Dr. Fatemeh Khonamri
University of Mazandaran
I used to believe that the best way to teach a reading course in an Iranian context was to enforce an English-only policy. The reading course in question is part of the BA major in English Language Teaching (ELT) in the University of Mazandaran, where students typically enter the program with varied levels of English proficiency. To start their major, they must pass several foundation courses, one of which is reading.
My initial approach in this course was to push students to express themselves solely in English—no matter how limited their vocabulary—thinking that this would force them to identify their weaknesses and fill in the gaps. I thought this method would make them stronger, but I never stopped to consider that it might actually restrict their abilities, even hold them back at times. For example, one of the course's objectives was to encourage students to read between and beyond the lines, delving deeper into the text's meaning. To achieve this, they often needed to access words and expressions that were not yet within their reach. Their lack of proficiency made it challenging for them to articulate thoughts they could understand but struggled to express in English.
My approach started to change as a result of some illuminating findings from a Masters study on translanguaging. I had an MA student who identified as both Turkmen and Persian and was a teacher at a high school. He taught English to students who were Turkmen and Persian like him. He was torn between using Persian/English in the classroom and using their shared mother tongue (Turkman) to bridge understanding. We discussed translanguaging—a concept I hadn’t fully explored before – as a way to include the students’ language knowledge and experiences more broadly in the classroom, not just those relating to the dominant language in society (Persian) with some of the target language (English). He thought using their mother tongue alongside Persian and English would really enhance their understanding of English.
He investigated this approach, and the results were eye-opening. Not only did the students' test results improve after incorporating Turkman, but students also revealed in interviews that they felt more comfortable when explanations were provided through multiple channels. They particularly appreciated the teacher’s use of Turkman to elaborate on concepts and asked for examples in their mother tongue.
Reflecting on our conversation and research results, I decided to try something new in my own BA-level reading course. I began allowing students to draw on Persian or any other mother tongues they spoke (Kurdish, Azari, Mazani, etc.) during discussions of our English texts. This small change lit up our classroom. Suddenly, students who previously seemed hesitant or unsure now had a way to communicate their ideas—sometimes simply by using a relevant proverb or anecdote from their mother tongue. For example, during a discussion on a text exploring cultural identity, a Kurdish student shared a proverb from their language that perfectly encapsulated the internal conflict faced by the protagonist:
پیران دی زمانێ خوێ ده قوێر دبن
This stirred a lot of interest in students, and sparked a conversation where other students offered similar expressions from their languages, which added layers of cultural and linguistic depth to our analysis. Together, we translated these proverbs into English, connecting them to the themes of the text and fostering a deeper understanding for everyone in the class. Students who previously felt limited now felt empowered to share their ideas, and my class discussions became richer and more profound. We were able to analyze and evaluate texts more deeply. They weren’t held back by their emerging English skills; instead, they had the freedom to share thoughts that were valuable and insightful.
Seeing my students engage on a new level made me realize how much potential I had been missing. How many ideas and moments of understanding had I overlooked in the past simply because I hadn’t considered the role their mother tongue could play? Embracing this shift in approach opened up a new dimension in their learning process. I’m grateful for the insight and humbled by the realization of how something so simple could make such a profound difference.