A COLLABORATIVE MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOM
Penser. Rechercher. Enseigner.
Our Collaborative Multilingual Classroom is the result of a dynamic combination of two 3rd Grade Classrooms
(18 + 19 students), two French teachers, and one American Teacher.
These two classrooms are separated by a movable wall. When working together teachers can open this wall and create a bigger classroom where translanguaging practices are possible.
Thanks to the macro and meso organization of the school plurilingual students in 3rd Grade can use their full linguistic repertoire in order to succeed.
A COLLABORATIVE CLASSROOM FOR PLURILINGUAL STUDENTS
This collaborative classroom is based on the understanding that plurilingual students are complex, rather than
just two monolinguals in one (Grosjean 1989). They use their full linguistic
repertoire flexibly.
A COLLABORATION AT DIFFERENT LEVELS
to make it possible
MACRO
The sponsors, leadership, coordinators, family, and teachers must all collaborate as they all are educators who play an important role to ensure a transition from a monoglossic ideology to a heteroglossic ideology in bilingual education. At the macro level, a need to provide ongoing training for all
educators, to create new positions like coordinators seems to be an answer.
However, this is challenging as it has to deconstruct misconceptions. At the macro level, leaderships also have the role of creating space, time and resources to enable translanguaging practices
MESO
Teachers from the same grade but with different languages cannot only work side by side. It is essential for them to be able to collaborate to plan their teaching, integrating both of the curricula.
MICRO
Finally, when the macro and meso levels have made time and space possible for translanguaging, teachers can promote a “multilingual mindset” to their students by allowing and supporting all languages inside their classroom. Allowing students to collaborate together and with their teachers.
