Translanguaging Workshop Series

This six-part series on Translanguaging for Social Justice was held during the IDRA EAC-South virtual convening, June 2022.

Translanguaging for Social Justice Overview and Action Planning

Linguistic oppression is a reality in every school in the United States. Emergent bilingual students are often asked to conform to a rigid monolingual and monocultural perspective of teaching and learning, even in bilingual classes. By embracing translanguaging research and cross-linguistic connections, educators can create linguistically equitable learning spaces. Participants in this session will be able to critically reflect and identify action items that enable students to leverage their entire linguistic repertoires and grow academically. Featuring Kate Seltzer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor Bilingual & ESL Education, Rowan University.

Leveling the Playing Field: A Strength-Based, Multilingual Approach to Formative Reading Assessment

Focused on classroom-based assessment of emergent bilingual students, this session will introduce you to theoretical and practice-based issues for making informed choices at all stages of the formative assessment. Rooted in an equity framework, you will become familiarized with the concepts of translanguaging and a critical translingual lens as driving forces to both think about and approach the formative assessment of emergent bilingual students. We will discuss the potential of responsive adaptations for the reading assessment process to align with students’ multilingual resources. We also will address critical issues to ensure that assessments do as they intend to assess emergent bilingual student knowledge. Featuring Laura Ascenzi-Moreno, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Bilingual Education, City University of NY (CUNY).

Translanguaging in the ESL and ELA Classroom through Reader’s and Writer’s Workshop

English learners are much more than their label denotes. They are emergent bilingual students in the process of becoming bilingual, biliterate and bicultural global citizens. If we are only concerned about their literacy development in English, we force them to suppress much of their knowledge and ways of learning. All teachers (even if you don’t speak your students’ language) can lead emergent bilingual students to draw from their full linguistic repertoires for academic gains. Learn how teachers are doing this in elementary, middle and high school ESL and ELA classrooms in this interactive session. You will leave with specific actions steps on how to use translanguaging in a reader’s and writer’s workshop with your multilingual students. Featuring Mandy Stewart, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Texas Woman’s University.

Translanguaging Policies & Practices for Dual Language Programs

This session invites participants to reflect on the many benefits of translanguaging by exploring translanguaging as an ideology, theory, sociocultural reality, pedagogy and political project. With this foundation, Dr. Babino will guide participants through examples of translanguaging policies and practices for dual language programs. After engaging in these dimensions of translanguaging, participants will create a scaffolded plan for addressing stakeholders’ language ideologies, language policies, and teaching practices over the curriculum and in individual lessons. The session will end with time to share out and collaborate with other district colleagues on their translanguaging action plans. Featuring Alejandra Babino, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Texas A&M Commerce.

Translanguaging and Higher Education: What Do We Teach Future Teachers?

Implementing translanguaging in higher education requires pre/in-service educators to develop pedagogical clarity, which entails a reflective process of shifting their language and literacy perspectives from separation models to more flexible models drawing from a translanguaging perspective. In this session we will engage with self-reflective and interactive activities through a translanguaging pedagogy framework of stance, design and shifts, encouraging an ongoing reflective process to clarify what to enact in your teaching. Presented by: Featuring Susana Ibarra-Johnson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor New Mexico State University.

Translanguaging for Social Justice: What Next? Where Do We Go from Here?

In this session, we will reflect on the prior sessions in this strand on translanguaging for social justice. After some small group work, each group will present their action plan to pilot or implement in their district, school or classroom. Featuring Mariana Castro, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Bilingual Education, City University of New York (CUNY); and Lizdelia Piñón, Ph.D., IDRA Education Associate.

This resource is part of the IDRA Serving Emergent Bilingual Students – Online Technical Assistance Toolkit.

Educator and Student Support