Teachers’ translanguaging practices and “safe spaces” for adolescent newcomers: Toward alternative visions

This study investigated structural features of a newcomer program housed within a comprehensive high school and language practices among newcomer students and their teachers. Findings indicate efforts to provide newcomer students with “safe spaces,” opportunities for language and literacy development in English and Spanish, and access to rigorous content. Structural features of the program paired with one teacher’s translanguaging practices, however, resulted in the prioritization of safe spaces, conceptualized as a physically separate classroom that sought to minimize language anxiety. Ultimately, by interpreting translanguaging as a way to avoid discomfort rather than to leverage newcomers’ dynamic bilingualism, this particular conceptualization of safe space afforded limited opportunities for the development of English language and literacy practices. Findings include implications for the design of newcomer programs and teacher preparation.