THE TRANSLANGUAGING CURRENT IN LANGUAGE EDUCATION

Ofelia García The Graduate Center, City University of New York

October 8, 2015 ogarcia@gc.cuny.edu www.ofeliagarcia.org

Framing Question

How do I today teach Swedish as a second language to children, adolescents and adults?

Overview

• Where has language education been?

• Where is language education going?

• Two teachers and a translanguaging pedagogy.

• US situations.Translanguaging theory beyond.

Traditional conceptualizations of language

in language education Languages (and cultures) as autonomous

bounded concepts

• Norms of idealized “native language” speaker. • Acquisition of a “second” language.

Traditional conceptualizations of language

based on constructions of standards and norms….

Why? To “manage” differences

Traditional conceptualizations of language education

• Subtractive bilingualism for those considered “others”

• Additive bilingualism for those who belong

Traditional conceptualizations

Subtractive bilingualism for “others”

Traditional conceptualizations

Additive bilingualism for the elite

Traditional conceptualizations of language education

Goal of language education = to teach a “second language”

• To “others” who will not participate meaningfully

• To “own” who could only “add” to a linguistic and cultural identity that is left undisturbed.

Traditional language education pedagogy based on language construction Pedagogies of

complete separation Pedagogies based on

diglossia

The world has turned…… and language education has not always

Why not?

How has the world turned? A neoliberal economic regime

(Harvey, 2005)

• Deregulation of markets • Privatization and withdrawal of state from social provisions

• Deterritorialization & displacements • Spaces are interconnected • Transnational circulation (capital, commodities, labor and people). Technology

• Migrations & displacements

What have been the effects of deregulation and deterritorialization on language education?

Breaking out of the box

Breaking outs?

•  1. Many marginalized communities have broken out of boundaries that had been imposed

• Subtractive bilingualism questioned

• 2. The powerful have broken out of their national borders

• Additive bilingualism no longer sufficient • Turn toward plurilingualism

Breaking out has made Dynamic bilingualism visible • Complexity

•  Interconnectivity • Multiplicity

but • One tree

How does dynamic bilingualism re-shape

conceptualizations of “second language” education?

è

Dialogic, formed through social interaction

+

Not a “second” language. New language features & practices

Can learners acquire a “second language” as a self-contained system?

• No!!!!!!

• Example: Two 5 year old “English language learners” who are speakers of “Spanish” in a bilingual classroom

• What are they doing?

A 5 year old “English language learner” in an “English” class T: This tree is bigger. That tree

is smaller. Alicia: [Tries out under her

breath]. This tree is grander. (9/23/2007)

Snack Time for a 5 year old “English language learner”

[Looking out the window and talking to himself]

A: Está lloviendo mucho. [It is raining a lot] Look [telling the others]. It's washing. There washing afuera [outside] (10/19/2007)

What are these “English learners” doing?

• These learners are not simply adding “English”, a whole autonomous language to a “Spanish”.

• They are using their own language features in interrelationship with new ones to make meaning and communicate.

• They are constructing their dynamic bilingual repertoire by adding features to those they already have.

What are the “English learners” doing?

They are not code-switching

From one national language to another

They are TRANSLANGUAGING Using their full language repertoire of features to make meaning and extend

their repertoire

Translanguaging: From bilingual speaker’s perspective

A single language system “Even though Spanish runs through my heart,

English rules my veins”

Language performances of bilinguals – Not code-switching but One language system – 36.06

Language performances from the bilingual speaker´s angle

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Socially constructed as

English LOTE Translanguaging Space

What “language learners” do…. Whether they are deploying ONLY FEATURES THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY SCHOOL for the task Or deploying ANY OF THE FEATURES in their language repertoire to show what they know and can do Learners ALWAYS leverage their entire language repertoire in the process. FnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFnFn

Not “language learners” but Emergent Bilinguals/ Voices always under construction …..

The translanguaging corriente García, Johnson & Seltzer, forthcoming (Caslon) “Sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t” but always present Why? Coordination of all language features into a linguistic performance

How do you leverage the translanguaging corriente in teaching?

TRANSLANGUAGING PEDAGOGY The deployment of a speaker’s full linguistic repertoire to learn and develop ways of using language and extend their repertoire & to equalize positions of learners

CUNY-NYSIEB,2012-todaywww.cuny-nysieb.org

TheGraduateCenter,TheCityUniversityofNewYorkRISLUS(ResearchInsCtutefortheStudyofLanguagesinUrbanSociety&the

Ph.D.PrograminUrbanEducaCon

FundedbyTheNewYorkStateEducaConDepartmentPrincipalInvesCgators:RicardoOtheguy,OfeliaGarcía,KateMenkenProjectDirector:Maite(MaríaTeresa)Sánchez

LEADERSHIPCOMPONENT

AssociateInvesCgators:L.Ascenzi-Moreno,B.Collins,A.Ebe,C.Espinosa,M.Kaya,E.Kearney,andK.Mahoney,V.PérezResearchAssistants:K.Carpenter,I.Espinet,L.GuzmánValerio,MariaPeña,andK.SeltzerFieldAssociates:C.Celic,andC.Solorza

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ResearchAssistants:L.Herrera,S.HessonContributorsInthepast:N.Flores,T.Kleyn,L.Pappas,H.Woodley

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Translanguaging!in!Curriculum!and!Instruction:!A!CUNY7NYSIEB!Guide!for!Educators!

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A “monolingual” teacher in an English-medium classroom 5th grade – 10 year olds

What is Andy Brown doing?

What is Andy Brown doing? Constructing a translanguaging space

•  Linguistic landscape of classroom reflects multilingualism of children •  All ways of using language in classrooms in conversation with each

other •  Building metalinguistic awareness •  Building linguistic tolerance toward each other •  Working against linguistic hierarchies •  Involving families and others •  Developing multiliteracies

What is Andy Brown doing? Translanguaging to build on the existing language repertoire of students

•  Acting as co-learner •  Recognizing & building on linguistic strengths •  Putting classroom’s language repertoires in conversation with each other •  Questioning dictionaries & manuals (“means”/”medios” -- “significa”) •  Recognizing difficulty of translation •  Recognizing the variability of language •  Recognizing differences in script & literacy directionality •  Normalizing linguistic diversity •  Bringing forth the translanguaging corriente

A teacher who is bilingual in an English-medium classroom 11th grade – 17 year olds

What is Camila Leiva doing?

Pan American International High School Rap Monday with music videos from El Chivo of Quinto Sol & Eminem

“SÍ SE PUEDE” “YES WE CAN” El Chivo of Quinto Sol

Against deportation of undocumented immigrants & separation of children. Call to action “I’ll tell you the truth about illegal aliens! Immigration is out of control, Fellows”. “We got to do something.” “If you take my mother, it will hurt my heart.” “No me separen de mi mamá y mi papá.”

“Mosh” by Eminem Against policies of then Pres. George Bush – War in Iraq Call to action

• Pledge of allegiance by schoolchildren- “One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” cf. with

• Deaf ears of then President George W. Bush, the US Supreme Court and Congress to the pleas of the people against the war in Iraq.

Sí se puede Mosh El Chivo of Quinto Sol Eminem

Terrorismo es un pretexto. Esto no es algo nuevo. Lo mismo le pasó a mi padre; también a mi abuelo. El racismo no termina, Es el mismo duelo. ¿Dónde quedó la libertad que fundó este suelo? Con miedo nos rechazan, Le temen a mi raza. Son miles de niños que han perdido su casa, Separando a padre, hijos y hermanos. Unidos todos, sí se puede.

All you can see is a sea of people, some white and some black. Don’t matter what color, all that matters we gathered together to celebrate for the same cause, Don’t matter the weather. If it rains, let it rain, Yeah, the wetter the better. They ain´t gonna stop us. They can´t. We stronger than ever. They tell us no. We say Yeah! They tell us stop. We say Go! Rebel. With a rebel yell raise hell. We gonna let ‘em know.

The music videos: Translanguaging in LISTENING/VIEWING

•  Multimodalities in music videos •  Simultaneous listening and viewing

•  Translanguaging & transculturation in music videos •  Deconstructing autonomous language

•  Different language practices •  Rapping, spoken, written, “slang”

•  Call for unity of all practices – Unidos todos/ a sea of people together

•  The continuum of translanguaging performances by people in videos

•  Different points along the monolingual-bilingual continuum •  El Chivo born in Los Angeles but rap is in Spanish; Eminem born in the US

but moving back and forth with whole repertoire. •  Different entry point to lesson

The music video: Translanguaging in DIALOGUE & DISCUSSION •  In groups, students translanguage with each other •  In discussion with teacher, students translanguage to

participate •  I-Pads for meaning. •  Teacher makes links to translanguaging & transculturation

for strength in unity •  “Even though the song is in Spanish, we’re choosing words in

English. Quinto Sol grew up in the US but they do hip-hop in Spanish, and we’re doing the same.”

•  Sí se puede”“unidos todos con esta canción” (El Chivo) vs.” “all that matters we gathered together” and it is then that “they ain’t gonna stop us” since “we stronger now more than ever” (Eminem)

LITERACY and Translanguaging

Literacy and Translanguaging

Translanguaging for literacy

• Discussion of reading using translanguaging •  Translation/writing using translanguaging • Different entry points to writing

Translanguaging for metalinguistic awareness

•  The power of language practices that are not the dominant ones when speakers are all together

• Awareness of different language practices. •  “We gathered” together. “We stronger” •  Let ‘em know. •  Rhyming: Together, weather better, ever, •  Alliteration: Wetter/better

• Awareness of the construction of standard language • Awareness of complexity and dynamism of bilingualism • Drawing on students’ full linguistic repertoire to perform

with features desired in formal school settings

Translanguaging to create a trans-subject to change perspectives and terms

through which conversations are had. FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

What translanguaging enables •  Translanguaging equalizes the distance between home

language practices and those desired in school. •  Translanguaging liberates and includes the multilingual

voices of speakers that have been constrained or repressed in school

•  Translanguaging normalizes multilingual use, speakers and audiences

•  Translanguaging is more than a simple scaffold, it is expressive/transformational (changes terms through which conversations are had).

Reframing the question through a translanguaging lens……

• How do I teach Swedish as a second language to children, adolescents and adults who are new to Sweden?

• How do I engage students in appropriating the language features associated with Swedish into their own unique language repertoire?

To answer the question: A translanguaging pedagogy

Acknowledge the translanguaging current and learn to navigate it to move forward Andy & Camila’s translanguaging pedagogy:

1.  Stance 2.  Design 3.  Shifts

A translanguaging pedagogy can assist us in answering the transformed question of how to engage students in appropriating the language features of Swedish into their language repertoire.

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