ABSTRACT
Developing students’ English language prowess adds significant dimension to any teacher’s objectives and tasks. The author's goal in his Spanish-English bilingual class is biliteracy; that is, full competency in English and Spanish. Additionally, he discovers the need to shift from the transmission model to transactional instruction when his students encourage a change in his assumptions about the nature of reading and, thus, the teaching of reading. Transactional instruction provides the students the creative space to respond to the literature and it gives the teacher, a way of transforming resistance into an opportunity for creativity. Transactional instruction, which looks for authentic responses to literature from the students, is a much more effective and enjoyable way to teach. Metaphorical thinking provides an open window into the way one sees the world. Tuning into what students were saying metaphorically gives insight into the students’ understanding and background knowledge.
