Multilingual American Teachers in Japanese Public Schools: Analysis from a Translingual Identity as Pedagogy Perspective
Event: Multilingual American Teachers in Japanese Public Schools: Analysis from a Translingual Identity as Pedagogy Perspective
Type: Paper Presentation
Presenter: Ayako Hiasa
Email: ahiasa@asu.edu
Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Time: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Location: Virtual link forthcoming
Description:
This study explores classroom experiences of two multilingual American Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) working in Japanese public schools. Using a translingual identity as pedagogy perspective (Motha et al., 2012), the research examines how the teachers construct and perform their multilingual identities as pedagogical resources.
Who Should Attend:
Educators, researchers, and teacher trainers interested in multilingualism, language identity, and global English teaching contexts. Particularly relevant for those exploring translingual pedagogy, international English instruction, or cross-cultural classroom dynamics.
Session Highlights:
- How U.S.-born L1 English-speaking teachers are often presumed “monolingual,” misrepresenting their multilingual capabilities (Matsuda & Duran, 2013).
- Unique pedagogical affordances of situating English Language Teaching (ELT) within a Global English Language Teaching (GELT) perspective (Copland et al., 2020; Ellis, 2016; Rose & Galloway, 2019).
- Analysis of interviews, classroom observations, and co-teacher narratives revealing how spontaneous classroom interactions embody multilingual identities.
- Implications for English language instruction grounded in local classroom dynamics within the GELT paradigm.
Takeaways for Attendees:
- Deeper understanding of how multilingual identity informs and enhances pedagogical practice.
- Insight into translingual pedagogy as a framework for inclusive, globally relevant ELT.
- Strategies for recognizing and leveraging teachers’ multilingual competencies as instructional assets.
- Broader perspective on Global English Language Teaching (GELT) and its classroom-level applications.
About the Presenter:
Ayako Hiasa is a PhD candidate in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on multilingual identity, translingual pedagogy, and English language teaching in international contexts.
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