Introduction to Translanguaging in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms
We will begin by unpacking the theoretical understandings of translanguaging and related topics such as language acquisition and bilingual education. Participants will have the opportunity to apply translanguaging theory by reflecting on their own experiences, background and identity. We will conclude by discussing how translanguaging is also transformative for all students when it centers equity in the schooling experiences of bilingual children.
Speakers
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Dr. Suzanne Garcia-MateusAssistant Professor in the College of Education and the Director of the Monterey Institute for English Learners, California State University - Monterey BaySuzanne García-Mateus is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education and the Director of the Monterey Institute for English Learners (M.I.E.L) at California State University – Monterey Bay. She is a former elementary school bilingual educator having taught under various bilingual education models in both Texas and Missouri. Her research examines the intersection of race, language, ethnicity, and class in the two-way immersion dual language classroom and problematizes the merging of “Spanish speaking” and “English speaking” students with distinct goals in becoming bilingual and bicultural. As a professor, each course is framed using a strengths perspective, which assumes that students have multiple literacies that are the foundation of their learning.
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Dr. Zhongfeng TianAssistant Professor of TESOL/Applied Linguistics, The University of Texas at San AntonioZhongfeng Tian is an Assistant Professor of TESOL/Applied Linguistics at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College. Theoretically grounded in translanguaging, his research centers on working with classroom teachers to provide bi/multilingual students with equitable and inclusive learning environment in ESL and dual language immersion contexts and preparing culturally and linguistically competent teachers with social justice orientations. He has published articles in TESOL Quarterly, System, Applied Linguistics Review, and Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts. He is also the co-editor of two books: “Envisioning TESOL through a Translanguaging Lens: Global Perspectives” (Springer, 2020) and “English Medium Instruction and Translanguaging” (Multilingual Matters, 2021).
