Translanguaging vs the ‘English-only’ classroom in tertiary education settings:
Things I Only Realised About Language Teaching Once I Stepped Away From Language Teaching
Mia Tarau
I grew up and learned English in a non-English speaking country. Like the rest of the planet in a similar context, there was no concept of ‘English-only classrooms’, and no rule against using the students’ first language (L1) to assist with the additional language learning process. Things changed once I moved to New Zealand and started teaching English in an academic context there: I switched to following this practice of encouraging the ‘English-only learning space’. There was never enough time to reflect on what was truly happening in a space like that in relation to my students’ learning experiences – not beyond the theory on its benefits, theory that English-speaking applied linguists have made ‘common knowledge’ among ESL professionals.
As my career slowly progressed away from the ESL teaching space and closer to academia, I began teaching linguistics and applied linguistics papers at university, but I still work in the academic pathways space. I am currently also teaching Humanities and Research courses on a foundation programme, preparing international students for university in Australia. Below are some of my ‘reflective teaching journal’ musings related to the ways English is (and could be) used in the tertiary preparation classroom in an English-speaking country in order to best prepare international student cohorts for their university experience.
1. English-only rules are great…..
Realistically, English-only rules are absolutely fantastic in some contexts, especially in tertiary preparation Academic English classes in English-speaking countries. This gives learners an opportunity to practice their language skills in an environment similar to what they will experience at university, laying a solid foundation for their future learning experience.
How to make this work:
This idea was inspired by the TESOL teachers’ comments in a recent meeting, where they suggested the creation of a system that would reward students for enforcing the values of the tertiary institution for which they are preparing, but also the values of the tertiary preparation institution where they are currently studying. The installation of a ‘Stellar Student’ panel was brought up, where students who act out these values would be acknowledged institution-wide, with the purpose of encouraging the other students to follow suit. One of these values was using English only during their regular school days.
If students can follow this rule on a daily basis, they SHOULD be recognized for their effort to adapt to life and learning in Australia (or a similar context). This does not have to be a big deal: we do not need to wait for the institution to make a grand gesture (although this WOULD be nice). We can set up a reward system in our own classrooms, whereby students who put in the effort of using only the target language are rewarded on a weekly basis. This would also encourage some good-natured competition, serving as an excellent incentive for all our students to try and live out the ‘English-only’ life.
2. …until these challenges arise
As expected, it was inevitable that I would discover a context in which English-only would not work. As soon as I started teaching tertiary preparation Humanities and Research courses in Australia, it became clear that I would be lost without drawing on my students’ first language (L1) as a resource. I have been a big fan of this idea ever since reading Cook’s (2010) Translation in language teaching, a book that sparked new interest and renewed research into seeing L1 as a resource (and not as a problem) in the language learning classroom. I did not, however, have a chance to fully experience and implement drawing on L1 as a resource in practice until I found myself trying to explain complex Humanities and Research concepts like ethics, imperialism, colonialism, informed consent, or intersectionality to students who were still learning English, but who were at the same time required to pass these two much more complex courses. I drew on Hall and Cook (2012) and Caroll and Morales (2016) for this reflection on how L1 is beneficial, but also on Garcia’s (2009) earlier definition of translanguaging as the use of “multiple discursive practices in which bilinguals engage in order to make sense of their bilingual worlds” (p. 45, emphasis in original).
How to make this work
So how DID I make it work in my Humanities and Research courses? I simply allowed students to engage in translanguaging by giving them a moment to have a chat in their first language, either to translate the words to each other or to explain the more complex concepts to each other in their L1. This does not have to take up a significant portion of class time: a few seconds usually suffice, and I can see when the concepts have clicked the moment I see the ‘light bulb moment’ on my students’ faces. They have opportunities to go in and out of their L1 throughout the lesson, as needed. This new approach has allowed me to literally see how ‘when certain conditions are met, students' use of L1 engages them in higher-order thinking in L2’ (Li, 2015, p. 337), cementing my belief (confirmed in Cenoz et al., 2014) that there are times when English-only would hinder academic progress if students did not possess a high enough English language proficiency (which is sometimes the case with students enrolled in tertiary preparation programmes). Enabling translanguaging in these courses has allowed my students to understand complex concepts, to be able to discuss them in class in English, and to write complex assignments where they can and do demonstrate their understanding of these concepts.
What is your experience of/with translanguaging vs the English-only classroom? Share it with us in the comments 😊
References
Carroll, K. S., & Morales, A. N. S. (2016). Using university students’ L1 as a resource: Translanguaging in a Puerto Rican ESL classroom. Bilingual Research Journal, 39 (3–4), 248–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2016.1240114
Cenoz, J., F. Genesee, and D. Gorter. 2014. Critical analysis of CLIL: Taking stock and looking forward. Applied Linguistics, 35(3), 243–262.
Cook, G. (2010). Translation in language teaching. Oxford University Press.
Garcia, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective. Wiley-Blackwell.
Hall, G. & Cook, G. (2012). Own-language use in language learning and teaching. Language Teaching, 45(3), 272–308.
Li, D. C. S. (2015). Discussion: L1 as a semiotic resource in content cum L2 learning at secondary level – Empirical evidence from Hong Kong. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 18(3), 336-344. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2014.988116