Exploring ideological becoming in professional development for teachers of multilingual learners: Perspectives on translanguaging in the classroom

This paper explores teachers' perspectives on the pedagogical resource of using students' first languages in the classroom. The authors implemented this action research case study within the context of a larger 15-week online, asynchronous, professional development course, where K-12 in-service public school teacher-participants were introduced to translanguaging and engaged in study and reflection on current practices and the benefits of including students' first languages in learning. This paper reports on the responses of seven representative teacher-participants from Hawai'i, USA, on their learning, with findings showing varied acceptance and resistance to encouraging and supporting their students' first language in the classroom.