Laughter and Learning in Multilingual Classroom Spaces

This session explores how laughter and translanguaging (children incorporate all their languages in the classroom) can transform literacy instruction for multilingual newcomers who are just beginning to read and write in any language. Drawing on research conducted in Grade 5 classrooms, we highlight how culturally and linguistically responsive approaches—infused with joy and humor—can build belonging, well-being, and academic engagement for students navigating new educational and cultural environments. Grounded in Critical Translanguaging Literacy Theory, this work positions students’ full language repertoires as resources for meaning-making, rather than restricting them to monolingual English norms. Through professional development, co-planning, and co-teaching alongside classroom teachers, we examined how acts of laughter and playful linguistic exchanges create spaces where students feel empowered to take risks, share their stories, and contribute their cultural knowledge. Classroom observations revealed the power of these approaches: students erupted with joy when their heritage languages were recognized, connected their lived experiences to multicultural texts, and engaged in rich conversations using tools like Google Translate to bridge language divides. Narrative writing projects, supported by wordless books and translanguaging strategies, encouraged students to document personal or family migration journeys, weaving together multiple languages, digital tools, and cultural practices. By centering joy, humor, and translanguaging, this session invites educators to reimagine classrooms as spaces where students’ languages and cultures are not only included but celebrated as assets to literacy and learning. Teachers should attend this session because it offers practical, research-based strategies for making literacy instruction more inclusive and engaging for multilingual newcomers. They’ll see how laughter and play can lower participation barriers, how translanguaging practices affirm students’ identities, and how simple tools like Google Translate can foster meaningful cross-language collaboration. Most importantly, teachers will leave with approaches that help students feel a stronger sense of belonging and joy in learning, while also strengthening narrative writing and literacy development. Teachers attending this session will gain practical insights into how to: -Incorporate translanguaging pedagogy in ways that affirm student identities. -Use laughter to lower barriers to participation and foster classroom community. -Support narrative writing that values students’ linguistic and cultural repertoires. -Integrate technology meaningfully to enable cross-language collaboration.