Utilizing Translanguaging as a Tool for Heritage Language Instruction: Insights from Cyprus, Estonia, and Sweden (19258)
This presentation investigates translanguaging practices of Russian-speaking teachers of Russian as a heritage language (RHL) based on observational and qualitative data collected in Cyprus, Estonia, and Sweden. The contribution of the study lies in the comparative approach in the understanding of perceptions and beliefs of RHL teachers regarding translanguaging as a pedagogical practice in the context of multilingual classrooms. The research aims to reveal systematic similarities and differences in the use of translanguaging in the teaching and learning of RHL by teachers of Russian in distinct socio-cultural environments, while also making a broader case for the use of translanguaging as a valuable resource in HL pedagogy. Our analysis is based on classroom observations focused on classroom discourse and communication patterns and interviews with the teachers about their translanguaging practices and instructional strategies in in RHL classrooms. Based on the classroom observations and teacher interviews, translanguaging was found to be a common practice in the Russian HL classrooms; at the same time, it was employed to a different extent and for different purposes in the three socio-geographic contexts. While the RHL teachers in Cyprus seem to view translanguaging as a normal social practice and a part of students’ identity, the teachers in Sweden and Estonia view translanguaging mainly as a bridge to Russian language competency. Teachers in all three countries view translanguaging as necessary to support students in learning their heritage language. Overall, the study concludes that translanguaging is a valuable pedagogical device in classes where the students’ languages are unbalanced and advocates for its implementation in a wider range of educational contexts. We recommend that teachers in the RHL classrooms develop more strategic and integrated policies and practices towards translanguaging in the context of the RHL teaching and learning to better address the needs of bi- and multilingual students.