Constructing plural language practices and identities in international schools

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Constructing plural language practices and
identities in international schools

• Ofelia García
• Teachers College, Columbia U.
• ogarcia_at_tc.columbia.edu
• Promoting Multilingual Identities across the
  International School Curricula
• Geneva, February 29, 2008

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Subtractive bilingualismHome language
School language
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Additive bilingualismHome language
School language
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Dynamic bilingualism
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Dynamic Bilingualism Plurilingualism

• The ability to use several languages to varying
  degrees and for distinct purposes
• An educational value that is the basis of
  linguistic tolerance.

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Dynamic bilingualism at the center

• Challenging venerable assumptions
• The emergent bilingual, rather than the second
  language learner
• Home languages and additional languages, rather
  than L1 and L2

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Poly-directional dimensions in international
schools

• Different home languages
• Different proficiencies in the languages of
  school instruction
• Different proficiencies in the languages of the
  societal context

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Poly-directional dimensions in international
schools

• Multiple home languages X, Y, Z
• Multiple points in language of instruction
• LIa, LIb, LIc, LId, LIe, LIf, LIg..
• Multiple points in language of society
• LSa, LSb, LSc, LSd, LSe, LSf, LSg..

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Schools

• Insist on static notion of language as autonomous
  skill
• Recognize bilinguals only as two monolinguals
• Insist on instruction that is monolingual and
  static, even when bilingual
• Language separation is good
• Code-switching is bad
• Violates a diglossic language separation
• Leads to language shift

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Poly-directional bilingual classrooms

• Must recognize the multiple discursive practices
  of students with different languaging
  experiences and build upon them
• Must see translanguaging as an important and
  legitimate practice

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Translanguaging practices exist in families

• The family meal as a translanguaging event
• Television as a translanguaging event

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Childrens uses of translanguaging

• To co-construct understandings (conceptual and
  linguistic)
• with each other
• with each language
• To include everyone
• To mediate understandings

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Examples from U.S. two-way (Dual language)
classrooms

• Not two-way except in name. They are
  poly-directional
• Recently arrived children
• Multiply recently arrived
• Multiple generations
• Mixed marriages and divorces
• Not dual except in name. There is much
  translanguaging

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Kindergarten side-by-side Integration and
Separation
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Translanguaging to co-construct

• Three Spa-speaking children, different bilingual
  ranges, writing/drawing in English journals
• A. Looking out the window and talking to
  himself
• Está lloviendo mucho.
• Look telling the others Its washing
  there.
• Theres washing afuera.
• G. Está lloviendo? She asks him
• Turning to me He says raining. He speaks
  Spanish, only Spanish.
• Turning to boy Adolfo, raining.
• A. Raining

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Translanguaging to co-construct

• Children are describing a tree outside. Im
  sitting next to Latina Spanish speaker
• Teacher This tree is bigger. That tree is
  smaller
• Girl Tries out under her breath
• This tree is grander.

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Translanguaging to include

• Two Spanish speaking children, a boy and a girl,
  are playing blocks in Spanish. An African
  American girl, comes in
• EngG Are you done?
• SpaB Yes, I done starts walking away
• BilG To the Eng speaking girl
• Do you want to play with us?
• The three start playing

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Translanguaging to mediate Children as
translators

• Teacher Im getting angry at youto SpaSpkr
• Bil Boy Qué tienes que escuchar a la
  maestra, Yolanda!
• That you have to listen to the
  teacher, Y
• Teacher Sit up!
• Bil Boy In Spanish, its siéntate arriba!
• Eng Girl How do you say snowball in Spa?
• Bil Boy Right Ms. T. que snowball es nieve
  bola?

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5th grade

• Self-contained classroom
• Spanish in morning English in afternoon
• Only one recently arrived and not bilingual

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Translanguaging to co-construct
understandings

• Teacher lectures in one language, students take
  notes in another
• Students read in one language but discuss in
  another
• Students read in one language and write in
  another
• Sticky notes.

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5th grade Social Studies test as translanguaging
event

• Learning Social Studies Separation
• in Spanish in A.M.
• Testing Social Studies Trigger
• in Spanish or English
• All will have both tests
• All in English except newly arrived

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5th grade Social Studies test

• Review for test Translanguaging
• Review with English versions
• Spanish speaking child follows with Spanish
  version
• Most Discussion in English
• Translations for Spanish speaking child
• Occasional looking up of notes and readings in
  Spanish. Discussion changes to Spanish
• Writing in English referring to material written
  in Spanish

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Translanguaging in classrooms

• Mixes discursive practices modalities
• Builds intercultural spaces
• Maximizes communication
• Develops critical linguistic awareness and
  linguistic tolerance

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Poly-directional bilingual pedagogy must

• Build on translanguaging
• Value translanguaging as important in 21st
  century
• Use translanguaging to incorporate into
  linguistic repertoire standard ways of using
  dominant languages