The Translanguaging Classroom

Leveraging Student Bilingualism for Learning

Second Edition

by Kate Seltzer, Ph.D. Rowan University Glassboro, NJ

Susana Ibarra Johnson, Ph.D.

New Mexico State University and Ofelia García, Ph.D. City University of New York

Excerpted from The Translanguaging Classroom: Leveraging Student Bilingualism for Learning, Second Edition by Kate Seltzer, Ph.D., Susana Ibarra Johnson, Ph.D., and Ofelia Garcia, Ph.D.

Contents

About the Online Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Foreword by Guadalupe Valdés . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi

SECTION I

DYNAMIC BILINGUALISM AT SCHOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER 1 Translanguaging Classrooms: Contexts and Instructional Purposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CHAPTER 2 Translanguaging Classrooms: Transformative Social Purposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
CHAPTER 3 Language Practices and the Translanguaging Classroom Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
CHAPTER 4 Observing, Documenting, and Understanding Students’ Translanguaging Performances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Appendix 4.1: Promoting an Ecology of Multilingualism Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Appendix 4.2: Bilingual Student Identification Checklist and Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Appendix 4.3: Classroom Bilingual Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

SECTION II

TRANSLANGUAGING PEDAGOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
CHAPTER 5 Translanguaging Stance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
CHAPTER 6 Translanguaging Design for Instruction: The Classroom Space and Instructional Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Appendix 6.1: Translanguaging Unit Planning Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Appendix 6.2: Translanguaging Instructional Design Cycle Template . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

CHAPTER 7 Translanguaging Design for Instruction: Pedagogical Practices That Make Space for and Leverage Translanguaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
CHAPTER 8 Translanguaging Design for Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Appendix 8.1: Teacher’s Assessment Tool for Translanguaging Classrooms . . . . . . . 115

Appendix 8.2: Student Self-Assessment Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Appendices 8.3-8.5 provide further tools for assessment.

SECTION III

REIMAGINING TEACHING AND LEARNING THROUGH TRANSLANGUAGING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
CHAPTER 10 Standards in the Translanguaging Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
CHAPTER 11 Developing Literacies in the Translanguaging Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
CHAPTER 12 Biliteracy in the Translanguaging Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
CHAPTER 13 Socioemotional Well-Being and Social Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Afterword by Nelson Flores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

About the Authors

Kate Seltzer, Ph.D., Rowan University

Kate Seltzer is an Associate Professor of ESL and Bilingual Education at Rowan University. A former high school English Language Arts teacher in New York City, she now works with schools and pre- and in-service teachers to recognize and build on students’ rich language practices while also disrupting their own ideologies about these students and their ways of using language. Her award-winning work on translanguaging, literacy, and teacher education can be found in numerous journals and books. You can learn more about her work at kateseltzer.owlstown.net/.

Susana Ibarra Johnson, Ph.D., New Mexico State University

Susana Ibarra Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education/TESOL at New Mexico State University. Her commitment to improving the education of bilingual students is evident in her diverse and extensive experience. She has served in various roles, including as a professional development specialist and a district biliteracy specialist for Albuquerque Public Schools. However, it is her research that truly stands out, focusing on how translanguaging reshapes traditional conceptualizations of biliteracy within bilingual education.

Ofelia García, Ph.D., City University of New York

Ofelia García is Professor Emerita in the Ph.D. programs in Urban Education and Latin American, Iberian and Latino Cultures at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. She has published widely in areas such as sociolinguistics and language policy, receiving prestigious awards throughout her career. Her current work continues to focus on translanguaging and its educational implications.

Foreword

When I wrote the foreword for the first edition of this book in 2017, I met the students enrolled in my course, Issues in the Study of Bilingualism... After introductions, I began my brief lecture... The process of translating theory to pedagogical practice is a difficult one. Teachers cannot imagine what they have not seen. Once they are socialized into their disciplines, professional identities, and accompanying language ideologies, they cannot change their practice unless they have a solid understanding of the alternatives. Such books will also provide details about designing classroom practices that meet these different needs and about the types of pedagogies that can develop youngsters’ subject matter knowledge...

Preface

A NOTE ABOUT THIS SECOND EDITION

The second edition of The Translanguaging Classroom includes several changes that are important to note... Our primary audience is teachers. This book shows educators how translanguaging may hold the key to successfully educating bilingual students. The translanguaging pedagogy we propose is purposeful and strategic...

WHAT ARE THE KEY COMPONENTS OF A TRANSLANGUAGING PEDAGOGY?

The central innovative concept in this book for teachers is translanguaging... The translanguaging pedagogy encompasses both instruction and assessment and is structured into three interrelated strands: the translanguaging stance, design, and shifts.

USING THIS BOOK

We have three purposes for this book: to demonstrate a clearly articulated translanguaging pedagogy in practice, guide teachers’ efforts to adapt the pedagogy, and provide a foundation for empirical evidence in translanguaging classrooms, which will help refine theory and strengthen practice.

EDUCATION / BILINGUAL EDUCATION

The concept of translanguaging—using a child’s full linguistic repertoire to make meaning—is key to bilingual students’ success in school and beyond. This second edition provides foundational knowledge teachers need to support bilingual learners. This book emphasizes innovative ways to educate bilingual students while honoring their identity and culture.