Translanguaging​

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My belief: Utilizing students' own learning strategies

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My belief of utilizing students’ own learning strategy is based on the concept “translanguaging.” The term was initially created by Cen Williams in 1980s (Lewis, Jones & Baker 2012) and originally meant using two languages systematically in classrooms in order to foster students’ understanding in a bilingual education setting of Welsh and English in Wales. In this context, translanguaging was regarded as a pedagogic practice. On the other hand, Garcia (2009) regarded it as a natural communicative practice that bilinguals use as their strategy in their everyday lives, including classrooms to make meanings, shape experiences, gain understanding, and so forth. She pointed out students translanguaged flexibly in classrooms and mentioned that translanguaging was a most effective means of learning. Lewis et al. (2012) listed advantages of translanguaging including promoting a deeper and fuller understanding and helping the development of the weaker language. Incorporating students’ own learning strategies in class activities is valid in terms of the effectiveness of translanguaging.

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References

Garcia, O (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. Oxford,       UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Lewis, G., Jones, B., & Baker, C. (2012) Translanguaging: Origins and development        from school to street and beyond. Educational Research and Evaluation, 18(7),            641-654.

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