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Teaching Heritage Speakers: Melding theory and practice Maria M. Carreira California State University, Long Beach

Teaching Heritage Speakers: Melding theory and practice

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Teaching Heritage Speakers: Melding theory and practice. Maria M. Carreira California State University, Long Beach. Part I (10:15-12:15). The elements of HL teaching; Identifying good materials; Adapting not so good ones. Parts II and III (Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning). - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Teaching Heritage Speakers: Melding theory and practice

Teaching Heritage Speakers: Melding theory and practice

Maria M. CarreiraCalifornia State University, Long

Beach

Page 2: Teaching Heritage Speakers: Melding theory and practice

Part I (10:15-12:15)

• The elements of HL teaching;• Identifying good materials;• Adapting not so good ones

Page 3: Teaching Heritage Speakers: Melding theory and practice

Parts II and III(Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning)

• Applying the principles of differentiated teaching in classes with HL learners

1) Differentiating: the what, when, and how2) Using templates, agendas and contracts3) Assessment and group work

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Also, this afternoon

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A LOOK AT THE CONTEXT OF HL TEACHING

First things first…

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The graduation speech

• What conditions had to come together to make this happen?

• What did Tello, personally, have to do for this to happen?

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The strands of HL learning

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WHAT (WHO) IS A HERITAGE LANGUAGE LEARNER?

Warm up activity, 15 minutes

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What or who is a heritage language learner?

It depends on who you ask

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General definitions:Who is a heritage language learner?

• Narrow definitions – based on proficiency

• Broad definitions – based on affiliation

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Example of a narrow definition

“An individual who is raised in a home where a non-English language is spoken, who speaks or merely understands the heritage language, and who is to some degree bilingual in English and the heritage language” (Valdés, 2001, p. 38)

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Example of a broad definition

Heritage language learners are individuals who “…have familial or ancestral ties to a particular language and who exert their agency in determining whether or not they are HLLs (heritage language learners) of that HL (heritage language) and HC (heritage culture) (Hornberger and Wang, 2008, p. 27)

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Learners who fit the narrow definition also fit the broad definition

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A SCOBA (A schema for orienting basis of action)

I feel; therefore,

I am (an HLL)

I speak; therefore, I am (an HLL)

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What does it mean “to feel” like an HLL?

In high school I was one of very few Latinos. My friend and I were called the "Mexican kids". This was always funny to me because my Dad's family always told me I was American. In school I was labeled Mexican, but to the Mexicans, I am an American. I am part of each, but not fully accepted by either. In high school, I was considered Mexican because I spoke Spanish but I was considered "Pocho" by my Dad's family because my Spanish was not up to their standard. It's this weird duality in which you are stuck in the middle. Latinos are often told that they are not Americans but also that they are not connected to their heritage. You take pride in both cultures and learn to deal with the rejection. You may never be fully embraced by either side. That's why you seek out other people like yourself. Socializing with people who share a common experience helps you deal with this experience.

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Broad + narrow definitions = two orientations to HL teaching

Linguistic needs (narrow definition)

Non-linguistic needs – psychological + social (broad definition)

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Filling in details

• Definitions• Research on the “typical” HL learner• Research on HL learner variation

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Linguistic needs of HL learners

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Factors in heritage language development

• Age of acquisition of English (ages 4, 8)• Order of acquisition of the languages (HL first,

followed by Eng., both lags. at the same time);• Language use at home (only the HL, HL + Eng.,

English only);• Schooling in the HL;• General exposure to the HL e.g. time spent abroad,

media use, demographic density of local HL speakers;

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IT ALL COMES DOWN TO IT ALL COMES DOWN TO INPUTINPUT

When, how much, and what type

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Input

• When: Age of acquisition of English. Simultaneously with the HL or after?

• How much: Enough to ensure acquisition or reduced to a point that acquisition is compromised?

• What type: Naturalistic, formal?

(Montrul, 2008, Bowles, 2011; Carreira and Potowski, 2011; Montrul and Perpiñan, 2011)

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Why input matters: Exposure to the HL

Age 5 Age 12Birth

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HL speakers, ranked by amount of exposure to the HL

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Main factors surrounding HL proficiency

• Age of acquisition of English (at the same time as the HL or later? If later, when (5, 8, later?)

• Quantity of HL input: The more the better home use (only the HL or with English?) community use (church? Clubs?)

media usereadingschooling (community, religious, K-12)

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Critical issues surrounding HL proficiency (cont.)

• Quality of HL input: The greater the variety the better

Aural -> informal, everyday language, vernacularWritten -> academic language, complex sentences, more varied vocabulary, academic language

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Typical HL learner – the NHLRC survey

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Our task: Increasing quality and quantity of input

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Starting point: Linguistic strengths and needs

• Some facility in informal/spoken language• Low literacy (limited command of embedding

– compound sentences, little to no command of the academic registers)

• Grammar areas in need of attention: those learned after age 5 – Aspect, the subjunctive, perfect verb forms (Montrul, 2008, 2011);

• Translanguaging

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Translanguaging

• Most HL learners go back and forth between the HL and English (The NHLRC survey);

• These learners engage in “translanguaging”:“…multiple discursive practices in which bilinguals engage in order to make sense of their bilingual worlds” (García, 2011, p. 45)e.g. meals in a bilingual family (different degrees of abilities)

INTERPRETING/TRANSLATING IS NOT TRANSLAGUAGING

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An extreme example"Every couple of months, my high school would have a "peer court", where student would determine the punishment of their peers that had done minor crimes. The "accused" would stand in front of their parents and the peer judges and talk about what they had done. On one occasion, the person who translated for parents who didn't speak English couldn't make it and the teacher asked me to fill in for her. immediately accepted - I love the idea of helping out. The day came and I was introduced to the parent I would be translating for. I was a bit nervous and didn't

want to say the wrong things. I saw the woman’s face and felt her shame and fear. She hadbeen through one of these situations before. When it was their turn to go on stage,

my insides felt like they were going to drop. My Spanish helped me console the mother and to give her a voice and some dignity before the group. When it was over, I

realizedhow much I had been able to help this family out because I knew Spanish. I was proud to be able to help, although I felt very sad for them."

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Family, community, school, larger society

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Non-linguistic needs of HL learners

Linguistic needs (narrow definition)

Non-linguistic needs – psychological + social (broad definition)

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Typical HL learner – the NHLRC survey

• Has positive associations with his HL, but also some insecurities;

• Is a “hyphenated American” (e.g. Arab-American)• Values his HL for its connection to family;• Wants to learn more about his roots/heritage;• Wants to connect with other members of his/her

community in the US;• Enjoys using his/her HL to help others;• Would like to take professional advantage of his/her

HL skills (not for all languages)• Engages in translanguaging.

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Broad + narrow definitions = two orientations to HL teaching

Linguistic needs (narrow definition)

Language features acquired after age 5; e.g. Aspect, mood, subordination

Linguistic skills acquired through schooling (expansion of bilingual range, literacy, vocabulary and grammar)

Translanguaging

Non-linguistic needs (broad definition)

Exploring identity, building on positive associations, combatting negative associations;

Connecting with community of US speakers

Transculturaling

Honoring family and heritage

Professional goals (sometimes)

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Practice #1

• Read “My Name” – what about it makes it well suited for teaching HL learners?

• Themes? (question 1 in the handout)• Language? (question 2 in the handout)

• What about Little Red Ridding Hood?

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Back to the presentation…

• Definitions: Two orientations (identity + language)

• Research on the “typical” HL learner: Details on identity and socio-affective issues, and linguistic needs)

• Research on HL learner variation

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Variation in the classroom context(Carreira and Kagan, 2011)

One-track program: L2 and HL learners together (L2-HL classes)

Dual-track program: Separate classes for L2 andand HL learners (HL classes)

Type 1: Only one HL course (most common);

Type 2: Two levels of HL instruction;

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L2-HL class: Japanese 300 (Third year college course)

• 16 students (12 HL learners + 4 L2 learners)• HL learners:

All have intermediate-to-advanced aural skills8 had three or more years of schooling;4 had one to two years of schooling;

• L2 learners: All had taken four semesters of Japanese

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Variation in Japanese 100

• Between HL learners (as a function of life experiences);

• Between HL and L2 learners

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HL Class: Arabic 100 for HL learners

Arabic: Diglossia • Modern Standard Arabic (High prestige, formal situations, written, known by educated speakers, lingua franca among Arabs from different countries);

• Colloquial Arabic (Low prestige, home language, informal communications, not commonly written, mutually unintelligible regional dialects) (Maamouri 1998)

Arabic 100: • 11 students from six Arab countries (Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt) and 1 student from Indonesia (Muslim). • 2 have four or more years of education abroad, 3 have three years of religious education in Arabic in the US; the rest have no literacy skills in Arabic;

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Variation in Arabic 100

• Between HL learners (as a function of life experiences)

• Dialectal (language-specific properties)• Diglossic (language-specific properties)

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HL Class: Hindi 100 for HL learners

India: Hindi is the official language of the country. Individual states have their own official languages. 29 languages have over 1 million speakers. India’s languages stem primarily from two language families: Indo-Aryan in the north, and Dravidian in the south. Many languages have their own writing systems (Brass 2005, Hasnain 2003).

Gambhir (2008) identifies two primary categories of HL learners in Hindi classes – ancestral, associate (cognate and non-cognate)

Hindi 100: 16 students from five different language backgrounds;Hindi/Urdu (7); Gujarati (4); Punjabi (2);Telugu (2); Marathi (1)

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Variation in Hindi 100

• Dialectal• Cross linguistic (different languages)• Between learners (HL and L2)

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The crux of the problem

• In the Arabic and Hindi programs “HL classes” are seen as a “catch all” destination for all students that do not meet the traditional profile of L2 learners.

• Arabic and Hindi 100 do not make linguistic sense.

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WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM STUDYING LEARNER VARIATION?

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LANGUAGE-SPECIFIC ISSUES MATTER A GREAT DEAL

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Language-specific differences: Exposure to the HL

Exposure and use (excluding schooling)

High Moderate Low_______________________________________________________Spanish Russian Persian Korean Vietnamese Tagalog

Mandarin Cantonese

Page 51: Teaching Heritage Speakers: Melding theory and practice

Language-specific differences: Schooling in the HL

Schooling in the HL (foreign and domestic)

Significant Medium to low Limited______________________________________________________Russia Mandarin and Cantonese Spanish Vietnamese TagalogKoreanPersian

Page 52: Teaching Heritage Speakers: Melding theory and practice

Language-specific differences: Proficiency

Aural proficiency (the average of listening and speaking scores)

Native-advanced Intermediate LowSpanish Russian Persian Korean

Vietnamese Mandarin and Cantonese Tagalog

Literacy skills (the average of reading and writing scores)

Native-advanced Intermediate Low Spanish Russian Korean

Vietnamese Persian

Tagalog Mandarin and Cantonese

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Not all writing systems are created equal

• La casa es bonita.心爱的马是美丽的。Hourse красиво..في ساعات الدوام هو جميل

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Reasons for studying their HL

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Practice #2 – 15 minutes

• Write a definition of HLLs that is valid for your language. Consider the following factors: proficiency levels of HLLs, the role of literacy, quantity and quality of available input, role of the community, goals and opportunities for the HL in the US, characteristics of the language (e.g. dialects, diglossia, etc.)…

• How does the language-specific definition of the term “HL learner” determine what you teach?

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WHAT ELSE DO WE LEARN FROMSTUDYING LEARNER VARIATION?

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THE CONTEXT OF TEACHING MATTERS A GREAT DEAL

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• Consider Arabic 100 and Hindi 100, what instructional challenges arise from the structure of the class?

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HL Class: Arabic 100 for HL learners

Arabic: Diglossia • Modern Standard Arabic (High prestige, formal situations, written, known by educated speakers, lingua franca among Arabs from different countries);

• Colloquial Arabic (Low prestige, home language, informal communications, not commonly written, mutually unintelligible regional dialects) (Maamouri 1998)

Arabic 100: • 11 students from six Arab countries (Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Egypt) and 1 student from Indonesia (Muslim). • 2 have four or more years of education abroad, 3 have three years of religious education in Arabic in the US; the rest have no literacy skills in Arabic;

Page 61: Teaching Heritage Speakers: Melding theory and practice

HL Class: Hindi 100 for HL learners

India: Hindi is the official language of the country. Individual states have their own official languages. 29 languages have over 1 million speakers. India’s languages stem primarily from two language families: Indo-Aryan in the north, and Dravidian in the south. Many languages have their own writing systems (Brass 2005, Hasnain 2003).

Gambhir (2008) identifies two primary categories of HL learners in Hindi classes – ancestral, associate (cognate and non-cognate)

Hindi 100: 16 students from five different language backgrounds;Hindi/Urdu (7); Gujarati (4); Punjabi (2);Telugu (2); Marathi (1)

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Practice #3

• Consider the instructional configuration under which you teach HL learners. What challenges arise from the structure of your program and classes?

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What do we learn from this exercise?

All classes enrolling HL learners are heterogeneous (they have students with different skills, goals, etc… in the HL). Heterogeneity arises from a combination of factors: (1) the fact that HL knowledge depends on background factors that vary from one learner to another, (2) language-specific properties (dialects, diglossia, HLLs characteristics), (3) instructional configurations of classes and programs put together students from significantly different background.

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How do you deal with learner variation?

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What not to do

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Do not ignore diversity

• Do not enforce a preordained curriculum;• Do not teach only to the center;• Do not force non-typical learners to conform

or leave

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Do…

Program level: Mitigate the problems of diversity through smart curriculum design and placement. 1) Design courses that are tailored to the local student population and that make linguistic sense.2) Use placement to build maximally homogeneous classes.

Class level: Accept and deal with diversity through Differentiated Teaching (DT)

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Summary

• Broad and narrow definitions of the term “HLL” provide a general framework for curriculum design and materials selection;

• Language proficiency for HLLs is a function of quality and quantity of exposure, mediated by age and context of learning;

• Each language and instructional context gives rise to a unique definition of the term HLL, with pedagogical implications

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End of Part I