Teaching for Equity: Translanguaging as a Transformative Practice in Early Childhood Language Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Paso a paso early experiences with language, literacy and identity.

Abstract

This study investigates how teachers’ pedagogy and institutional culture at Harlingtons, a Pre-K international school in China, changed following two years of sustained professional development in translanguaging theory and practice. Through classroom observations, interviews, and document analysis, we examine the shift in teachers’ teaching practices, as well as subsequent policy reforms. Findings reveal that translanguaging enabled teachers to validate students’ full linguistic repertoires, foster classroom equity, and challenge language hierarchies. In response, school leaders elevated the institutional status of Chinese teaching assistants to co-teachers and implemented bilingual communication across all school materials and meetings. This research highlights translanguaging’s dual role in transforming teacher practice and institutional structures, offering a model for equity-driven language education in bilingual settings.

Authors

• Lijuan Shi, Bard High School Early College

• Jiaxuan Zong, University of Maryland