Translanguaging Strategies to Develop Simultaneous Biliteracy

Emergent bilinguals possess a unique linguistic repertoire composed of all of their languages. This session is grounded on translanguaging theory and will explore how strategically planning for translanguaging strategies can support bi-literacy.

Strategies such as comparing the languages side-by-side support metalinguistic awareness and preview-view-review (PVR) helps students draw from their home language and ensure the comprehensible input of academic content taught in the second language. Examples will be shared and participants will be able to explore and plan for these strategies during the session.

General research in learning theory tells us that when new ideas, language, and vocabulary are connected to what we already know, what is being learned is easier, more relevant, and more durable. Translanguaging theory builds on this similar concept—that using what you know in a primary, home language supports learning about and through a new, target language. Translanguaging strategies offer teachers practical means to use known language, ideas, and concepts to strengthen the home language and make learning language, ideas, and concepts in a second language—or multiple languages— more likely to occur.

Language work in this sense strengthens students’ use of all cueing systems, especially the semantic (meaning) system and the syntactic (structure). It also positions emergent bilingual students, who may be viewed as being deficient, as capable learners who bring language and understandings to the learning experience in the classroom.

Materials that may be emphasized:
Flying Start to Literacy™, Despegando hacia la lectura™, Lift Off to Literacy™, Despegando hacia la lectura™: Un enfoque de lectura compartida