Pedagogical Translanguaging

This Element looks at the way pedagogical translanguaging can be applied in language and content classes and how it can be valuable for the protection and promotion of minority languages. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core

Teachers’ beliefs about multilingualism in a course on translanguaging

In recent years new ideas about multilingualism and translanguaging have been widely debated in applied linguistics and sociolinguistics. A growing number of studies have investigated different aspects of translanguaging. Thus far only a few studies have focused on teachers' beliefs, attitudes or ideologies. In an earlier study, we found monolingual assumptions to be strong among teachers in the Basque Country and in Friesland. In the current study in-service teachers' beliefs about multilingualism and translanguaging are discussed in relation to the key role that teachers can play in changing educational practices. During a course of continuing professional development in-service teachers received training on multilingual approaches. Before, during and after the course data were collected on their beliefs about multilingualism and translanguaging. The outcomes reveal some important changes in the teachers' beliefs about separating languages, mixing languages and languages supporting each other and the application of those beliefs in the classroom. The complex relationship between professional development and changes in teachers' beliefs and practices is placed in a broader context of multilingual approaches to teaching.This work was supported by the Basque Government under Grant DREAM IT-1225-19

Teaching English through pedagogical translanguaging

Teaching English has traditionally been associated with a monolingual bias and the exclusive use of English in the classroom is highly recommended in different countries. Nowadays English is widely used to teach academic content and this strict separation of languages can be problematic because it prevents students from using resources they have previously acquired in other languages (Cenoz & Gorter, 2015; Kubota, 2018). In this article we discuss 'pedagogical translanguaging' understood as intentional instructional strategies that integrate two or more languages and aim at the development of the multilingual repertoire as well as metalinguistic and language awareness. Pedagogical translanguaging considers learners as emergent multilinguals who can use English and other languages depending on the social context. Their linguistic resources are valued and learners are not seen as deficient users of English but as multilingual speakers.MINECO/FEDER,Grant/AwardNumber:EDU2015-63967-R;EuskoJaurlaritza,Grant/AwardNumber:DREAMIT1225-1

Developing morphological awareness across languages: translanguaging pedagogies in third language acquisition

This article focuses on the development of morphological awareness in English as a third language. It analyses how the activation of previous linguistic knowledge can influence morphological awareness. Participants were 104 primary school students who were learning English as a third language and were already fluent in two other languages, Basque and Spanish. Participants in the experimental group took part in a pedagogical intervention aiming at the development of morphological awareness by using translanguaging pedagogies. The aim of the intervention was to enable participants to use their linguistic repertoire across languages and benefit from their multilingual resources. Results indicate that participants in the experimental group obtained higher scores in morphological awareness than the control group from the same school. In addition, participants in the experimental group perceived that the use of translanguaging strategies was useful for their learning and also enjoyable as a teaching approach.This work was supported by the MINECO/FEDER [grant number EDU2015-63967-R] and the Basque Government [grant number DREAM IT-1225-19]

Minority Languages, National State Languages, and English in Europe: Multilingual Education in the Basque Country and Friesland

This article focuses on minority languages in education in Europe in contexts where they are in contact with national state languages and English. Teaching minority language implies bilingual education because it is not about replacing the majority language, but to come ‘alongside’ or at ‘equal footing’. The cases of Basque and Frisian, comparing and contrasting their similarities and differences, are analyzed. Schools in these regions desire to go beyond bilingualism and to promote multilingualism as an important aim in education. The contribution of Ofelia García’s work to research in these contexts is discussed