Translanguaging Shapes My Thinking: An Autoethnography Into a Chinese Dual Language Kindergarten Classroom

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Language, Identity, and Learning in Chinese-Mandarin Bi-/Multilingual Education (Table 1)

Abstract

Translanguaging empowers teachers and multilingual learners (MLs) in using their entire linguistic resources to make sense of learning. By valuing MLs’ language and culture backgrounds, translanguaging encourages communication and maximize participation. Through an autoethnographic lens, I explore how my Chinese cultural-informed learning, teaching, and life experiences shape my perception of translanguaging pedagogy and practice, and how translanguaging practices strengthen my inclusive teaching in a kindergarten Chinese immersion context in the southwest U.S. Findings from self-reflection, observations, and artifacts reveal that by pedagogically utilizing translanguaging practices, bilingual teachers can foster equitable, diverse, and inclusive Chinese-medium math and science learning environments for MLs.

Author

• Yonghui Wang, University of Houston