Teaching considering transferences in a bilingual context
What transferences do learners make from L1 to L2 in the literacy process?
General topic of interest
We decided to study the transferences that the learners make from their first language (portuguese) to the second language (english) in the literacy process, considering that Grade 1 provides learners with the basis for literacy.
Participants
In order to collect data for our research, we decided to investigate the literacy process of three groups of Grade 1 learners from Escola Concept São Paulo in the 2022 school year.
Literature Review
Based on Genesee's (1989) theory, there is no reason for bilingual children to know that their languages ought not to be mixed if they are exposed to frequent mixing in the input (see also Goodz et al., 1990). Therefore, we connect this thinking to our previous studies related to the psychogenesis of the written language in which we consider the transferences part of the literacy process. Both languages support the expansion of learners' repertoire when we consider them as only one process. We consider that bilingual alignment transfers are part of our multilingualism culture.
Data collecting approach
We collected learners' written hypothesis in both languages (english and portuguese), from throughout the year to observe possible instances of tranferences in the literacy process. We searched for written work from the beginning, middle and end of the school year to show as evidence of tranferences during literacy acquisition process.
Data collection tools/resources
Our source of data were several written proposals collected along the year including the final project of one of the Grade 1 groups. The project consisted of a book with samples of learners literacy progression.
Grade 1 learner written hypothesis in English.
Grade 1 learner written hypothesis in Portuguese.
Grade 1 learner written hypothesis in Portuguese.
Grade 1 learner written hypothesis in English.
Grade 1 learner written hypotheis in English.
Grade 1 learner written hypothesis in Portuguese.
Emerging results
Data suggests that as learners advance their written hypothesis in their first language, they also evolve their written hypothesis in the second language.
Reflections
Language interact in dynaminc ways in the learning process and that liteacy-related skills transfer across languages as leanring progresses. As we foster bilingual production, we provide learners with a variety of opportunities for developing L1 and L2, freeing ourselves as educators from monolingual instructions, developing strategies that ackowledge the reality of, and strongly promote, cross-language transfer.
