The Power of Translanguaging: Sustaining Multilingualism in Schools

Catalog description

This seminar course will first investigate the theoretical foundations of translanguaging practices and policy implications for translanguaging pedagogies. Then students will learn how to design culturally-responsive mini-curriculum units with strategies and resources to support translanguaging. Students will reflect on their own language practices and experiences as monolingual, bilingual, or multilingual individuals within their communities and will research connections to US schooling. We will consider translanguaging from a teaching and advocacy lens for multilingual learners and build translanguaging curriculum units that will be made accessible to teachers who work with culturally and linguistically diverse students in local schools. Proficiency in a language other than English is not a requirement; however, bilingual students and/or students studying foreign languages who would like to support our local multilingual educational community are especially encouraged to enroll in this course.