Slide 4

1. BI-LITERACY
*Educators who teach English to speakers of other languages but are not themselves speakers of
another language sometimes feel threatened by bilingual programs, fearing that individuals with
dual-language skills will take their jobs. However, many TWI models are successful in pairing a
bilingual teacher with one who is not. There are many ways in which monolingual teachers can
demonstrate that they value students’ languages and cultural experiences. These include making
literature and learning resources available in two languages; encouraging students to write in
more than one language, share that writing with others, and help one another by speaking in both
languages; using adults and community members who speak the primary language to assist in
instruction; and advocating for literacy in two languages.
Lynne. T. Diaz, Rico. Strategies for Teaching English Learners. 307
*Three Pillars of Bilingual Education support the following practices:
Transfer academic content students have learned in one language to another.
Engage in contrastive analysis between English and Spanish.
Develop students’ academic language in both languages across the content areas.
Develop metalinguistic awareness.
Develop homegrown curriculum that reflects a global perspective.
Nathan, Marissa. (2017, September 15) Teaching For Biliteracy. www.teachingchannel.org
*Canagarajah (2011) defined translanguaging (biliteracy) as “the ability of multilingual speakers
to shuttle between languages, treating the diverse languages that form their repertoire as an
integrated system” (p. 401), García (2009) extended this intermingling to include not just
languages, but language varieties.
Hornberger, Nancy. Link, Holly. (2012). Theory Into Practice, 51(4), 239-247.

2. It is possible to educate bilingual students even if you are not fluent in their native language.
Often teachers are paired, one being stronger in the native language, to make an equal
proficiency of education in order to teach bilingually. As an educator I need to show the student
I respect their native language by providing educational materials in both languages as well as
relating lessons to their culture.