Raising Critical Language Awareness in a Translanguaging-Infused Teacher Education Course: Opportunities and Challenges

ABSTRACT

In this classroom-based qualitative study, we examine how a small group of content area teacher candidates developed emerging critical language awareness (CLA) during one graduate-level translanguaging-infused teacher education course on multilingual theories and practices. The findings point out the potential of translanguaging in prompting spontaneous reflections on pre-service teachers’ personal experiences with language and languaging, paving way for them to critically rethink the status of English in teaching, learning, and communication for social justice. Yet, although teacher candidates demonstrated their emerging CLA as manifested at the ideological level, they encountered difficulties enacting critical translanguaging into practice. In their lesson plans, English was largely positioned as the end goal of content-area education and translanguaging was often reduced to a translation strategy to scaffold academic language development. Based on the findings, we propose suggestions for teacher education course design and advocate for program-wide efforts in sustaining and strengthening CLA across the curriculum.

KEYWORDS:

• Critical language awareness
• pre-service content-area teachers
• teacher education
• translanguaging

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. We used the word “emerging” in front of CLA in our findings section, because such awareness was developed during a very short summer course. Since we were unclear whether such awareness could sustain and deepen beyond this course, we referred to our students’ growing attention to critical aspects of language as their “emerging critical language awareness.”

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Qianqian Zhang-Wu

Qianqian Zhang-Wu is Assistant Professor of English and Director of Multilingual Writing at Northeastern University. Her research and teaching focuses on language, race, and power in multilingual communication and translingual practices. As a passionate educator, Zhang-Wu is winner of the 2023 Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Outstanding Teaching Award. As a nerdy researcher, Zhang-Wu published extensively in the field of applied linguistics and writing studies, and her articles appear in TESOL Quarterly, Written Communication, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, and College English among various other academic journals. Her recent book Languaging Myths and Realities: Journeys of Chinese International Students (Multilingual Matters, 2021) is winner of the 2022 Best Book Award at the Comparative and International Education Society (Study Abroad and International Students SIG), 2023 CCCC Research Impact Award, and 2023 CCCC Advancement of Knowledge Award Honorable Mention.

Zhongfeng Tian

Zhongfeng Tian is Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education in the Department of Urban Education at Rutgers University–Newark. He holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College. Theoretically grounded in translanguaging, his research centers on working with teachers to provide bi/multilingual students with equitable and inclusive learning environments in ESL and dual language bilingual education contexts, and preparing culturally and linguistically competent teachers with social justice orientations. Dr. Tian has published extensively in the field of ESL/bilingual education and teacher education, including four books (with Multilingual Matters, Springer, and De Gruyter Mouton), five special issues and numerous articles which can be found at International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Journal of Language, Identity & Education, TESOL Quarterly, to name a few. Most recently, based on his scholarly contributions in Chinese-English bilingual education, Dr. Tian has received an Early Career Award from ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) Research SIG.