Translanguaging: The Basics
An outdated belief that bilingual and multilingual people have separate language repertoires for each language still persists in schools. This is where "English-only" programs come from. According to translanguaging research, the reality is that bilingual and multilingual people have one language repository where all of their language resources reside. They pull from a variety of linguistic resources and seamlessly bounce back and forth between languages based on the people they are with, the situation they are in, and whether they are at work, at school, or in their own communities.
Every child comes to our classrooms with a wealth of linguistic skills and resources...even if they speak no English. Educators can corral the power of the full range of every child's linguistic repertoire by welcoming and encouraging a multilingual classroom.
Translanguaging refers to the way bilingual and multilingual people have one pool of linguistic resources from which to pull. Educators can use translanguing strategies in the classroom to support their content area learning, build academic language, and to support English language development.