The Impact of Translanguaging on Language Acquisition for Low-Literate Refugees and the Significance of Teacher Training
摘要
Non-literate or low-literate refugees have specific educational needs, as they must learn a second language while either learning to read and write for the first time or developing basic literacy competences in an alphabet or writing system often different from the one they initially learned. Promoting the use of first languages, alongside target languages in adult migrants’ education, literacy in mother tongues, “contrastive” literacy, and the use of first languages in literacy classes are practices highlighted in the LASLLIAM Reference Guide and are closely interconnected with the translanguaging concept. Clearly, in addition to cognitive and linguistic development, translanguaging also plays a role in developing self-confidence and psychological stability, which are much needed after refugees’ often traumatic experiences. Our chapter aims to delve into the area of language learning among low-literate refugees residing in Greece and especially among children and adolescents in formal and non-formal education settings to examine teachers’ readiness to address this population based on data from the Teach4Integration program, and to explore the role that the pedagogy of translanguaging can play in their successful learning.