Translanguaging and Tovani's Coding Strategies

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. Our initial reaction to blending the practice of translanguaging with class content might be fear and stress: how are we going to avoid messing this up? How are we going to mess this up and make the scenario that much more nerve-racking? We don't want to isolate students but we don't want to pretend we know it all, either -- there's a kind of balance that needs to be struck there.

(I reflect on this now because these sorts of thoughts have filtered through my head when these subjects are discussed. I was one of those people who originally thought that a teacher's goal was to have emergent bilingual students learn English entirely, and I never questioned what happened to the student's home language or where it fit into the equation. This line of thinking was quickly dismantled during classes, and I'm grateful for it, because translanguaging benefits all, not just the emergent bilingual students whose first language may not be English.)

In response to the prompt -- how do we incorporate translanguaging with using one of Tovani's reading strategies -- I think it's just a matter of adaption. For instance, one of her strategies, "coding for visualization," (scroll down) asks that students read a text or excerpt, highlight 5 words of phrases that help the reader get an image in their head, write 3 questions they have about the piece, and then write what they think happened in the piece. One way to translanguage here might be to offer a translated version of the reading, and then have students make connections to words they recognize in both the translated and English versions with a highlighter, words that help promote visualization. I would encourage students to write their questions in their home language, the language they likely think with, and then write their summary in their home language followed by a translation of their own into English. The summary doesn't have to be perfect in regards to use of English, but I think it's important to see what they did understand and what they didn't. Using Google translate is a great way to bridge any "uncertainty" on the teacher's end.

Another simple way to translanguage here would be to offer a copy of this handout, but translated already, or with multiple translations (questions in both English and the home language). That way students, even English speaking students, can make connections to words and patterns in different languages.