Exploring translanguaging practices in a multilingual grade 6 mathematics classroom

Abstract

Even though the South-African education system has undergone profound changes in the decades of democracy, and various language policies have been implemented and re-implemented, language practices in basic and higher education still reflect the legacy of colonialism and apartheid. A particular consequence of this is evident in mathematics where learners’ poor performance can be located in a disjuncture between multilingual classrooms and the language of instruction. This study analyses how translanguaging practices are used in a multilingual grade 6 mathematics classroom to facilitate mathematical understanding. The aim of the study was to see whether, and if so how, the teacher and learners use translanguaging practices in the mathematics classroom in lessons relating to the topic in question. The research questions explored in this study examine firstly, the purpose of translanguaging in a grade 6 mathematics classroom; secondly, the dynamics of translanguaging and thirdly, perceptions and experiences of the teacher and the learners with respect to translanguaging.