Our edited volume of translanguaging case studies from around the world ("Embracing Multilingualism Across Educational Contexts") is available to order through Victoria University Press. It is available in print and as an e-book. More information here

Beginning at 9:15am (New Zealand time), you can live stream the Symposium by clicking on the link on the symposium website: www.tlasymposium.com

Please note - due to the dateline, NZ time might be a day ahead of some countries

Registration now open for the Translanguaging Aotearoa symposium - 'Embracing Multilingualism across Educational Contexts'!

Below is a call for papers for an upcoming symposium at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) titled Embracing Multilingualism across Educational Contexts. It will be Friday, 28th June, and it's being hosted by Translanguaging Aotearoa (www.translanguaging.nz).

Please share widely. We look forward to your abstracts!

Call for Chapter Abstracts (Deadline 31st October)

Edited volume – Embracing Multilingualism across Educational Contexts

Corinne Seals and Vincent Olsen-Reeder (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand)

We are pleased to announce a call for chapter abstracts for the upcoming edited volume Embracing Multilingualism across Educational Contexts, to be published mid-2019.

Researchers in linguistics, applied linguistics, education, languages, and related fields are increasingly investigating the effects of different types of supportive language education, from minority language immersion models to flexible multilingual education models (e.g. Cenoz & Gorter 2015; García 2009, 2011; Weber 2014). These investigations have also led to the rise in popularity of investigations into translanguaging – what it means, how it can be used, who benefits, and how. Furthermore, translanguaging models can often work in conjunction with other models of language education, leading to a complex teaching and learning atmosphere that deserves further study.

As the lead researchers of Translanguaging Aotearoa (http://translanguaging.nz), we seek to bring together some of the vast expertise that exists internationally in the realm of multilingual education. Thus, the current volume focuses on researcher-led and practitioner-led studies of translanguaging in teaching. We are also interested in the role of translanguaging approaches as applied to traditionally immersion contexts. In all cases, this volume will particularly pay attention to how one best services heritage languages, including both Indigenous and immigrant languages. We will be actively including researchers, activists, policy makers, and practitioners in this volume.

Some themes of interest include (but are not limited to):

Translanguaging in language educationUse of translanguaging in other types of educationModels of language education that support heritage language maintenanceInclusion of heritage language support in “mainstream” classroomsSupport of Indigenous languages through multilingual models of educationSupport of immigrant languages through multilingual models of educationThe relationship between immersion education and translanguagingFluid multilingual models of education in early childhood education, primary school, secondary school, or universityFluid multilingual models of education in non-traditional models of schoolingCommunity experiences with translanguaging and other models of multilingual educationPolicy and planning perspectives on translanguaging and other models of multilingual education

Chapter abstracts of 350 – 500 words should be emailed to Corinne Seals at Corinne.Seals@vuw.ac.nz Received abstracts will be sent an email acknowledging receipt. All abstracts should also be accompanied by a short biographical note of up to 150 words for each author.

All authors who are accepted for the volume will be expected to also review one other chapter from the book in February 2019.

Please note – the timeframe for submission and turnaround is fairly tight due to the book being launched at the Embracing Multilingualism across Educational Contexts Symposium, to be held 28 June 2019 at Victoria University of Wellington in Wellington, New Zealand. A separate call for papers for the symposium will be launched in the near future.

Important Dates:

Abstract Deadline: 31 October 2018Notification of Acceptance: 15 November 2018Chapters Due: 1 February 2019Reviews Returned: by 1 March 2019Revised Chapters Due: 1 April 2019Book Launched: June 2019

Thank you, and we look forward to receiving your chapter abstracts soon!

We still have some spots available for the free workshop that we're hosting for teachers and families on 10th November! Spots are filling up quickly though, so please RSVP soon if you're interested. Our books and posters will also be available at the event, and we'll be teaching people how to use them and how to make some of their own resources as well. Hope to see you there!

Background

All of the books are created based on decades of research into how children learn languages. Especially important is research that has taken place during the past decade, showing how to help children develop their languages in a way that allows them to learn about topics across their languages (instead of in just one language at a time). This helps children be able to talk about any topic in any of their languages (instead of only being able to discuss some things in one language and some things in another language). Through these methods, we are helping children to build lasting bridges between their languages and content knowledge.

This type of knowledge and skill development provides children with a solid foundation that will stay with them as they grow. Children who build translanguaging bridges will also benefit from the ability to navigate diverse cultural and linguistic situations across a multitude of contexts.

The materials from Translanguaging Aotearoa are based upon the research mentioned above, as well as actual observations with real children in real schools. The materials have been developed in consultation with the communities they represent and have been tested with schools before being made available. As such, all materials also reflect cultural values of norms of the communities, so that children can build an understanding of these along with the languages. However, it is also important to us to know where adjustments should be made to best fit the needs of different communities. So, if you find that some changes to the materials would make them work better for your context, please get in touch, and we can start a dialogue.

Use

There are many ways to use the materials. What we present here is one way of using them that we have found to work to achieve strong results.

Plan to read the book out loud with the children two or three times. The first time, you should read the whole story all the way through. If the children are of reading age, you should spend a second time reading through the book, while prompting the children to take turns sharing the reading with you. For the third reading (if the children can read) or the second reading (if the children cannot yet read), pause after each page to ask the children questions about the content of the story.

Questions should be asked in multiple languages, and this will vary depending on each context. We recommend asking questions in the language(s) of teaching, as well as any home language(s) that the school is wanting to support. For example, if a school is teaching in Samoan and English but also wants to support home language speakers of Tongan, some content questions should be asked in each of these languages. Some content questions about the story will be asked in Samoan. Children can reply in any language(s) and should be encouraged to do so. Then their responses should be confirmed/adjusted and repeated in Samoan for all children. Then, some content questions should be asked in English, again encouraging children to reply in any language(s), and re-stating/repeating all answers in English. Finally, some questions would be asked in Tongan, encouraging children once again to replay in any language(s), followed by stating the answers again in Tongan.

This systematic use of languages will build children's knowledge of all of these languages by building bridges between them. Teachers should also point to relevant text in the books when answering questions, so that children are engaged in literacy building as well. This can be further enhanced by giving children small group or pair tasks to complete with the book. Children should be encouraged to use any languages that they have access to in order to negotiate linguistic meaning and to continue to build bridges.