Using Esl Students’ First Language to Promote College Success: Sneaking the Mother Tongue Through the Backdoor

Emerging from a critical analysis of the glocal power of English and how it relates to academic literacy and culturally responsive pedagogy, this book presents translanguaging strategies for using ESL students' mother tongue as a resource for academic literacy acquisition and college success. Parmegiani offers a strong counterpoint to the "English-only" movement in the United States. Grounded in a case study of a learning community linking Spanish and English academic writing courses, he demonstrates that a mother tongue-based pedagogical intervention and the strategic use of minority home languages can promote English language acquisition and academic success.

Andrea Parmegiani is a Distinguished Fellow at the CUNY Advanced Research Collaborative and Associate Professor of English at Bronx Community College (CUNY).