Translanguaging Pedagogy in Multilingual Indonesian ELT Classrooms

Abstract

Learning English does not have to be a foreigner! This opening statement is questioning the current practice of ELT in Indonesian classroom context. For many decades, English Language Teaching (ELT) in Indonesia has been glorified and dominated by a monolingual mindset: English must be taught in English. However, in a nation with more than 700 local languages, this perspective is often in disharmony with classroom realities. Indonesian ELT classrooms are facing with a big dilemma and paradox in teaching English alongside local languages and Bahasa Indonesia. If ELT is to be effective and sustainable, it must embrace translanguaging pedagogy—an approach that incorporates multilingualism.