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The EFL field is characterized by expansive and diverse approaches and methodologies due to the uniqueness of the countries where this language is taught. Ergo, the inclusion of the mother tongue when teaching and learning a foreign language has received emergent attention worldwide. Moreover, the use and development of translanguaging strategies (understood as the varied support given between two languages in a learning process) and ICT tools that allow for student understanding and embrace of the L2 have been widely explored by both scholars and educators-especially in multilingual contexts such as The United States.
Howbeit, it seems to be an urgent theme to be analyzed in South-American countries such as Colombia, where an asocial and linear view of approaches and methodologies has been embraced, leaving aside individuals’ realities and experiences (Estacio & Camargo, 2018; Ordoñez, 2011). This stems from the widespread belief that an L2 is learned by isolating and assessing skills: receptive-listening and reading- and productive-speaking and writing (Baker, 2011, p. 4).
It is well known that learners’ struggles when communicating both orally and in written form derive from the fact that language is understood from an instrumental perspective rather than from a communicative one. Consequently, the language policies set in this area have restrained the EFL educational process involving use of L2 without considering L1, which has led to negative implications not only for learners, but also for teachers’ professional development and personal and professional identities (Estacio & Camargo, 2018; Ordoñez, 2011).
By the same token, it seems relevant to us to study deeply the development of multimodality tools in the EFL classroom so as to try to cope with some of the difficulties with the aim of going beyond simply digitizing existing content and be able to empower learners throughout their learning process. Therefore, the present study is intended to contribute to the field by reporting on a translanguaging strategy aiming at reflecting and self-directing learners’ oral performance within a monolingual context. Conjointly, it strives to gain a deep understanding of the term translanguaging and the importance of including L1 and ICT tools to foster learners’ metacognitive processes such as confidence and self-regulation.