Grappling with Translanguaging as TESOL Teacher Educators: A Collaborative Self-Study

As multilingual, transnational TESOL teacher educators, we recognize the transformative potential of translanguaging in preparing teachers for culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms in the United States. In response, we have intentionally integrated translanguaging into our teacher education courses, striving for curricular reform and ideological shifts within TESOL preparation. This collaborative self-study examines our experiences as we navigate the theoretical, pedagogical, and institutional complexities of promoting translanguaging in higher education. Through structured reflections and analysis of teaching artifacts, we identified three key themes. First, engaging with translanguaging prompted ideological reorientations, allowing us to critically reflect on our linguistic identities and challenge deeply rooted monolingual ideologies. Second, our efforts to implement translanguaging revealed pedagogical tensions—particularly in moving beyond viewing it as scaffolding and in addressing the translanguaging and code-switching debate—which required adaptive strategies. Third, collaborative dialogue served as a catalyst for professional growth, fostering a community of practice that enabled us to refine our approaches and advocate for translanguaging more effectively. This study contributes to TESOL teacher education by offering insights into the lived experiences of teacher educators, highlighting key challenges and possibilities in translanguaging integration, and underscoring the need for sustained professional learning communities to support faculty and teachers in enacting translanguaging in diverse educational contexts.