Opening up spaces for their whole selves: A case study group’s exploration of translanguaging practices in writing

Abstract

This paper describes the work of a study group comprising bilingual education university professors
and English as a new language (ENL) teachers in incorporating translanguaging into writing
instruction for recently arrived emergent bilingual students in a public secondary school. The study
group members examined how translanguaging could be integrated into writing and considered their
pedagogical practice through recollections, professional reading, and analysis of student work.
Through this case study of our study group, we demonstrate how translanguaging pedagogy is not
merely the use of home language resources as a scaffolding strategy to obtain a specific academic
end in writing, but rather a powerful way to draw on the students’ language practices so they can
engage in deep and complex thinking. Through the findings and discussion, we offer practitioners and
researchers practical implications to consider with regard to the value of translanguaging in writing
instruction.