Translanguaging in the Secondary English Class Through Poetry: A Case of a Transnational Youth

• In Event: Translanguaging Practices and Vocabulary Development for Emergent Bilingual Learners

Abstract

Many youth in today’s schools are transnationals who engage in translanguaging practices in their everyday lives. Yet, as the number of these diverse students rises, so does curricula standardization which assumes a monolingual and monocultural pedagogy. In response, this qualitative study investigates the nature of one high school student’s transnationalism through a single case study, and then uses a formative design to create a translanguaging pedagogy. Results suggest that the participant’s identity can best be expressed through classroom activities that leverage all of her languages and her unique transnational perspective. A unit of using translanguaging pedagogies is detailed in this study accompanied by the participant’s writing to provide an example of why and how these practices should be institutionalized.

Authors

• Mary Amanda Stewart, Texas Woman's University

• Holly H. Hansen-Thomas, Texas Woman's University