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Translanguaging in Online ESOL Classrooms
We’re excited to share an inspiring article by Sam Pepper, originally published in ESOL Matters, now republished on our platform!
April 28, 2025
We’re delighted to re-publish an article written by Sam Pepper for ESOL Matters on the work he did on an online ESOL programme SLC delivered to Syrian refugees across Northern Ireland during the pandemic.
In the article, Sam describes how he worked with learners who had very low levels of English, many with little or no formal education and lacking literacy skills in their own language, and who had been through incredibly difficult journeys to find themselves in a very different country in an unprecedented time of lockdown, which meant they were much more isolated than would have otherwise been the case.
Sam’s knowledge of Arabic and his willingness to use a translanguaging approach in his lessons, using learners’ own language to help them learn English, offers great insight to anyone wanting to understand how online teaching programmes and a creative teacher can really support refugee learners.
The pandemic was a confusing time for everyone, especially for teachers and learners. It was a time when providing the maximum support for our learners’ individual needs was crucial to their progress. All of my in-person classes ground to a halt and I was tasked with teaching new Zoom led group classes with learners who I had never met. I worked with a group of Pre-Entry beginner level Syrian refugees, aged 16–21, who were based in Northern Ireland. As a resident of London and someone who had never been to Ireland, I was detached from their lived environment and was not able to experience the same setting as the learners due to travel restrictions. My accent is British which led me to wonder what I could do to make their learning experience as meaningful as possible.
These learners, having faced displacement and limited formal education in their home country, were in a uniquely challenging learning environment. Many of them had had limited formal education due to their experiences as people seeking asylum over the previous ten years. Due to this, they struggled with foundational literacy in Arabic, their first language (L1), while adapting to a new cultural and linguistic environment. The lockdown brought these difficulties to the fore, by limiting social interactions critical for language acquisition in their newly settled environment.
To address their needs, I adopted a translanguaging approach, making use of my proficiency in Arabic to scaffold English language learning. I had heard of translanguaging as a pedagogical approach, so I hit the books and read up on Cenoz and Gorker’s (2022) work on the approach. This decision, though unconventional in standard ESOL practices, proved helpful for them in these tricky circumstances. This article argues for translanguaging as an essential tool in teaching learners from challenging contexts, focusing on its role in building literacy, managing emotional well-being, and facilitating integration.
The group of Syrian learners had minimal formal education, partly due to prolonged conflict in their home country dating back ten years at the time. Due to this, many lacked literacy skills even in their L1, which would have made traditional ESOL methods such as communicative language learning and task-based learning too challenging for their needs. Social distancing further limited authentic interactive language-learning opportunities as all classes were held on Zoom. The learners also had limited experience with online learning and, like myself, were new to using Zoom in large groups. To address these barriers, my approach prioritised foundational skills, beginning with basic literacy as a bridge to in-person ESOL classes which could take place once the pandemic had subsided.
Translanguaging refers to the practice of using learners’ entire linguistic capacity to aid comprehension and expression, including that of their first language. Unlike communicative immersive teaching, translanguaging integrates two or more languages within the learning process, validating students’ linguistic identities and enabling flexible meaning-making. It is especially helpful for learners who have had challenging educational backgrounds and need support to develop the skills needed to participate in a second language classroom.
Translanguaging is an approach which lends itself well to monolingual classes, especially amongst younger learners who may want to build rapport with each other in their first language to feel sufficiently comfortable in their learning. Tasks were communicative in the sense that learners were presented language in English, and then had the task explained to them in their first language. They were then given instructions to work in break-out rooms using Arabic to complete the given task. Although I did not teach literacy in Arabic, the learners supported each other in correcting their English and using Arabic writing to clarify their errors for peer correction.
Cenoz and Gorter (Ibid., p14) emphasize that translanguaging challenges the traditional ‘separation of languages’ model by utilising L1 resources to support the acquisition of additional languages. This integration allows learners to navigate complex content while gradually building proficiency in the target language. For my students, developing orthographic and motor skills in English, while being given clear instructions in Arabic, to clarify meaning and form, was very helpful. This scaffolding was also helpful for those with undefined additional learning needs who were able to communicate with the teacher and troubleshoot any literacy issues they were facing. The lesson aims were also clearly stated in Arabic at the start of the lesson to ensure engagement and to inform learners throughout the steps of the lesson about the stages and aims of each task.
By affirming students’ cultural and linguistic identities, translanguaging helps to build emotional resilience, particularly for refugee learners coping with migration and isolation. García and Wei (2014) highlight how translanguaging validates learners’ experiences, working on engagement and confidence – a crucial factor in my learners’ progress. Although all of the learners were from the same country of origin and language background, none of them knew each other outside of the Zoom classroom. In the context of migration and creating a new life in a new environment, it was emotionally beneficial for learners to speak to each other and build rapport in their first language. This increased their engagement in classes, led to some light relief and several of the learners met up after the course and the easing of restrictions due to this flexibility of first language use.
Many of these learners had experienced emotionally challenging and potentially traumatic experiences. Considering this, having a shared community of learning in which learners could express and communicate their experiences despite their limited English knowledge, provided a cathartic benefit for the learners who had some shared experiences and were facing isolation in their newly settled home.
Explicit grammar instruction is another area in which translanguaging worked well with this group of learners. Explaining concepts such as verb conjugations and articles in Arabic helped bridge knowledge gaps, particularly for learners with little prior formal education. In traditional communicative classes, target language is presented discreetly with learners being provided a contextualised example followed by concept checking and clarification. Considering the Pre-Entry level of this group and their study skills background, having explicit explanations of grammar rules in their L1 not only reduced stress levels, but also provided the teacher with a tool to check understanding before moving onto practice. This aligns with Cenoz and Gorter’s (Op. cit.) assertion that translanguaging creates a dynamic space where students use their linguistic knowledge in their first language to construct knowledge of a second language. Using a first language lowers cognitive load and gives learners the chance to be presented with language and absorb the meaning, form and pronunciation without the stress of immersive focus.
The use of learner L1 provided an inclusive learning environment which took into account the affective filter and emotional reality of the learners. This approach gave the learners more mental space to engage with the grammar point and feel more comfortable with the input. Those who taught online during the pandemic will know that monitoring learner progress within tasks was a huge challenge, particularly for the lowest level learners. Using Arabic as a way to ensure learners understood the task, while feeling free to ask questions was invaluable for language practice. Learners were then given controlled practice with this added support and freer practice tasks to then use the language items in a freer setting – which reflects the present, practice, produce approach in its staging.
Interactive tools like Google Classroom, Padlet, and forms quizzes, combined with translanguaging, maximised learner participation. Learners submitted handwritten assignments in Arabic and English for feedback, gradually integrating English components. This blended approach-maintained engagement and supported gradual skill-building and helped the teacher to understand the development points which learners needed to focus on. An example of this was a verb ‘to be’ practice worksheet which tested conjugation and adjective use in which learners were asked to circle the adjective (through Arabic instructions) to ensure that the learners were able to understand both the structure and the use of the target language, and be given specific feedback for their errors.
Breakout rooms were a completely new concept for all of us and without the use of Arabic instructions, setting these up would have been much harder to organise, (considering the set up required producing the learner worksheet on pen and paper, roles in a breakout group, keeping on task). With all of these learners new to online education and many of them new to formal education altogether, L1 use was instrumental in making this work.
The Syrian learners’ progress in their formative and summative work highlighted the value of translanguaging in contexts where traditional methods fall short. By scaffolding foundational skills, giving space for emotional resilience, and making abstract concepts accessible, translanguaging empowered these learners to navigate their linguistic and social transitions. For educators working in similar contexts, translanguaging offers a powerful tool to meet the needs of marginalized learners. While potentially applicable in a variety of contexts, these methods are likely most effective in monolingual classes or with lower level groups of learners.
One possible limitation of the translanguaging is the fact that learners missed out on the immersive natural acquisition of teacher talk. While this is a worthwhile point, it is clear that the translanguaging approach allowed them to catch up on the building blocks they needed and had missed out on (due to their loss of primary and secondary schooling). Many of these learners have now moved onto higher classes and have since shown considerable progress in their English proficiency.
Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2017). Translanguaging and bilingual education. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 20(3), 245-263. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2015.1131106
García, O., & Wei, L. (2014). Translanguaging: Language, bilingualism, and education. Palgrave Macmillan. Available at: translanguaging-in-bilingual-education.pdf
Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Pergamon Press.
Sam is a language learner, teacher, trainer and translator. He now works as a teacher trainer and curriculum quality lead at an inner-city North London college working with a wide range of learners. For Sam, ESOL is not just about language learning, it’s about building connections within a di-verse community and celebrating variety in the classroom.
This article was originally published in ESOL Matters, the newsletter of the IATEFL English for Speakers of Other Languages Special Interest Group, April 2025.
See: https://issuu.com/iatefl/docs/esol_matters_april_2025
It is re-published here with many thanks.
We’re excited to share an inspiring article by Sam Pepper, originally published in ESOL Matters, now republished on our platform!
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