“Translanguaging in the Bilingual Classroom: A Pedagogy for Learning and Teaching” Essay (Article)

Content of the Article

The article “Translanguaging in the Bilingual Classroom: A pedagogy for Learning and Teaching” by Creese Angela and Blackledge Adrian discusses bilingual pedagogy based on the assumptions on Gujarati and Chinese language schools within the United Kingdom by Cummins.

The authors are comprehensive in the aspects of language ecology and how complementary schools balance bilingual pedagogy. Among the critical issues identified in the article is a smart division of the languages into two-way education.

The process should involve translation and rapid separation between the fist language and the second language which should be treated as independent.

As it is a research article, quantitative methodology provides a reliable and quantifiable result on the position of flexible translanguaging as part of bilingual pedagogy. The study consists of five parts which yield the same results.

Among the benefits of flexible pedagogy and flexible bilingualism identified by the authors are ease of communication and preservation of culture, indiscrimination of a second language and simultaneous ‘literacies’ endorsement as students participating in bilingual translanguaging are assured of preserved identity in the process of acquiring education.

As a result, the authors recommend assimilating of translanguaging in the curriculum to promote appreciation of world culture and making the learning process more accommodative to minority cultures.

The article proposes a complete bilingual education as a form of instructional education where information is presented to learners in more than one language. Any system of education applying two or more languages in educational physiology can be termed as a bilingual presentational system.

Relevance of the Article

Based on the connation presented above, it can be stated that most programs in modern schools are bilingual at the least literal sense.

The only difference in use lies in the degree and multitude under which it is applied and actively recognized by policymakers and reformers in the education system in their proactive reorganization for relevance and non-discriminative reforms. Bilingualism is a strong policy for resistance to assimilation and cultural extinction.

Though young minority group members face a difficulty relating to fluent English speaking majority, they have a chance to present a lot in terms of diverse and preserved cultural background associated with unique pride which can be maintained, while at the same time, they have a chance to learn English effortlessly as a tool for interaction with the mainstream culture.

This article supports bilingual education system because the world is becoming a global village. It is desirable for the United Kingdom to be counted as part of this talent pool.

Perceived threat to the mainstream English language is just a speculative opinion as natural language changes if well integrated in modern communication tendencies.

This article dwells on flexible translanguaging which touches on identity, culture, appreciation of diversity, and simplification of the learning process. The issues identified in this article are critical in balancing mainstream language with second language in a bilingual education environment.

Reflection on the Article

Translanguaging policy guarantees that minority students participate in meaningful learning process irrespective of the different language backgrounds.

Minority language speaking groups are also put in a fair position to access education curriculum made available to English speaking peers, through affirmative action steps consisting of a complete bilingual instructional manual and English teaching methods limited to optional modules.

All forms of bilingual education should be concurrently applied in the system to benefit both the native speaking minority students, often referred to as English Language Learners, and their peers who, in the end, will both grasp the educational curriculum concepts while acquiring another language for future creative, multilingual use.

To understand cultural orientation of the increasing Chinese and Gujarati speaking minority, most high schools in the United Kingdom have developed formal requirements for all student to grasp at least a secondary language offered in courses running for almost two years taught in flex.

Besides, while it is a reality that operating bilingual classrooms are very expensive, it is the best alternative for effective methodology to relate curriculum to students with limited English proficiency. This is an inverse of an immersion system which discriminates students with poor understanding of single English language.

Therefore, the article is accurate in recommending accommodative and inclusive education system that supports policy based on bilingual pedagogy.

Conclusively, the authors have identified several benefits of integrating translanguaging among the young learners in the minority communities of the United Kingdom.

However, the main challenge remains the unbalanced and informal integration of bilingual pedagogy in formal learning institutions in areas that are occupied by minority communities speaking English as a second language.