Despite a large body of literature on foreign language learning anxiety and emerging research on translanguaging, research on the role of translanguaging on the socioemotional experiences of emergent multilingual learners (EMLLs) is minimal at best. Yet the persistent academic and emotional difficulties of EMLLs in K-12 US schools urge a closer look at how translanguaging strategies can help navigate these difficulties. In this article we present two case stories illustrating how translanguaging strategies can act as scaffolds for EMLLs' emotional well-being. Grounding our analysis in notions of language learning anxiety, translanguaging, and emotional scaffolding, we report on research conducted in two rural elementary schools. We show how the use of translanguaging strategies with two elementary-age students and two multilingual volunteers played a key role in reducing anxiety and related behavioral issues, in addition to improving acquisition of academic content. We discuss implications for multilingual school districts and how they can harness these practices to benefit all students, including monolinguals.
In this Teaching Tips article, we discuss our efforts to create and utilize translanguaging interactive read‐aloud videos as part of a community‐wide reading program focused on the reading and discussing of a shared book. Offering translanguaging spaces for bilingual readers in area elementary classrooms and the community, these videos were designed to help readers develop their literacy skills by encouraging them to engage with the chosen book's content by drawing on their full linguistic repertoires. After introducing our project, we outline the translanguaging theoretical framework guiding our read‐aloud videos and offer suggestions for teachers interested in exploring ways to create translanguaging spaces in their classrooms.
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