Understanding young children’s everyday biliteracy: “Spontaneous” and “scientific” influences on learning

Abstract

This research describes the biliteracy learning of young bilingual children in an English as a Second Language classroom. In particular, it explores factors influencing their biliteracy in a context that provided systematic and formalized instruction only in English. Using a holistic perspective on bilingualism and sociocultural theories of learning, this study analyzes children's writing and writing-related talk. In particular, this study draws on Vygotsky's notion of ''scientific'' and ''spontaneous'' learning. The findings suggest that children used concepts that they had been systematically taught and applied them to new circumstances, that they drew on support from their families outside school, and that their interactions with each other supported their biliterate development.

Translingual Writing in a Linguistically Diverse Primary Classroom

“…In ways that resonated with developmental spelling and showcased their “double metalinguistic awareness” (Kenner et al, 2004), Abdul and Maya used English letter–sound correspondences to write in Urdu and Amharic. Their writing builds on existing research that suggests young Spanish/English bilingual children engage in this work (e.g., Axelrod & Cole, 2018; Durán, 2018), by demonstrating how children might repurpose English when writing in languages that use non-Roman scripts, such as Urdu and Amharic. Across their interviews, they expressed feelings of pride and relief as they experienced translingual writing instruction that made space for the breadth of their communicative repertoires.…”

“…While Susan read her poem using the words listed above, her Chinese writing more closely aligned to “bed,” “sun,” and “moon” than “eat,” “an,” and “so good.” In this example, Susan drew on Chinese words she knew and used them to represent others that she did not know how to write. Rather than limit the Chinese content of her poems to “bed,” “sun,” and “moon,” Susan repurposed (Durán, 2018) these words in ways that allowed her peers to experience Chinese script.…”

“…These children may develop spontaneous biliteracy , or the “acquisition of literacy in two languages without prescribed instruction in both languages” (de la luz Reyes, 2012, p. 248) through participation in their homes and communities. Spontaneous biliteracy reveals how children engage in multilingual meaning-making, such as repurposing English letter–sound correspondences in writing (e.g., spelling the Spanish huele as “wele”; see Durán, 2018, p. 82).…”

“…Although we positioned all students as agentive users of literacy and language, engaging in translingual writing felt challenging for some students who worried that they could not read or write in languages they tended to use orally with their families and in their communities. As we closely analyzed their writing, we found that these students creatively and strategically drew on practices associated with emergent literacy to write, such as repurposing (Durán, 2018) English letter–sound correspondences in multilingual developmental spelling, composing letter strings with non-Roman characters, and remixing multilingual environmental print. Despite an emphasis on mastering English conventions in primary writing instruction, our findings suggest that young multilingual children—even those who have not had formal instruction in languages other than English—can skillfully engage in translingual writing.…”

Taking the Leap: Supporting Multilingual Writers Through Translanguaging

“…In another study, a first-grade teacher followed children's languaging practices and encouraged them to consider which languages would best help them communicate with authentic audiences (e.g., families, a published bilingual author) (Durán, 2017). She also supported children (most of whom had not experienced writing instruction in Spanish) in Spanish composition by discussing language conventions, despite her school district's mandate for English-only instruction (Durán, 2018). Across these examples, teachers responded adaptively to the languaging practices of their students.…”