Socioemotional Learning

"...Translanguaging is more than simply a scaffold, more than an entry-point to English. It is a tool [students] can use to bring their whole selves into the classroom, enabling them to learn -- both academically and socioemotionally -- in a way they deserve."

- Kate Seltzer and Brian A. Collins, 2016

"Navigating Turbulent Waters: Translanguaging to Support Academic and Socioemotional Well-Being" by Kate Seltzer and Brian A. Collins

In this article, the researchers observed how translanguaging was used in an 11th/12th-grade English Language Arts classroom. This class was specifically designated for students who were labeled as having incomplete/interrupted formal education (SIFE) and included “immigrant students with low english proficiency who... perform[ed] below grade level in literacy and math,” as well as students who “encounter[ed] a number of social and emotional challenges, such as separation from family, discomfort with new cultural norms and a new language, and post-traumatic stress brought on by war or violence” (140). In the lessons that were observed, students read and responded to three strategically chosen poems that were written in English. Translanguaging, in this context, not only provided students with the opportunity to more deeply understand these English texts and participate in complex conversations about the texts, but also allowed for them to share common experiences, express their emotions, support one another, deepen relationships, and strengthen the classroom community.

Critical Questions:

The authors mention that the independent activity that followed the discussion of the poems might have been too structured and was ultimately constraining, leaving little room for creativity and expression. Though the authors acknowledge this shortcoming and make suggestions for what types of general opportunities a more meaningful activity could have provided, they did not suggest how they might have altered the specific learning experience the students took part in to make it more meaningful. What structures and scaffolding would they have altered or removed? Would they have adjusted the cloze poem activity to have different line starters or to be available in different languages? Would they have removed this scaffold altogether, and if so, how would this affect students who work well with this type of structuring?

What does this look like in the classroom?

Translanguaging in complex whole-class conversations with participation in English, Spanish, or both
- Students analyze and discuss content presented
- Students can fully express emotions that were elicited in engaging with the material
- Students support peers who are sharing emotions and difficult experiences
Culturally relevant materials that students can make connections with
Translanguaging for classroom management

"Balancing Windows and Mirrors: Translanguaging in a Linguistically Diverse Classroom"

by Heather H. Woodley and Andrew Brown

This article discusses how translanguaging can be used to make learning accessible for all students by creating and balancing windows and mirrors. By windows, the authors mean the teaching of new information and language, and by mirrors, they mean the students’ use of personal and cultural connections. By finding a balance between the two through translanguaging, the students are enabled to learn about diversity, new ideas and new languages in meaningful ways while building “home language literacy and taking on the roles of teacher of languages other than English”. The authors focus on Mr. Brown’s 5th-grade class to contextualize these ideas of translanguaging. This class is made up of all of the fifth-graders who are labeled English language learners (ELLs) and some monolingual English-speaking students who are considered “struggling readers”. Mr. Brown integrates translanguaging throughout each step of his lesson planning and deliberate spaces within this curriculum for translanguaging.

Critical Questions:

The authors mention that during a learning activity, the students went off to work with their home language partners. However, they also noted that when students did not have a partner to work with, they worked independently in English "with the support of a bilingual dictionary, notes, or online translation" (90). Why was it that when the student did not have a home language partner to work with, they had to work independently and in English? Could the students have worked independently and in their home language? Or could they have worked with a different group in English while also sharing their different home languages? In linguistically diverse classes where there is only one student that identifies with a specific home language, how can that student be as supported as all of the other students in their translanguaging experiences?

What does this look like in the classroom?

Students use translanguaging during
- Turn and talk discussions (home language partners)
- Small group work
- Whole group
- Interactions with new perspectives
Language repertoire as a valuable learning tool that connects student to their education
Multilingual resources on desks (Ex: dictionaries, glossaries, computers for online translation)
Multimodal presentation of content (Ex: printed and online texts, videos)

"Theorizing and Enacting Translanguaging for Social Justice"

by Ofelia García and Camila Leiva

This text describes how translanguaging in classrooms can take a social justice stance by challenging how English monolingualism and “heritage language” bilingualism have been historically and culturally positioned in the United States. The authors also discuss how translanguaging helps to develop students’ multilingualism in ways that will enable them to be contributing members and participants of society in their futures. To demonstrate these ideas, the authors focus on an English Language Arts class in a government-funded high school for recent immigrant students in Queens, New York City. This class is specifically for 9th/10th-grade spanish-speaking students who were labeled as “emergent bilinguals” and had been in the United States for anywhere between six months to three years. This large range of time since immigrating to the U.S. indicates that the students in this class displayed varying levels of English proficiency as well as Spanish literacy. The teacher of this class, Camila Leiva, emphasizes the importance of teaching to produce alternative knowledge that allows for opportunities to access and explore immigrant students’ histories.

Critical Questions:

Because all of the students in Camila’s class are Spanish speakers, she is able to use translanguaging of Spanish and English in whole-class discussions. How would this look in a classroom with students who are labeled as emerging bilinguals and identify with different heritage languages? How would these whole-class conversations go? How might the teacher ensure that certain heritage languages were not positioned higher than other heritage languages in the process of resisting the historical and cultural positioning of English monolingualism and translingualism?
The phrase “silenced voices” is used repeatedly throughout the article. Though silence is not technically a disability, I wonder whether the authors considered the connotations of this phrase when using it throughout this piece.

What does this look like in the classroom?

Multimodal presentation of culturally relevant materials (Ex: Music video in both Spanish and English, Music video in English)
Translanguaging in whole-class discussions
Translating text in heritage language to English AND translating English text to heritage language
Empowering students by repositioning heritage languages in relation to English monolingualism

Additional Questions:

How can teachers ensure that students of all linguistic backgrounds are equally supported in a linguistically diverse classroom?
How can translanguaging be enacted in social spaces in the classroom outside of content areas?
How can teachers ensure that certain heritage languages are not positioned higher or lower than other heritage languages?