The need of an equal education is of uttermost importance, not the least in multilingual school contexts with high socioeconomic index (SOU 2020: 46), which characterizes the practice-oriented Swedish research project reported on in this paper. The overarching aim of the project is to enhance the quality of the classroom teaching and learning from translanguaging perspectives (García & Wei, 2014). The project involves both teachers and school leaders as well as representatives from the local authorities, and researchers. The research design is based on 3 interventions in which the teachers carry out teaching activities based on translanguaging with the aim to enhance the students’ active participation and learning. We ask:

What approaches of translanguaging, including possibilities and challenges, emerge in the teachers’ described teaching, written reflections and performed teaching?

Research from Cummins and research colleagues, shows that opportunities for multilingual students to use all their language resources lead to school success, and that students’ abilities in one language is transferred to the next language (e.g., Cummins, 2001). Building on this research, García (2009) has developed what she refers to as Dynamic Bilingualism, which contextualizes multilingual students’ language knowledge as being interwoven on all levels, and by all modalities. By this, García emphasizes the importance of going beyond more traditional understandings of language and literacy, including the tendency to separate students’ language resources from one another. 

The created data consists of 2 transcribed focus group interviews with students, 3 transcribed focus group interviews with teachers, individual teacher log books from 3 interventions, video observations from lessons, and written documentation from recurring meetings with all participants. The analyzed data reveals classroom approaches creating opportunities of using several languages, multimodal reinforcement, translating and/or comparing, dramatizing, and of integrating students’ identities and social worlds. Also, the analysis reveals challenges regarding the various levels of language knowledge among students, the collaboration between school and students’ families, some students’ negative experiences of using their first language, and lastly, the challenge of integrating several languages in the teaching and learning, including more unusual languages. 

Cummins, J. (2001). Negotiating Identities: Education for Empowerment in a Diverse Society. 2nd ed. Californa Association for Bilingual Education.

Garcia, O. (2009). Bilingual education in the 21st century: A global perspective.Malden: Blackwell Publ.

Garcia, O. & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging, language, bilingualism andeducation. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

SOU 2020:46. https://www.regeringen.se/rattsliga-dokument/statens-offentliga-utredningar/2020/08/sou-202046/