Vocabulary & Translanguaging Strategies for Multilingual Learners with Alisha B. Gandhi

Guest: Alisha B. Gandhi, MA, MS, CCC-SLP/TSSLD-BE

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Speech-language pathologists play a critical role in supporting vocabulary development for multilingual learners, and that work goes far beyond teaching isolated words. In this School of Speech episode, host Carolyn Dolby, MS, CCC-SLP, is joined by Alisha B. Gandhi, MA, MS, CCC-SLP/TSSLD-BE, to explore how evidence-based vocabulary instruction can be strengthened through pedagogical translanguaging in classroom and therapy settings.

Alisha breaks down what translanguaging really looks like in practice and how it can be intentionally applied to vocabulary instruction for young multilingual learners. Rather than separating languages, this approach leverages a student’s full linguistic repertoire to support deeper understanding, stronger word learning, and meaningful language growth.

The conversation focuses on practical, collaborative strategies SLPs can use alongside classroom teachers to create explicit, robust vocabulary instruction that supports both language and academic success. Listeners will walk away with concrete ways to apply translanguaging principles within evidence-based intervention frameworks and better advocate for multilingual learners in educational settings.

About the Guest: Alisha B. Gandhi, MA, MS, CCC-SLP, is a Clinical Associate Professor and Director of the Bilingual Extension Track at New York University. She earned her MS degree in Speech and Language Pathology with a focus in Bilingual/Bicultural from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also holds an MA in Educational Leadership, Politics, and Advocacy and is currently a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program at NYU. Alisha previously worked as a bilingual speech-language pathologist for the New York City Public Schools, NYS Early Intervention, and in the private sector, providing culturally and linguistically responsive diagnostic and therapeutic services for children and adolescents, including multilingual learners, with a wide variety of speech and language disorders and emotional, physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities.

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