Translanguaging in multilingual mathematics classrooms in South Africa: what does it entail?

• In Event: Mathematics education in multilingual contexts – lessons from reflection on teacher professional development

Proposal

The most common model for including indigenous languages in formal education in most African countries is the transitional model where the indigenous language is used for a certain number of years for formal education before transitioning to a ‘world’ language (Trudell, 2023). In South Africa, up to 2024, this transition takes place in Grade 4. This transition raises the question as to whether learners have gained access to both communicative and academic proficiency in the home language and English and can therefore be taught mathematics in English from Grade 4 onwards as stipulated by the Language in Education Policy. Drawing on data from a research and development project that combines teacher professional development and classroom observations of language transition classrooms, and using a new merger framework that attempts to bring together both the translanguaging framework and the language responsive mathematics teaching (LRMT) framework (Prediger & Uribe, 2021), this paper aims to explore how translanguaging practices in transitional multilingual classrooms can inform mother-tongue based bi/multilingual education. In doing so, the study seeks to inform policy and practice on how teachers can draw on and exploit the epistemic potential of the multiplicity of languages in classrooms to benefit learners as South Africa moves towards building a strong mother-tongue based bi/multilingual education.

Author

• Anthony Essien, University of The Witwatersrand