Education, Multilingualism and Translanguaging in the 21st Century
This article sheds some light on the classroom practices of teachers and students in bilingual programs. While many people believe that learning a new language is facilitated through the student's home language, some believe in subtractive bilingualism (taking away the student's home language). This article educates us on the use of translanguaging as a resource in multilingual and bilingual classrooms. Translanguaging allows the students to make sense of the content by integration both languages. For example, a student can read and discuss a topic in one language, and then write about it in another language. This allows the student to become stronger in the weaker language. Essentially, using this practice would demonstrate that the student has processed and made sense of the content if he/she is able to write about it. Hence, proving that translanguaging can indeed promote a deeper understanding of what the student is learning.
Translanguaging works by allowing the bilingual student to use linguistic features of L1 and L2 to make better sense of what he/she is learning. To my understanding, the student is doing more than just code switching. The student is using both languages at the same time to gain knowledge and facilitate learning. Therefore, translanguaging is viewed as a resource in the classroom (a language resource) used for learning. I think that translanguaging is a practice that is evident in most bilingual and multilingual classrooms. The integration of languages is needed in order to promote second language acquisition and maintain the student's identity and home language.
This article sheds some light on the classroom practices of teachers and students in bilingual programs. While many people believe that learning a new language is facilitated through the student's home language, some believe in subtractive bilingualism (taking away the student's home language). This article educates us on the use of translanguaging as a resource in multilingual and bilingual classrooms. Translanguaging allows the students to make sense of the content by integration both languages. For example, a student can read and discuss a topic in one language, and then write about it in another language. This allows the student to become stronger in the weaker language. Essentially, using this practice would demonstrate that the student has processed and made sense of the content if he/she is able to write about it. Hence, proving that translanguaging can indeed promote a deeper understanding of what the student is learning.
Translanguaging works by allowing the bilingual student to use linguistic features of L1 and L2 to make better sense of what he/she is learning. To my understanding, the student is doing more than just code switching. The student is using both languages at the same time to gain knowledge and facilitate learning. Therefore, translanguaging is viewed as a resource in the classroom (a language resource) used for learning. I think that translanguaging is a practice that is evident in most bilingual and multilingual classrooms. The integration of languages is needed in order to promote second language acquisition and maintain the student's identity and home language.
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