Translanguaging in the English-Only Classroom: Potential for Collaborative Language Learning

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: Academic Supports for Multilingual Learners

Abstract

This session presents research conducted in a Grade 5 English as a Second language classroom in Malaysia where despite the English-only policy, students translanguage during collaborative learning through the use of Tamil, Malay and English. Guided by the theoretical framework of translanguaging, the study aims to answer this overarching question: What role does translanguaging play in supporting the learning of multilingual English language learners during collaborative learning? A thematic and discourse analysis of interviews with students and recordings of their collaborative interactions suggest that translanguaging plays an important role in collaborative language learning by helping students identify gaps in their knowledge, take ownership of their learning, engage in higher-order thinking, build rapport, maintain their cultural identity, and resist monolingual ideologies.

Author

• Shakina Rajendram, University of Toronto