Effectiveness of Translanguaging Pedagogy in English Language Teaching
English is an International language that connects the whole world . English has also been given the status of global language worldwide . Expertise in this language is of paramount importance if the learners want to have a successful and bright career ahead . The importance of this foreign language is inevitable irrespective of the area or field one chooses . In this era of cut - throat competition , there is a growing importance and demand of students having excellent communication skills in English language . But , in rural India , mostly in vernacular medium schools , the learners lag far behind as far as their English speaking abilities are concerned . What could be the solution to bridge this huge learning gap ? How could the teachers strategize in order to empower the youths of this current century , especially in the rural regions of our country ? How can we mould our children in vernacular medium schools ( in the context of Assam – Assamese medium schools ) as confident communicators in English language ?
The term ‘ Translanguaging ’ was created by Cen Williams , a well - known Welsh educationist in the 1980s . The term ‘ translanguaging ’ has its roots in Welsh bilingual education . Translanguaging is a common practice in the field of language teaching . Translanguaging is the planned and systematic use of the home language of learners with the language of the classroom /instruction in order to foster the language learning process . It enables students to become bilingual or multi - lingual through the use of two or more languages in classrooms . Some of the common translanguaging practices include code-switching , translating as well as language brokering . This is a pedagogical practice which deliberately switches the language of instruction from first language to second language and vice-versa . This strategy improves English proficiency by enabling the learners to make connections between their respective home languages ( in the context of Assam – Assamese language ) and the second language , English . The switch between the two languages – Assamese and English – has a definite purpose and should be planned and executed in a very natural way by the instructors . Translanguaging pedagogical approach uses the bilingual mode of input and output which enables the development of language skills of school children – both receptive skills ( language input : reading and listening ) and productive skills ( language output : speaking and writing ) . This pedagogy is extremely beneficial for the students in vernacular medium schools ( in the context of Assam – Assamese medium schools ) . This kind of practice inside the classroom enables the learners in Assamese medium schools to become confident communicators in both the languages , i.e. , Assamese as well as English . The objective and priority of education should be to acquire the second language ( English ) naturally without displacing the importance of the learner’s first language or mother language (Assamese) . In this practice the stronger language is used in order to develop the weaker language . This pedagogy ensures a very balanced development of both the vital languages – learner’s first language (Assamese) and learner’s second language (English) . Translanguaging is an effective classroom practice as it helps in augmenting the language skills of the learners in more than one language very naturally . This pedagogy has a number of advantages . Firstly , it promotes a thorough understanding of the content . Secondly , it helps in the development of the weaker language . Thirdly , it allows students to make easier connections between their home language ( their mother - tongue ; in the context of Asssam – Assamese language ) and the language they are learning in classrooms ( mostly English as their second language ) . Fourthly , it increases the learner’s comprehension of the subject-matter . And lastly , it encourages the learners to participate actively in the classroom .
Assistant teacher,
Barbaka Tribal ME School
Nabamita Das.
Asstt professor,
Assam Don Bosco University.
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