Translanguaging in Action: Authentic Teaching Practices in the High School English as an Additional Language Classroom

ABSTRACT Translanguaging has recently gained much currency in second language (L2) education. While the conceptualization of this theory stems from the goal of enhancing L2 education for learners, one challenge scholars have underlined is the need for more responsive, practical classroom activities consistent with translanguaging principles and stance. Taking this challenge as a departure point, first, we identify the salient characteristics of translingual practices by reviewing relevant literature. Then, drawing on an action research project and using vignettes from the actual teaching practices of Author 1 of this paper, we report our experiences/findings of how translanguaging practices in a high school L2 classroom can be enacted. Thus, this paper aims to help educators envision practices derived from translingual principles and contribute to a repertoire of concrete ideas for classroom practices that L2 teachers can adapt in their teaching. Given that the focus on the experiences of a translanguaging approach discussed in the paper is those of only one secondary teacher in Western Canada, we recognize that practitioners may need to adjust for their own contexts. We hope the findings reported in this paper will provide insights into how to intentionally enact translanguaging practices in L2 education in a way that honors pedagogical translanguaging.