Translanguaging in a Swedish Multilingual Classroom [Elektronisk resurs]

• The overarching aim of this article is to investigateperceptions regarding linguistic potentialand language competence in relation to translanguagingstrategies. The data presented consistsof classroom activities, texts, and picturesproduced by eleven-year-old pupils and theirteacher in a multilingual classroom context.The pupils have varying lengths of in-countryresidence, from being born in Sweden to beingnewly arrived. At many schools only the targetlanguage is supposed to be used in teaching(Cummins, 2007). But the simultaneous use ofmultiple languages, also called translanguaging,in the classroom leads to broader anddeeper knowledge of language and subjects(Williams, 1996). Teaching based on pupils’resources is crucial for multilingual pupils’thinking and learning (Meier & Conteh, 2014).The results show that the pupils have large linguisticpotential, but there are great differencesin estimating and perceiving theirlanguages. A pattern stands out: Those pupilswho have given their languages high ratingsare considerably more positive to the teachers’initiative by shaping new relationships andcontributing to the mutual development ofknowledge than those with discrepancies intheir ratings. 

Ämnesord

Social Sciences  (hsv)

Educational Sciences  (hsv)

Samhällsvetenskap  (hsv)

Utbildningsvetenskap  (hsv)

Pedagogics and Educational Sciences  (lnu)

Pedagogik och Utbildningsvetenskap  (lnu)

Indexterm och SAB-rubrik

translanguaging

linguistic potential

language competence

multilingualism