Rooted in Resistance: A Testimonio of a Critical Translingual Literacy Journey

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Coloniality of Language Education, Curriculum, and Pedagogy (Table 7)

Abstract

This testimonio is an exploration of my literacy journey in two named languages, Spanish and English. It is a reflexive counternarrative that considers the social and political circumstances influencing the development of my literacy skills, including my new literacies. Using a critical sociocultural theory perspective, I present this testimonio as evidence of my reality in a country where fighting for sovereignty is a constant. I follow Chall’s Stages of Reading Development to develop my narrative but argue that it is not a clear-cut path, instead it is non-linear, patterned, and cyclical depending on the individual experience.

Author

• Aixa Avila Mendoza, Texas Tech University