingual students: Learning from classroom moments. Routledge.
García, Ofélia/Wei, Li (2014), Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education, Palgrave Macmillan.
García, O.; Kano, N. (2014). Translanguaging as Process and Pedagogy: Developing the English Writing of Japanese Students in the US in J. Conteh and G. Meier (Eds), The Multilingual Turn in Languages Education: Benefits for Individuals and Societies. Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Hamman, L., Beck, E., & Donaldson, A. (2018, September 10). A Pedagogy of Translanguaging. Language Magazine. https://www.languagemagazine.com/2018/09/10/a-pedagogy-of-translanguaging/Hurst, E. (2017). “Translanguaging” as a socially just pedagogy. Education as Change, 21(2), 126–148. https://doi.org/10.17159/1947-9417/2017/2015
Huynh, T. (2021, January 31). Transforming learning with translanguaging. Blog. https://tankhuynh.com/translanguaging/
Marrero-Colón, M. (2021). Translanguaging: Theory, Concept, Practice, Stance... or All of the Above? Center for Applied Linguistics. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.cal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TranslanguagingTheoryConceptPracticeStance%E2%80%A6orAlloftheAbove_CALCommentary.pdf
Nsengiyumva, D. S., Oriikiriza, C., & Kalyango, S. (2021). Cross-Linguistic Transfer and Language Proficiency in the Multilingual Education System of Burundi: What has the Existing Literature so far Discovered? IJELTAL (Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics), 5(2), 387. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.770
Teaching for Biliteracy [@teachingforbiliteracy7405]. (2015, July 22). Biliteracy Unit in 2nd Grade: The Bridge. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG6hlK-W0TY
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Yang, M., Cooc, N., & Sheng, L. (2017). An investigation of cross-linguistic transfer between Chinese and English: a meta-analysis. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-017-0036-9
3 benefits of welcoming home languages into our classrooms. (n.d.). Multi-STEM. Retrieved February 28, 2024, from https://multistem.net/2023/3-benefits-of-translanguaging/
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