The URI Translanguaging Lab
The Translanguaging Lab is a dynamic, interdisciplinary research collective within the Feinstein College of Education at the University of Rhode Island dedicated to the study and promotion of translanguaging—the process by which bi/multilingual individuals fluidly draw on their full linguistic and multimodal repertoires to make meaning, communicate, and learn. Translanguaging is also a pedagogy that centers bi/multilingual students’, families’, and communities’ ways of knowing and being. The lab provides a collaborative environment for faculty, graduate students, and educators interested in translanguaging and translanguaging pedagogy to develop theory, conduct empirical research, and generate practical tools that advance more equitable spaces for languaging and learning in Rhode Island and beyond.
Defining Translanguaging
Translanguaging is a linguistic practice, a pedagogy, and a theory of language: it describes the practice of dynamic bi/multilingual languaging to make sense of the world and the word; a pedagogy for strategically designing instruction and assessment that leverages the linguistic assets bi/multilingual students; and is a theoretical understanding of bi/multilingualism that puts speakers at the center rather than languages.
While an increasingly popular term, translanguaging is more than a buzzword—it’s a way of seeing, hearing, and honoring the full and dynamic language practices of bi/multilingual individuals and a means to bring this understanding to instructional design and pedagogical beliefs. Translanguaging theory challenges the idea that languages should be (or are) kept separate and, instead, embraces the rich, fluid ways people use language and multimodal resources to make meaning, connect, and learn. It also communicates a commitment to teaching and learning with social and linguistic justice.
Core Aims of the Translanguaging Lab
Advance Research on Translanguaging
The lab engages in collaborative research on translanguaging practices and pedagogies, both within formal learning settings such as schools and within bi/multilingual communities. Some of our current studies include documenting diverse languaging practices across Rhode Island through linguistic landscapes and exploring how teachers make sense of and take up translanguaging pedagogy.
Research
Promote Linguistic Justice
The lab challenges monolingual ideologies and deficit views of multilingual learners. By framing translanguaging as lived practice and pedagogy, we promote more inclusive and affirming language policies and teaching approaches. Additionally, through our collaborations with educators, schools, and community organizations, we actively work to translate research into practice and to advance linguistic justice for minoritized students and communities.
Defining translanguaging
Mentor Emerging Scholars
The lab serves as a supportive learning space for graduate students and early-career researchers interested in exploring language, equity, and education. It encourages innovative research that reimagines language and language learning beyond traditional boundaries. In addition to our regular lab meetings, we also provide professional development for researchers on different research methods and tools for exploring language and language learning.
Meet OUR TEAM
Support Professional Learning for Educators
Members of the lab work closely with educators, both as part of research projects and through professional learning offerings. Professional learning facilitated by lab members takes a range of forms, including graduate level courses, webinars, and workshops. We are committed to working with educators to make translanguaging pedagogy the norm for classrooms serving multilingual learners.
Professional learning
Develop and Disseminate Resources
The lab generates empirical articles, research briefs, and teaching and advocacy resources on translanguaging and translanguaging pedagogy. These resources can be accessed on our website and are designed to reach multiple stakeholders (e.g., educators, families, and communities) to support multilingual learners and to inform educational policy and practice.
MORE RESOURCES