Knowledge building in the multilingual classroom

This talk illustrates how working with students’ multiple linguistic repertoires can help build new knowledge. Despite having large numbers of multilingual students, language practices around the university context still remain monolingual. Adopting theories of translanguaging and building on linguistic repertoires that our students already have, this session asks how we might draw on these different languages to help us and our students do the things we want to do. Thus, rather than seeing multilingualism as a barrier to learning, this talk will provide suggestions on how working with multiple languages in the classroom can help build student and teacher knowledge.