In the first part of this blog, we discussed some of the main concerns educators have with translanguaging: over-reliance of digital translation tools, the slowing of English acquisition skills, and families wanting their child to focus only on learning English. These concerns are justifiably good reasons to think critically about translanguaging, and what we can do to implement it purposefully in schools.
Let’s start by remembering why translanguaging is important effective in the first place. First of all, translanguaging is part of any culturally responsive teaching practice. When we encourage the use of home languages in the classroom, we send the message that the school values all the cultural funds of knowledge newcomers students bring to Ontario, while also encouraging students to bring their “whole”, authentic selves into the learning.
Translanguaging also helps educators to better understand the oral language and literacy skills newcomer students bring to the classroom. For example, if we notice a newcomer student can read, write and communicate extensively in another language, we can tell that they have already learned foundational language skills and perhaps even more sophisticated writing skills. As they they learn English, they will continue using these skills with a new language.
Finally, translanguaging provides a way for students, when they have literacy skills in the home language, to have comprehensible input in schools. For example, they can use their home language to read and explore the same content as their peers, they can express their ideas and learning in writing (teacher would use the translation device to assess their work), and have more opportunities to collaborate and socialize with others that know the same language.
Now, let’s look at some tips for using translanguaging in the classroom so we can address some of the major concerns with its practice head on.
Avoiding Over-Reliance on Translation Tools
We can encourage a culture of translanguaging while also avoiding over-reliance on tools like Google Translate by being clear on what our language output goals are for the newcomer MLLs we are teaching. The Steps to English Proficiency (STEP) continua is critical here: knowing the student’s STEP will help us to understand what we can expect for students at different points of their language learning. For example, a student who is approaching STEP 1 and is in the intermediate grades could have the language output goal of writing sentences using prompts and sentence frames, or responding through short phrases and gestures.
The same goes for setting input goals. It would be unreasonable to expect a student in grade 8 who is approaching STEP 1 read a grade-level appropriate text on the topic of Canadian Confederation. The level of academic language in English would likely be too complex for them to decode without sufficient time to develop a foundation for English comprehension. If the student has strong literacy skills in their home language, a digital translation tool would be a great way to enable them to access the content. Or, if we want to provide the student with an opportunity to learn the content in English, we might use an adapted, visually supported text for them to understand some of the core concepts in that lesson.
Generally speaking, students in the earliest STEPs would use translation tools most, and we gradually lower the use of those tools as students continue to build their oral foundation in English. At the same time, it is important that we encourage students to engage in their learning in English so they are practicing the skills to progress on the STEP continua, scaffolding as needed to support their growth.
Using Translanguaging as a Tool to Support Target Language Acquisition
This brings us right to our next point, which is understanding how translanguaging can actually support English language learning. When students can use another language, they already have developed an understanding of the connections between sounds and meaning, and structures for communicating ideas and information. Encouraging students to make connections between their home language and English means that they can transfer their existing knowledge over to an entirely new system of speaking, decoding, and encoding.
This means encouraging students to create their own language glossaries/dictionaries, to use languages interchangeably when writing notes or listening to English discussion, or writing short texts in their home language and seeing how those ideas look in English. Dual language texts, access to subtitles during videos, or having a same-language speaking peer (with higher levels of English language proficiency) to work with are just a few simple ways students can use their home language to build their English comprehension skills.
Responding to Families about using Home Languages in School
Translanguaging may be a teaching concept families are unfamiliar with, and it is important to address the concerns they may have about their child speaking their home language in schools. This can be particularly concerning for families that live in communities where they are surrounded by others that speak the same language: the time their child spends learning English in school is valuable.
One way to explain the importance of translanguaging to families is to explain that the Ontario curriculum approaches English learning from an additive perspective: schools want MLLs to learn additional languages without losing their home language. It is undoubtedly advantageous for Canadians to be multilingual in a global economy, and when we encourage the use of home languages in specific contexts (ex. Social situations) we support the additive approach.
It’s also important for families to know that translanguaging can enable their child’s thinking to be visible, especially in the early STEPs of English acquisition. You can share that translanguaging is used in curricular contexts as a scaffold until students increase their proficiency in English.
Intentional Translanguaging
Translanguaging has raised its share of criticism, and it is important that we use those concerns to develop a more intentional and purposeful practice that supports multilingualism and increased proficiency in English.
Interested in learning more? Check out ETFO’s resources for teaching Multilingual Language Learners!
