Transcript Heritage Speakers: A Unique Challenge for Instructors

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)
• Applying the principles of differentiated
teaching in classes with HL learners
1) Differentiating: the what, when, and how
2) Using templates, agendas and contracts
3) Assessment and group work
Also, this afternoon
Final project
First things first…
A LOOK AT THE CONTEXT OF HL
TEACHING
The graduation speech
• What conditions had to come together to
make this happen?
• What did Tello, personally, have to do for this
to happen?
The strands of HL learning
Knowledge
of language
The larger
society
The
educational
system
Family
Community
Warm up activity, 15 minutes
WHAT (WHO) IS A HERITAGE
LANGUAGE LEARNER?
What or who is a heritage
language learner?
It depends on who you ask
General definition
Language specific
definition
Classroom/program
specific definition
General definition
Language specific
definition
Classroom/program
specific definition
General definitions:
Who is a heritage language learner?
• Narrow definitions – based on proficiency
• Broad definitions – based on affiliation
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)
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)
Learners who fit the narrow definition also fit
the broad definition
Broad definition
Narrow
definition
A SCOBA
(A schema for orienting basis of action)
I feel;
therefore,
Broad definition
Narrow
definition
I speak; therefore,
I am (an HLL)
I am (an HLL)
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.
Broad + narrow definitions = two
orientations to HL teaching
Linguistic needs (narrow
definition)
Non-linguistic needs – psychological
+ social (broad definition)
Filling in details
• Definitions
• Research on the “typical” HL learner
• Research on HL learner variation
Linguistic needs of HL learners
Knowledge
of language
The larger
society
The
educational
system
Family
Community
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;
family
Larger
society
Knowledge
of
language
School
community
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO
INPUT
When, how much, and what type
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)
Why input matters: Exposure to the HL
Birth
Age 5
HL
simultaneous
bilingual
Spanish +
English
L1-speaking
monolingual
only
Spanish
HL
sequential
bilingual
mostly
Spanish
Age 12
English > Spanish,
school, home,
community
Extensive
and varied
exposure
English > Spanish,
school, home,
community
HL speakers, ranked by amount of
exposure to the HL
Monolingual
Home, school, outside
world
Sequential
Home (+)
Simultaneous
Home (+)
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 use
reading
schooling (community, religious, K-12)
Critical issues surrounding HL
proficiency (cont.)
• Quality of HL input: The greater the variety
the better
Aural -> informal, everyday language,
vernacular
Written -> academic language, complex
sentences, more varied vocabulary, academic
language
Typical HL learner – the NHLRC
survey
Monolingual
Home, school, outside
world
Sequential bilingual
Home (+)
Simultaneous
Home (+)
Our task: Increasing quality and
quantity of input
Monolingual
Home, school, outside
world
Sequential bilingual
Home (+)
Simultaneous
Home (+)
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
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
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 had
been 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
realized
how 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."
Family, community, school,
larger society
Knowledge
of language
The school
system
The larger
society
Family
Community
Non-linguistic needs of HL learners
Linguistic needs (narrow
definition)
Non-linguistic needs – psychological
+ social (broad definition)
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.
Broad + narrow definitions = two
orientations to HL teaching
Linguistic needs (narrow
definition)
Non-linguistic needs (broad
definition)
Language features acquired after age 5;
e.g. Aspect, mood, subordination
Exploring identity, building on positive
associations, combatting negative
associations;
Linguistic skills acquired through
schooling (expansion of bilingual range,
literacy, vocabulary and grammar)
Connecting with community of US
speakers
Translanguaging
Transculturaling
Honoring family and heritage
Professional goals (sometimes)
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?
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
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 and
and HL learners (HL classes)
Type 1: Only one HL course (most
common);
Type 2: Two levels of HL instruction;
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 skills
8 had three or more years of schooling;
4 had one to two years of schooling;
• L2 learners: All had taken four semesters of
Japanese
Variation in Japanese 100
• Between HL learners (as a function of life
experiences);
• Between HL and L2 learners
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;
Variation in Arabic 100
• Between HL learners (as a function of life
experiences)
• Dialectal (language-specific properties)
• Diglossic (language-specific properties)
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)
Variation in Hindi 100
• Dialectal
• Cross linguistic (different languages)
• Between learners (HL and L2)
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.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM
STUDYING LEARNER VARIATION?
LANGUAGE-SPECIFIC ISSUES
MATTER A GREAT DEAL
Language-specific differences:
Exposure to the HL
Exposure and use (excluding schooling)
High
Moderate
Low
__________________________________________________
_____
Spanish Russian Persian Korean Vietnamese Tagalog
Mandarin
Cantonese
Language-specific differences:
Schooling in the HL
Schooling in the HL (foreign and domestic)
Significant
Medium to low
Limited
__________________________________________________
____
Russia Mandarin and Cantonese Spanish
Korean
Persian
Vietnamese Tagalog
Language-specific differences: Proficiency
Aural proficiency (the average of listening and speaking scores)
Native -advanced
In te rmediate
Spanish Russian Persian Korean
Vietnamese
Mandarin and Cantonese
T agalog
Low
Literacy skills (the average of reading and writing scores)
Native -advanced
Spanish
In te rmediate
Russian
Low
Korean
Vietnamese
Persian
T agalog
Mandarin and Cantonese
Not all writing systems are
created equal
• La casa es bonita.
心爱的马是美丽的。
Hourse красиво.
‫جميل هو الدوام ساعات في‬.
Reasons for studying their HL
General definition
Language specific
definition
Classroom/program
specific definition
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?
WHAT ELSE DO WE LEARN FROM
STUDYING LEARNER VARIATION?
THE CONTEXT OF TEACHING
MATTERS A GREAT DEAL
• Consider Arabic 100 and Hindi 100, what
instructional challenges arise from the
structure of the class?
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;
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)
General definition
Language specific
definition
Classroom/program
specific definition
Practice #3
• Consider the instructional configuration under
which you teach HL learners. What challenges
arise from the structure of your program and
classes?
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.
How do you deal with learner variation?
What not to do
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
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)
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
End of Part I