On November 4, Cecilia M. Espinosa and Laura Ascenzi-Moreno joined the Literacy Lenses #G2Great Twitter chat to talk about their new book Rooted in Strength: Using Translanguaging to Grow Multilingual Readers and Writers.
During the chat, participants discussed the power of translanguaging — the creative and critical process in which multilingual students use their language and other resources in dynamic, flexible, multimodal, and purposeful ways. The chat also covered a number of topics including the importance of a strength-based perspective in assessment, strategies for building connections between schools, families and communities, and ways to let all students know their voices matter.
You can view the full #G2Great Twitter chat hosted by Dr. Mary Howard, Fran McVeigh, Jenn Hayhurst, Towanda Harris, and Brent Gilson, here.
To learn more about Rooted in Strength for grades K–8, click here.
To read a reflection on the chat from Fran McVeigh, click here.
To follow news about the authors and their book, @AscenziMoreno, @MCEspinosaCh, and #RootedInStrengthBook on Twitter.
Here are highlights from the chat:
Welcome to #G2Great I am so pleased to be here with my co-mods @DrMaryHoward @franmcveigh @mrbgilson @drtharris as we welcome Rooted in Strength co-authors: @MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno @Scholastic Please say hello let us know who is with us tonight... pic.twitter.com/yIIdW4y0JQ
— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 5, 2021
Welcome to #G2Great chat tonight friends. We’re honored that Dr. Cecilia Espinosa & Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno are our hosts to support a discussion around Rooted in Strength.
— Dr. Mary Howard (@DrMaryHoward) November 5, 2021
First a lovely reflection request from Cecilia & Laura@MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno@Scholastic pic.twitter.com/JjAkqMXx4w
Q1 #G2Great @MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/2h8efK1gYE
— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 5, 2021
A1. My bilingualism. My story as an immigrant origin educator. My teaching life dedicated to teaching emergent bilinguals and learning from them #G2Great
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
A1: I bring a fierce curiosity of students to my teaching. I love chatting with my students and learning from their stories. This comes from being raised by my mom who told me stories of the wonderous #Ventaquemada, Boyacá. Stories beget stories. #G2Great https://t.co/EtqyEKnHOg
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
Q2 #G2Great @MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/4ETO210eK8
— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 5, 2021
A2: I let students define themselves. By using Padlet with my #bcbilingualed students, they can use text and media to define themselves outside the bounds of the classroom. Others can respond to them and through this interaction I learn about them. #G2Great https://t.co/wxXO2VZvJd
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
A2. Noticing their interests, their ways of using materials, observing closely what are their languaging practices as they engage with classmates. Invite students to create their own language portraits #G2Great
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
Q3 #G2Great @MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/KobTbhtUGB
— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 5, 2021
A3: Translanguaging is more about personhood than language, that's why translanguaging scholars emphasize multilingual people's practices. These practices are unfolding, dynamic, fluid, changing, contextual, and textural. #G2Great #RootedinStrengthBook
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
A3. One linguistic repertoire, two named languages.
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
Translanguaging experiences ensure the child’s full construction of meaning. Students’, families’ and communities’ bilingualism is a strength, not a deficit. Translanguaging as the norm #G2Great
Q4 #G2Great @MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/3vuNKpiA1r
— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 5, 2021
A4: When students come to the classroom, they don't come in alone, they bring their experience with their families, loved ones, and communities. They also bring their histories. Make opportunities for student to express and demonstrate what's important to them every day. #G2Great https://t.co/YiqqJu5FHA
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
A4 Part 2: As teachers, we also do this when we do this ourselves. What books are we reading, how is it connected to our identities? What conversations to we have to reveal our lives to our students? #G2Great https://t.co/YiqqJu5FHA
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
Q4. I took walks in the neighborhood to study the linguistic landscape and to build relationships with community organizations #G2Great
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
A4. Parents always invited to the classroom to share stories, riddles, chants, as well as knowledge that connected to our studies (medicinal plants from the Sonoran Desert) #G2Great
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
Q5 #G2Great @MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/UK4Yxb92Gz
— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 5, 2021
A5: Classrooms are highly curated spaces more influenced by compliance than by people who live in them. As a teacher, bulletin boards were highly regulated and were inspected by admin and district reps. Instead imagine spaces which reflect children’s practices instead. #G2Great https://t.co/ct5nFIwwPw
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
A5. I imagine I am a new parent who speaks a language other than English coming into to school for the first time, what texts would help me navigate the building and support me in what I need to do? #G2Great
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
A5. I imagine I am a new parent who speaks a language other than English coming into to school for the first time, what texts would help me navigate the building and support me in what I need to do? #G2Great
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
Q6 #G2Great @MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/LeokF6wIHv
— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 5, 2021
A6: The https://t.co/sKWDn2SJkT project is an amazing example of how teaching can grow from students' multimodality and multilingualism. CS offers students to define themselves and bring their literacies into projects through coding, language, and visuals. #G2Great https://t.co/YgTrF243eM
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
A6. We do read alouds of books whose authors translanguage. We study the author’s craft of when and how they translanguage. One of my favorites is to create reader’s theatre texts with stories that have translanguaging #G2Great
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
A6. A6. For very young children play is key, ie. the dramatic center (doctor’s office, post office, hair salon, a bodega) can be a place where translanguaging is the norm. These represent the children’s communities #G2Great
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
A 6: In our teacher ed program at @EducBrooklynCol, we offer multimodal engagements. Students take pictures of their classrooms, make charts, respond to visuals. When we normalize multimodality in work in higher ed, teachers may do it with their students as well. #G2Great
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
Q7 #G2Great @MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/8Rmhk1PoFE
— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 5, 2021
A7: Arghh! The biggest barrier to assessments that actually do what they are supposed to - understand the contours of student reading - are people's understanding of assessments as neutral and valid. They are not! They are skewed towards monolingualism. #G2Great https://t.co/KbnC9pTlly
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
Con't A7: Therefore, one way to move assessments in favor of multilingualism is to help teachers see that when we equate the assessment process with one language, our understanding of what students can do is partial. #G2Great
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
Con't A7: Therefore, one way to move assessments in favor of multilingualism is to help teachers see that when we equate the assessment process with one language, our understanding of what students can do is partial. #G2Great
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
Q8 #G2Great @MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno @Scholastic pic.twitter.com/NyzwWRTgQt
— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 5, 2021
A8 Con't: or just think using any of their resources. @yuyimorales is an author who demonstrates that her process is not only sparked by developed by questions and experiences. Understanding and studying this layered process is key. #G2Great https://t.co/Qw25Q86OIY
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
A8. For writing spaces to be engaging and powerful, emergent bilingual writers need access to a variety of tools, including multimodal tools that can help them use writing to think, reflect, communicate, wonder and imagine. #G2Great
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
A8. To really develop voice, translanguaging needs to be a key component of their writing process #G2Great
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
Many thanks again to @MCEspinosaCh @AscenziMoreno @Scholastic who inspire us to think more deeply and to grow professionally. Thank you to all the Ts who joined in the conversation.... #G2Great pic.twitter.com/OBI00pkhPd
— Jenn Hayhurst (@hayhurst3) November 5, 2021
Thank you! Gracias! #G2Great!
— Cecilia m (@MCEspinosaCh) November 5, 2021
Thank you everyone for coming and sharing! We are so grateful to you! #G2great #rootedinstrengthbook
— Dr. Laura Ascenzi-Moreno (@AscenziMoreno) November 5, 2021
