Task

Here you will find two different classroom scenarios Secondary Education.

Please, identify how translanguaging principles could be applied in each case.

Literature Analysis (Grade 10)

Setting: A high school English class with a significant number of bilingual students (English/Tagalog).
Lesson: Analysing themes in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”

Ms. Thompson is leading a discussion on the themes in Romeo and Juliet. She wants to ensure that all students can engage deeply with the text, despite the challenging language.

– Allow students to annotate the text in either English or Tagalog.
– Encourage group discussions where students can use both languages to express complex ideas.
– Provide summaries or key quotes in both languages.
– Assign a creative project where students can incorporate both languages (e.g., a bilingual modern adaptation of a scene).

History Class (Grade 11)

Setting: An International Baccalaureate (IB) history class with students from various linguistic backgrounds.
Lesson: Causes of World War I

Mr. Nguyen is teaching a unit on the causes of World War I. The class includes students with backgrounds in French, German, and Russian, which are relevant to the historical context.

– Incorporate primary sources in original languages, allowing students with relevant language skills to translate and share insights.
– Create multilingual timelines or concept maps.
– Encourage students to research perspectives from historians in their home countries and present findings.
– Facilitate debates where students can draw upon their linguistic and cultural knowledge to represent different historical viewpoints.

Your task

In each of these scenarios, please, consider how to:

  • Validate and utilize students’ full linguistic repertoires.
  • Create opportunities for meaningful language exchange.
  • Support content learning through flexible language use.
  • Develop metalinguistic awareness.
  • Foster an inclusive, plurilingual classroom environment.

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