Advances in the Study of Bilingualism

(Chris Devlin) #1

on the computer’. A number of pupils expressed that translanguaging
enabled them ‘to make sense’ of the tasks undertaken in class. Examples
were seen of secondary pupils choosing a language medium for the presenta-
tion of work to the rest of the class. For example, in a GCSE science lesson,
the class was using an English website in order to collect information on the
Human Genome Project. The aim of the task was to create a poster and
make a presentation to the rest of the class. Two girls – one from a Welsh-
speaking home and the other from an English-speaking home – decided to
create jointly a poster in Welsh and make a presentation in Welsh to the rest
of the class. When asked why they had done so, they replied: ‘We deliber-
ately did this [i.e. translanguaging from English to Welsh]... so as to avoid
copying the original material from the internet word-for-word in English



  • in order for us to fully understand the information conveyed in the English
    text.. .’
    Among the responses obtained from a group of six Year 12 pupils (16–17
    years old) from diverse language backgrounds in a Welsh medium secondary
    school about the role and potential advantages of translanguaging were:
    ‘Trawsieithu... mae’n digwydd yn naturiol.. .’ [Translanguaging... it happens
    naturally.. .], ‘Mae’n anodd i ddechrau ond rydach chi’n gwella.. .’ [It’s difficult
    to start with but you improve.. .], ‘Mae’r cyflwyniadau yma (defnyddiwyd
    ffynnonellau Saesneg ar gyfer creu cyflwyniad PowerPoint Daearyddiaeth cyfrwng
    Cymraeg) yn rhoi hyder inni ar gyfer mynd i Brifysgol.. .’ [These presentations
    (English sources used to create Welsh medium Geography PowerPoint pre-
    sentation) give us confidence for when we go to University.. .] ‘Mae’n help
    ein bod ni’n symleiddio’r gwaith... Mae’n rhaid inni feddwl amdano.. .Rydach
    chi’n dod i ddeall y gwaith yn well.. .’ [It helps that we simplify the work...
    We have to think about it... You come to understand the work better.. .],
    ‘..a chi’n dysgu’n annibynnol.. .’ [... and you learn independently.. .], ‘Rydan
    ni’n deall o’n well.. .’ [We understand it better.. .], ‘Trawsieithu ydy... ‘cyfie-
    ithu i wneud sens’ ...’ [Translanguaging is... ‘translating to make sense’.. .].
    All six pupils considered translanguaging as an effective learning tool in
    the classroom which enabled them to further understand the content of the
    lesson. A number of teachers in both primary and secondary schools
    explained that consistent use of ICT, in particular the internet, was made to
    promote pupils’ translanguaging skills. Reference is made to the key role of
    technology and e-learning within the Welsh-medium educational provision
    (Welsh Assembly Government, 2009b: 98), and it is useful that teachers rec-
    ognise the potential of ICT for the development of pupils’ bilingual skills.


What are the possible constraints of translanguaging

in the classroom?

Athough the deliberate and systematic use of two languages in the class-
room can be of advantage to children’s learning, careful consideration must be


Language Arrangements within Bilingual Education 167
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