Generative AI for Translanguaging Pedagogies: Opportunities and Challenges in Adult English Language Classrooms
19 March 2026 5:30pm – 6:30pm AEDT, Online
Adult learners in English language classrooms bring a rich array of home and community languages calling for pedagogical approaches responsive to such linguistic diversity. Translanguaging, which we refer to as the use of learners’ full linguistic repertoires to support their language learning and learning more broadly, has been recognised as a promising pedagogical approach in such contexts. However, it can present a challenge when teachers lack knowledge of languages learners speak or when learners have varying knowledge of and confidence in using languages spoken at home and in their community. Generative AI can help alleviate these challenges by processing and producing written, visual and oral texts across languages. This presentation examines how generative AI enhances opportunities for learners to deploy existing linguistic knowledge and offers three practical examples: co-creation of multilingual content, multilingual speech recognition, and real time multilingual assistance. However, AI benefits are not equally distributed, and this requires creativity from practitioners to design inclusive learning opportunities that value learners’ diverse linguistic resources. The presentation concludes with key considerations and future directions for practitioners working at the intersection of translanguaging pedagogy and generative AI technologies.
Speaker
Dr Katrina Tour is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. Her research focuses on the digital literacies of children and adults from refugee and migrant backgrounds for life, learning and employment. It aims to enhance educational policies and pedagogies for digital literacies in EAL/TESOL settings in Australia and globally. Katrina’s projects in EAL contexts have examined innovative pedagogies with digital technologies, digital literacies, technology use in different ethnic communities and, more recently, AI literacy. Katrina is the author of Digital Empowerment for Refugee and Migrant Learners (2025) and Enhancing Digital Literacies with Adult English Language Learners (2022) which explore how digital technologies can support inclusive pedagogies, equitable access to education, and rich learning opportunities for adult EAL learners.
Dr Edwin Creely is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Monash Universitybringing over 25 years of classroom teaching experience to his current role. With an international reputation built on more than 60 publications across academic journals and books, he leads research in digital technologies, generative artificial intelligence, and adult education. His recent publications include Digital Empowerment for Refugee and Migrant Learners (2025) and Enhancing Digital Literacies with Adult English Language Learners (2022), which provide practical frameworks for educators working with diverse populations. Dr Creely’s research focuses on how emerging technologies can transform teaching practice, particularly in language education and teacher training programs. His work examines the pedagogical implications of AI integration in classrooms, developing assessment strategies that support both educators and learners.
A/P Marianne Turner is an Associate Professor and currently the Associate Dean (Graduate Research) in the Faculty of Education at Monash University. She researches the leveraging of students’ linguistic and cultural resources for learning, and context-sensitive approaches to the integration of language and content. Her work has been published widely in both language education and general education journals, such as Language Teaching Research and Teaching and Teacher Education. She has written a book entitled Multilingualism as a resource and a goal: Using and learning languages in mainstream schools (Palgrave Macmillan), recently co-edited Multilingualism as opportunity: An integrated perspective on English and languages education in Australia (Routledge), and aims to make connections between research and practice on the Leveraging Languages for Learning website.
Cost
$10 – VicTESOL members (including members of other state TESOL associations)
$30 – Non-members
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