Theorising practices and practicing theories: a study of natural translanguaging in the multilingual tutorials at the University of Cape Town

This presentation focuses on the use of translanguaging to facilitate Mathematics teaching and learning at the University of Cape Town (UCT). UCT is a historically English medium university, which has over the last two decades... [ view full abstract ]

This presentation focuses on the use of translanguaging to facilitate Mathematics teaching and learning at the University of Cape Town (UCT). UCT is a historically English medium university, which has over the last two decades become more multilingual following the democratic change of 1994. The university promotes a predominantly English language policy and monoglossic approaches to teaching and learning which are not consistent with students’ heteroglossic language practices such as translanguaging. Thus, the presentation aims to show the disjuncture between theory and practice. It further shows the disjuncture between the institutional language policy and students language practices. The presentation demonstrates how multilingual students draw on their full linguistic repertoires to mediate understanding of Maths concepts and content knowledge. It also shows how lecturers and tutors creates “third” spaces in tutorials to promote multilingual students’ use of their full linguistic repertoires. It concludes with (re)-theorisation of translanguaging in postcolonial contexts and its implications for language policy and planning at university level.