Translanguaging's Impact on Early Math Education: Enhancing Background Knowledge and Collaborative Learning in Midwestern Preschools

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 2:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Transforming Bi-/Multilingual Instruction in Mathematics, Science, and History Education (Table 3)

Abstract

This study examines how translanguaging and multimodal communication enhance emergent bilingual preschoolers’ understanding of spatial reasoning and shape composition tasks in Mathematics. Our research is part of a larger project involving preschoolers from a Midwestern city where bilingual education is not available. Focused on a subset of findings from our Spanish-speaking participants, we investigate how translanguaging supports access to background knowledge and facilitates collaborative learning. Findings indicate that dynamic language use enables children to articulate complex spatial concepts more effectively. This study emphasizes the crucial importance of recognizing and integrating students' first languages into educational practices across all content areas, even where bilingual education is unavailable. Our results advocate for recognizing and leveraging linguistic diversity as a valuable educational resource.

Authors

• Dafne Zanelli, Purdue University

• Brenda Sarmiento-Quezada, Purdue University

• Laura Bofferding, Purdue University

• Yi Zhu, Purdue University