Teaching Through a Transformative Lens

Exploring Teachers’ “Trans” Perspective in Diverse Classrooms

Abstract

Employing the three “trans” concepts – translanguaging, transnationalism, and transculturalism – as a theoretical framework, this qualitative study examines teachers’ lesson plans, classroom fieldnotes, and journal writings that critically reflect on their teaching practices to explore how they provide transformative learning spaces in their racially/culturally/linguistically diverse classrooms. The findings show that the teachers reshaped their views on students’ translanguaging, prepared their lessons from the “trans” perspectives, and challenged current mainstream discourses by disrupting monolithic conceptions. The study provides implications that educators can create a transformative learning space in achieving social justice and equity by using assets-based lenses in their curriculum.