Participatory exploration of translanguaging in and through art in a (foreign) language classroom.

My presentation will discuss how the multilingual works created by Polish-born visual artists, who, in their artistic practice combine multiple languages with other means of artistic expression – were employed to explore the potential of translanguaging art for language teaching in two studies  run in 2019 and 2020 with 9-11 year old pupils in mainstream primary schools in Scotland. I will introduce the concept of 'translanguaging art' rooted in the theory of translanguaging (Garcia & Li, 2014; Li, 2017) and its role in the pedagogical model explored in the presented study. I will discuss how art was used in my exploratory study in the process of teaching and learning Polish, and, simultaneously, in researching and reflecting on this process. I will consider the potential, risks and limitations of using the artworks as vehicles bringing translanguaging into the language classroom (Kersten & Ludwig, 2018), disrupting monolingual learning environment and enabling inclusion of other semiotic modes and languages spoken by pupils (other languages present in the classroom included English, Arabic, Yoruba, Urdu, Scots, French, Italian and Spanish) foregrounding new voices and perspectives. I will also discuss the impact the use of art had on learners' metalinguistic awareness and their participation in research. I will describe how the process of artmaking influenced learners' confidence, agency and motivation and, most importantly, allowed for exploring in great depth the concepts of languaging and translanguaging as well as the process of language learning itself. Finally, I will reflect on my preliminary findings considering the double role translanguaging art played in the study and opportunities the use of translanguaging art offered for research and teaching.