It's been ten years since I've graduated high school, so my memory is probably less than accurate, but: I can't recall specific moments where my teachers used effective questioning strategies. This could mean a few things: a) They were exceptionally skilled at starting dialogue in the classroom to the point of going unnoticed by us teenagers, b) they didn't pose meaningful questions to get us started on asking our own meaningful questions, leading to dialogue, or c) my memory is really just that terrible. Most of the time, I think my teachers simply asked questions, and students either responded or didn't. But maybe it's because I was (am) quiet and doodling in my notebook the majority of the time (still do... sigh) and wasn't paying attention that I can't remember any mind blowing conversations that left me leaving class feeling sucker-punched (in all the best ways possible, of course). At least, not conversations that were teacher led. Actual
I chose to share the image above because I believe showcasing the different languages in our classrooms can not only create a visual for all students to see and even participate in the creation of (if we choose to go that route with word walls, charts, et cetera), but it is also a beautiful act that inspires empathy, courage, and a greater sense of one's own power, secure in his/her identity. To share what makes us us and to celebrate those differences rather than force them out in the name of conformity and a false sense of unity (unity by erasure of history, heritage, identity)... I believe that's part of what makes translanguaging such a powerful and necessary practice in the classroom. Translanguaging can pair well with much of what we do specifically in an ELA classroom, whether we are talking about writing, speaking, observing, and reading. Often times the fear of another language that we, the teacher, may not understand kind of stops us in our tracks, I think.