Translanguaging, Bilingualism, and Bilingual Education

Bilingual education distinguishes itself from other forms of language education in that content and language learning are integrated; that is, two languages are used as a medium of instruction. Wallace Lambert proposed what became the classic models of viewing bilingualism in schools during the twentieth century. These models include subtractive bilingualism and additive bilingualism. Dynamic bilingualism refers to the multiple language interactions and other linguistic interrelationships that take place on different scales and spaces among multilingual speakers. This chapter explains how a translanguaging lens has the potential to transform structures and practices of bilingual education. The emphasis on the “trans” aspects of language and education enables one to transgress the categorical distinctions of the past. In particular, a “trans” approach to bilingual education liberates our traditional understandings. Translanguaging as pedagogy requires a sociocritical approach to teaching. Translanguaging is seldom used in schools as a tool to mediate cognitive complex activities.