Introduction

We begin this book by tracing our own journeys toward a translanguaging perspective, and briefly identify challenges in schools for emergent bilinguals.

chapter 1:

Translanguaging: A Promising Approach for the Education of Emergent Bilinguals
Chapter 1 establishes translanguaging as a creative
mind process that describes the multimodal ways of expression of all bilingual individuals and tackles common criticisms of translanguaging theory and praxis. We identify and analyze persisting issues and challenges in the education of EBs, including policy mandates. We make a case for translanguaging pedagogy as a promising approach for dealing with these challenges and preparing students for active citizenship in the 21st century. Vignettes showcase everyday language practices of bi/multilinguals and demonstrate the potential of translanguaging in formal teaching and learning contexts.

Chapter 2

Meeting Academic Challenges
Chapter 2 addresses academic challenges EBs encounter in their education. With classroom vignettes of EBs in different ESL programs (pull-out, push-in, self-contained) and bilingual programs (transitional and dual language) we present and analyze academic challenges EBs face as they attempt to meet grade-level expectations in terms of curriculum and standards.

Contrasting vignettes from translanguaging classrooms show how teachers can create space and structures for EBs to maximize their learning potential and to be able to learn complex content at their grade level and develop academic English as needed in learning. In this chapter, we also discuss how translanguaging practice empowers EBs by leveraging their multilingual strengths and identities in formal school settings in the English-dominant
world.

chapter 3

Meeting Social Challenges
Chapter 3 turns to the social challenges EBs encounter in school settings. We use stories of EB students to illustrate and analyze the social isolation and stigma they often face in classrooms and school communities due to language hierarchies and separation, as well as
consequences of the remedial teaching approach used in ESL and transitional bilingual programs. Geopolitical
realities, such as wars and forced migration, are also addressed.

Translanguaging classroom vignettes contrast with the the narratives described above and show how EBs—foreign- born or U.S.-born and with different language
proficiencies—are involved with class and social activities and form strong bilingual identities in different learning settings (ESL or bilingual and mainstream) along with peers with different language backgrounds and English
proficiencies.

chapter 4

Meeting School Challenges
Chapter 4 addresses challenges teachers and schools face in providing adequate and effective education for EBs from vastly different language and cultural backgrounds. Classroom vignettes for EB students demonstrate how, in some settings, these individuals cannot receive the same support and assistance as other bi/multilingual students due to the lack of resources and personnel in their schools.

Later, vignettes for translanguaging classrooms illustrate, in contrast, how teachers structure their teaching with a translanguaging approach to allow students to flexibly use their language strengths to learn from and with each other in these classrooms. This chapter also addresses challenges in the implementation of translanguaging practice due to instructional requirements imposed through state-, district-, or school-mandated policies such as SoR-informed instruction, 50/50 language separation, and standardized assessment, which are deeply rooted in monolingual norms.

Chapter 5

Translanguaging in Action
Chapter 5 provides take-away strategies and practical recommenda- tions for preservice and inservice teachers to implement a translanguaging approach in different educational contexts. In closing, we further demon- strate how translanguaging serves as a promising model in preparing stu- dents for 21st-century citizenship.