Children Translanguaging Through Materials

A child incorporating the arts as a mode of communication is translanguaging between spoken and symbolic languages - the same way bilingual children translanguage between two spoken languages. It's a theory I've developed from many years of working with bilingual children, unconventional educational materials and the arts.

Bilingual children naturally translanguage to draw upon all of their resources to fill in spaces of communication. When they don't know a word in one language, they replace with with its translation form another language to make communication easier. They use the arts in similiar ways. Children's artifacts serve as language to develop and communicate ideas.

Promoting multiple languages, including languages of materials in a social, inquiry-based context is beneficial because it's an arena where all of the children's language overelaps and thereby multiplies . Incorporating matereials provides a common mode of communication. And they help children connect ideas through a non-verbal language.

In my Studios, I use discretionary translanguaging and code switch between English and Spanish with preschoolers who are balancing a home language and English. My children are from limited-resource communities with a broad spectrum of proficiencies in English and Spanish. Some have English as a first a first language, some Spanish as a first language and everything in between.

It is a loose structure based on children's needs, and opportunities for all children to benefit from a language-rich environment. These techniques support children's retainment of a Spanish home language while also giving monolingual English speakers the cognitive and social-emotional benefits of exposure to Spanish. Materials and the arts gives us yet another modality of communication.

Noticing Kids Translanguaging through Materials

After many years of working with young children on materials, I've noticed that both bilingual and monolingual children use materials, artifacts and the arts as additional modes of communication to convey their theories, emotions and ideas, much like they use languages. Translanguaging through materials, expands their repertoire of communication modes the same way they use words from different languages to enhance communication

I don't have a formal education in dual-language education. My theories about language development came from growing up as an immigrant child learning English. I >>>>recall that when I was about 9 nine years oold, m

Materials Spark Thinking

So, how do materials play such a key part in communcation?> First, Encounters with materials stimulate the senses>ignite children's thinking >perhaps generate ideas.

A child exploring a material, learning its properties, possibilities and acquiring techniques with that material is similar to that child new languages. <<<Materials support children by providing more resources to their repertoire to create meaning and to convey their thoughts and feelings.

Kid's Forumulation of Ideas

There's something about the manipulation of the material that triggers ideas in children. Some of the two year-olds >>>the subject matter emerges as they scribble

Two year-olds -Every color represents a different family member

Fist signs of Materials/Artifacts as Languages

I first begin to notice this when two year-olds begin scribbling on a sheet of paper, apparently without a plan.. They begin with the action of manipulating - Maybe the manipulation of the drawing implement onto the surface fill the child's mind with ideas or perhaps Materials help to bring out what is inside the child.

>>>>>>2 YEAR-OLDS SCRIBBLY DRAWINGS HERE

>>>>>>>>ALYSSA'S DRAWING HEERE

Reggio educator Tiziana Filippini said that Since the beginning of humanity, man has always tried to create messages that can be understood from outside himself.

Translanguaging between verbal and symbolic Children's artifacts become communication for children whom are non-verbal. Additionally, the artifacts serve as an instrument for reflection of prior thinking - in order to build on it.

Sorting and Separating

Iwhen I was in fourth grade, my older brother told me that he had reead that young children could discern different languages even when they were mixed up. There has to be something about human nature to sort and separate. A couple of weeks ago, I left materials and found that children

Environment that Fosters Inquiry

A rich enviromment that is like an aquarium where my competencies and the children's all overlap as a community of learners. Learning is social.

All children, even the non spanish speaking ones benefit from these exchanges

The adult in these experiences is very important

SOCIAL CHANGE>>>>>MAYBE SAVE UNTIL THE END Giving them any advantage

Ways of making the invisible process of translanguaging more