pedagogical approaches and classroom applications for teaching heritage language learners maria m....

Pedagogical Approaches and Classroom Applications for Teaching Heritage Language Learners

Maria M. Carreira, Ph.D.Claire Chik, Ph.D.

Co-directorsNational Heritage Language Resource Center, UCLA

Goals of this presentation

• To present threshold concepts in HL teaching;• To present basic strategies and principles that

support teaching in HL classes and mixed classes.

Preview: The exit card

Formulate a question about a point that remains unclear to you.

Other tools that will be previewed:Visual checks for understandingAgendasKWL charts(Learning centers)

Threshold principles of HL teaching

The three domains of instruction

Socio-affective Address HL learners’ social and affective needs.

LanguageBuild on HL learners’ language skills.

Learning approachesMake instruction accessible.

As you listen to Arturo consider the following:

• What can we glean about the three domains of HL teaching: (1) the socio-affective, (2) the linguistic, and (3) learning approaches?

http://youtu.be/39d6Lb2f2Aw



DEFINITIONS + LINGUISTIC STUDIES

Sources of information on the domains

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)

Visual check for understanding

• How many of you teach HL learners who fit the narrow definition?

• How many of you teach HL learners who fit the broad-definition?

Broad definition

Narrow definition

Learners who fit the narrow definition also fit the broad definition

More broadly

“There is a strong connection between having a strong ethnic identity and participating in a healthy academic life” (p. 83).

Devereaux, M. (2015). Teaching About Dialect Variations and Language in Secondary English Classrooms. Power, Prestige, and Prejudice. New York: Routledge.

NEEDS STEMMING FROM BROAD DEFINITION?

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 domains to HL teaching

Linguistic needs (narrow definition)

Affective needs (broad definition)




Find identityNavigate two worldsConnect to others (find community)Deal with rejection

But these are not enough…

Because HL learners present a wide range of backgrounds, we can assume that there will be other topics, ideas, etc. of significance.

To identify other topics…

• The text-to-self connection

• The text-to-text connection

• The text-to-world connection

Text-to-self connections(Harvey and Goudvis 2000:266)

Passage from the text

This reminds me of…


I agree or disagree because…

Expression from the text

I find this interesting because…

Text-to-world connections(Harvey and Goudvis 2000:267)



Character from the text

This character reminds me of…

A theme of the text


Text-to-text connections(Harvey and Goudvis 2000:267)



Character from the text

This character reminds me of…

Vocabulary/grammatical forms from the textsThis reminds me of…

A two-pronged strategy for the socio-affective domain

Core topics

A list of topics that are well-suited for HL teaching by virtue of their ability to attend to the social and affective needs of HL learners.

Additional topics

Classroom tools for identifying additional topics and helping learners make their own connections (text-to-x connection, exit card).

The “problem” of mixed classes

Second-language learners

• An outsider perspective of the target language and culture

• No family connection to the target language and culture

• Do not identify in terms of the target language and culture

HL learners

• Insider perspective of the target language and culture

• Family connection to the target language and culture

• Identify and/or seek identity in the target language and culture

23

Two perspectives of complimentary nature of HL and L2 learners’ relationship to the target language

The either-or perspective






HL learners




26






HL learners




27

The win-win perspective

Both are enriching and valuable





HL learners




29

Towards a solution

General approach:

Attend to the needs of each type of learner by making strategic use of their complementary perspectives and experiences

30

A discussion prompt for “My Name” by Sandra Cisneros

• Regarding marriage, Latino (Vietnamese, Chinese, etc.) parents sometimes think that mainstream Americans are _________________________.

• Regarding marriage, mainstream Americans sometimes think that Latino (Vietnamese, Chinese, etc..) parents are __________________.

31

Comparative perspectives…

Prompts that encourage expert perspectives: In Mexico, I recommend visiting/trying… In the U.S., I recommend visiting/trying…

One thing I wish Americans understood about Mexico is…

One thing I wish Mexicans understood about the U.S. is…

In a nutshell…

• We might conceive of this as a contrastive-analysis approach to culture.

• Contrastive analysis: The rules of one language or dialect are contrasted and analyzed against another.

• Pedagogical tool: T-charts (Deveraux, 2015)

A T-chart (Deveraux, 2015, p. 131)

Familiar English

• I wouldn’t think nuffin• He say he went to see her

yesterday

Formal English

• I wouldn’t think nothing• He says he went to see her

yesterday

A cultural T-chart

Views of marriage in Latino culture(s)

Views of marriage in American society

Another option: The Y chart

Similarities

Differences

Threshold principles of HL teaching


✔ Socio-affective Address HL learners’ social and affective needs. Draw on HL and L2 learners’ personal experiences to create a community of experts.

Language

Learning approaches

LANGUAGE

HL learners’ linguistic needs are a function of:

• The context of learning

• The timing of learning

• The amount of input

• The type of input

HL learner needs and strengths are a function of:

• The context of learning: primarily, home informal, home register, perhaps non-standard• The timing of learning: early years, diminished or discontinued

upon starting school features learned early in life (e.g. pronunciation, canonical

gender)• The amount input: limited, relative to natives

incomplete knowledge of the HL (missing features are those acquired later in life, e.g. subordination, academic registers)• The type of input: oral, informal, spontaneous,

implicit knowledge of the HL

List of language topics to target

• Features learned later in life

• The formal/academic registers

• Literacy

• Vocabulary

• Language-specific items

The general strategy

• Identify high priority language points based on research, practice, and philosophy of HL teaching and learning;

• These include grammar and vocabulary, as well as reading, writing, presentational skills, register development, etc.

• Take every opportunity to review/teach these points (preferably, using authentic materials and tasks);

This is good…

But it’s not good enough…

Just as we saw with the socio-affective domain

• We can expect students to have different needs, skill sets, levels of proficiency, etc.

• Traditional foreign-language methods make it difficult to do this.

Traditional foreign language teaching practices are designed for foreign language learners

Language Use Native Speakers

Heritage Language Learners

Foreign Language Learners

Family + +

Community + +

Full range of interaction +

Foreign Language classroom + +

As a result, traditional foreign language teaching practices are…

Curriculum-centered (as opposed to learner-centered); One size-fits-all

HL learners vs. L2 learners

Language Use Native Speakers

Heritage Language Learners

Foreign Language Learners

Family + +

Community + +

Full range of interaction +

Foreign Language classroom

+ (sometimes) +

HL learners’ linguistic needs are a function of:



• The amount input


As these factors vary from one HL learner to another, so does proficiency



• The amount input


As a result, HL learners are diverse ...

We need…

Classroom tools for responding to variation:

KWL chart, agendas, the exit card

LET’S FIRST CONSIDER MIXED CLASSES

RECALL: HL learners’ needs and strengths are a function of…

• The context of learning: primarily, home informal, home register, perhaps non-standard• The timing of learning: early years, diminished or discontinued

upon starting school features learned early in life (e.g. pronunciation, canonical

gender)• The amount input: limited, relative to natives

incomplete knowledge of the HL (missing features are those acquired later in life, e.g. subordination, academic registers)• The type of input: oral, informal, spontaneous,

implicit knowledge of the HL

COMPARE TO L2 LEARNERS

L2 learner needs and strengths

• The context of learning: school formal, standard, academic, rehearsed, controlled• The timing of learning: adolescence, early adulthood adult-like with respect to certain features (e.g. academic vocabulary)• The amount input: limited (relative to native speakers and HL learners) incomplete with respect to certain features (those

acquired early in life)• The type of input: formal, focused on form explicit knowledge of rules

HL and L2 learners tend to have complimentary skills and needs

HL language L2 language

The context of learning: primarily, home informal, home register, non-standard, spontaneous

The context of learning: school formal, standard, academic, rehearsed, controlled

The timing of learning: early years, diminished/discontinued upon starting school similar to the language of children

The timing of learning: adolescence, early adulthood adult-like with respect to certain features

The amount of input: limited, relative to nativesincomplete knowledge of the HL (late-acquired items)

The amount of input: limited (relative to native speakers and HL learners) incomplete with respect to certain features (early acquired features)

The type of input: oral, informal, spontaneous implicit knowledge of the HL

The type of input: formal, focused on form explicit knowledge of rules

Two perspectives of complimentary nature of HL and L2 learners’ knowledge

TWO STUDIES BRING THESE PERSPECTIVES INTO FOCUS

Understanding heritage language learners

Two studies of paired interactions between HL and L2 (Bowles 2011, 2012)

• HL and L2 learners were matched for proficiency;

• They worked together on an information gap activity;

• In the first study L2 learners benefited more from the activity than HL learners;

• In the second study, both types of learners benefited equally from the activity.

First study: L2 learners benefited more from the activity

Second study: Both learners benefited from paired interactions

What made the difference?Material + task

HL learners are better at tasks that tap into intuitive use of language, L2 learners, on the other hand, do better at tasks that require meta-linguistic knowledge (knowledge of rules);

HL learners are more familiar with home vocabulary; L2 learners, on the other hand, are more familiar with academic vocabulary.

First study: Only L2 learners benefitted

Information gap activity with a picture of a kitchen (home vocabulary); all tasks were oral. HL learners already knew this, so they did not gain new knowledge. L2 learners benefitted from HL learners’ expertise.

Second study

Information gap activity with a picture of an office; oral and written tasks.

Vocabulary was unknown to both learner types, so both benefitted.Oral task benefitted L2 learners. Written task benefitted HL learners.

Take home lesson about HL + L2 pairings

• Take advantage of complimentary strengths of HL and L2 learners

• Mix tasks that require intuitive knowledge (hard for L2Ls), and tasks that require meta-linguistic knowledge (hard for HLLs);

• Hold both students accountable for contributing to the task (assign the harder task to each type of learner);

Sample activitiesfor HL + L2 pairings

• Cloze activity

• KWL chart

Cloze activity: HL-L2 learner groupings

My great-grandmother. I ______liked to have known her, a wild, horse of a woman, so wild she ________ marry. Until my great-grandfather _________ a sack over her head and ________ her off.

Say it Write it

Sample activities(HL + L2 learners)

• Cloze activity

• KWL chart

The KWL chartWhat I know about the (fill in a grammar topic, or a chapter objective):

What I want to learn about (the above grammar topic or chapter or chapter objective):

What I have learned about (the above grammar topic or chapter or chapter objective):

KWL charts by HL and L2 learners

• What I know: I know the conjugation of regular past tense verbs. I can write most verbs correctly.

• What I want to learn: Irregular verbs and how use past tense in conversation without having to think too much or make too many mistakes.

• What I have learned:

• What I know: I know how to talk about things in the past and I can understand people when they talk about something that happened.

• What I want to learn: How to write the verbs and how to say some verbs that are different.

• What I have learned:

In sum…

The Cloze test and the KWL chart make it possible to make strategic use of the skills that HL and L2 learners bring to the classroom.

In addition…

• The KWL chart helps learners understand where they are, relative to the learning goals for a given unit of instruction.

• In so doing, they help deal with issues of learner diversity (later: formative assessment).

• But knowing where they stand is not enough…

Closing the gap

• Students also need to know how to reach the goals of instruction; that is, how to close the gap between where they are and where they need to be.

• To close this gap, HL learners and L2 learners sometimes benefit from different strategies and approaches…

THIS BRINGS US TO THE THIRD DOMAIN: LEARNING APPROACHES

Before that, let’s re-cap strategiesAffective issues

(broad definition)Language issues

(narrow definition)

GOAL: Design instruction to be responsive to HL learners’ socio- affective needs and their motivations and goals.

GOAL: Build on HL learners’ language skills.

Start with your list of “hot-button” themes;

Start with your list of key grammar/language points;

Use these themes to select materials and to use pre-existing materials;

Take every opportunity to review/teach these points;

In mixed classes take advantage of HL and L2 learners’ complimentary strengths to create a community of learners.

In mixed classes, take advantage of HL and L2 learners’ complimentary skills.

THE THIRD DOMAIN: LEARNING APPROACHES

How many times has this happened to you?

• You want to practice the past tense…

• You ask students…What did you do last night?

• The L2 learner answers…I studied, I had dinner, I talked to my mom…

• The HL learner answers…Oh, I don’t know – not much, I’m always tired in

the evening. I prefer to work early in the morning.

HL and L2 learners approach learning tasks in very different ways

Julio TorresHL learners are oriented primarily to the content of the task – i.e. are concerned with interpreting the meaning of the prompts rather than learning language ( grammar). L2 learners focus on form. In this particular study, they recognized that the task presented contrasting forms of the subjunctive and indicative.

Put differently: HL learners have performative competence

They ”…adopt a functional orientation to communication and meaning. They focus more on the functions performed through communication…What is important …is the ability to perform (Canagarajah, 2014)

A picture is worth a thousand words

Why does this happen?

• HL learners approach language like “normal” people;

• L2 learners approach language like language teachers and textbooks.

L2 TEXTBOOKS USE MICRO APPROACHES (BOTTOM UP)

Micro approaches

• Isolate grammar, lexical, and pronunciation items;

• Use discrete activities to practice items;

• Are bottom up, moving from simple to complex;

• Deal with conscious knowledge of the language;

• Occur more frequently at lower levels;

Micro (bottom-up) approaches

Communication (authentic tasks and

materials)

Form (grammar,

vocabulary)

Macro approaches

• Focus on developing functional ability - the wide variety of discourse in the professions, social life, and the community;

• Can be project-based, content-based, genre-based, task-based, or experiential;

• Are top-down and build on global, background knowledge;

• Are more common at the advanced levels

Macro (top-down) approaches

Communication

Form

Mixed classes: The problem Goals of

instruction

Engaging with the reading, movie, etc., and completing an authentic task using level-appropriate vocabulary and grammatical constructions

Preferred instructional

approach

(i.e. pathway to

meeting learning

goals)

Macro/Top Down Micro/Bottom Up

HL learners L2 learners

A reading or authentic task

Form-focused

instruction

A reading or authentic task

Form-focused

instruction

To further complicate things

Communication

Form

• Micro (bottom-up) approaches require knowledge of grammatical terminology.

• While L2 learners know this terminology, HL learners do not.



Say it Write it

In sum

• Micro-based teaching – the approach of most foreign language classes - puts HL learners at a disadvantage, relative to L2 learners.

• There is a need to address this imbalance.

What to do?

How to do it?

What to do?

• Give HL learners the tools they need to derive benefit from micro-based teaching

• A map of learning

• Grammatical terminology

A graphic organizer

Two ways of talking about

the past

Preterit(comí,

hablé,viví)

Imperfect(comía,

hablaba, vivía)

Unpack the learning objectives

• In this unit, you should focus on the past tense (preterit and imperfect).

• In particular, I will need to know how to (1) conjugate irregular verbs, (2) spell the verbs on the list, and (3) understand the rules that govern the use of the preterit and the imperfect.

How to do it

• Thus far, we have looked at the value of having HL and L2 learners work together using their complimentary skills.

• Another option: separating HL and L2 learners.

The mini-lesson

HL learnersMap of learning;

Grammatical terminology;

Key points to notice.

Keep in mind:L2 learners also need mini-lessons

• To engage in tasks that come more easily to HL learners (e.g. listening to a news report and discussing it);

The big idea behind mini-lessons…

• Creating the conditions that will enable HL and L2 learners to benefit from instruction;

• Creating the conditions that will enable HL and L2 learners to work together so that they can take advantage of each other’s complimentary skills.

The big idea behind mini-lessons…

• Classroom management: Use agendas (and learning centers) to

engage learners who are not receiving the mini- lesson.

Tools for managing mini-lessons

• Agendas

• Learning centers

Agendas

What it is: A to-do list

What it does: Support mini-lessons

Sample agenda from my class (an HL class)

Date due: (usually in 1-2 weeks)Work to be completed:• Workbook # 7, 8, 9, 10 (HOMEWORK)

• Textbook, read “xxxxx” and answer questions 1-7. Use a spell check. (HOMEWORK)

• Prepare a “Sum it up” card for this unit. (HOMEWORK)

• Blackboard, #1, 2. Must be completed with a grade of 90% or better. (ONLINE EXERCISES, CENTER)

Agendas

What it is: A to-do list

What it does:BONUS: Make it possible to vary pacing;Support mini-lessons

Mini lessons

• Involve forming homogeneous groups (HLL-only or L2L-only groups);

• Contrast with another strategy we have seen:Forming mixed groups (HLLs + L2Ls);

Strategic grouping

Homogeneous groups: The mini-lesson

• To address issues of access (i.e. to enable all learners to benefit from instruction);

• To prepare HLLs and L2Ls to work together.

Mixed groups (HLLs + L2Ls): Peer teaching

• To take advantage of HLLs’ and L2Ls’ complimentary strengths

A possible sequence



Say it Write it

Step 1: Homogeneous groups

HL learners: Mini-lesson

Two ways of talking about

the past

Preterit(comí,

hablé,viví)

Imperfect(comía,

hablaba, vivía)

L2 learners: Agenda work• An exercise that will

prepare to complete the cloze activity;

Step 2: Mixed groups

• HL and L2 learners work together on the cloze activity;

• L2 learners say the answer and HL learners write it.

Step 3

• Debriefing that is meaningful for both types of learners

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: CLAIRE CHIK

Assessment

• Diagnostic (pre-instruction) Placement tests

• Formative (during instruction)Assessment for/as learning

• Summative (post instruction)Assessment of learning

What is formative assessment?Formative assessment Summative assessment

Purpose To improve instruction and provide feedback to students

To measure student competency

When administered Ongoing, throughout unit End of unit or course

How teachers use results

To check for student understanding, modify their own teaching to enhance learning

For grades, promotion

How students use results

To self-monitor understanding;identify gaps in understanding and strengths

To monitor grades and progress toward benchmarks

How programs use results

To modify the curriculum and program

To report to external entities

How to do formative assessment

Almost any pedagogical activity can function as formative assessment… What makes it formative is HOW you use it.

Quizzes/HomeworkDebriefing in class to: review as necessary; debate the merits of different answers; identify effective study strategies; make specific connections between the

material and the larger goals of instruction.

How to do formative assessment (cont.)

Checks for understanding e.g., Use the information obtained to adjust the

pacing of instruction

Exit cards e.g., Use the information obtained from exit cards to group students by needs/interests

HOW FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT ENHANCES THE POTENTIAL FOR LEARNING

Formative assessment (Instructors)

Makes it possible for instructors to revise their teaching as needed to attend to the needs of all learners;

Sample remedial actions teachers can take from the information obtained through formative assessment:

If the whole class is not understanding: provide additional instruction and/or practice to all

If only some of the students are not understanding: give those students a mini-lesson while the rest of the class works on their agenda or on center activities

Formative assessment (Students)

Teaches students to manage their own learning by helping them answer the following questions:

(1) where am I going? (2) where am I now? (3) how can I close the gap?

In so doing, students acquire a roadmap of learning (Black and Jones, 2006)

Formative assessment

Addresses issues of fairness and access arising from institutional conditions.

Problem: Many departments have fewer courses than needed

Course Y

L2L(novice+)

HLL (novice)

HLL (novice+)

HLL(intermediate-)

How do you assign a grade to these students and

• Maintain standards• Address issues of fairness

Formative assessment: Fairness

For instructors: Enables them to respond to the needs of all learners, particularly those who are struggling with the material;

For students: Encourages metacognition and independence; previews summative assessment, thereby improving their chances of performing well;

For programs: Provides the knowledge base for effective curriculum and program design.

BEFORE CLOSING:A WORD ABOUT PROGRAM DESIGN

An 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).

Hindi 100:

16 students from five different language backgrounds:

Hindi/Urdu (7); Gujarati (4); Punjabi (2);Telugu (2); Marathi (1)

The crux of the problem

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

• Hindi 100 does not make linguistic sense.

Program design

• Design courses and curricula that make linguistic and demographic sense;

• Use effective placement tools to form courses where learner diversity is manageable;

• At the class level, use tools to attend to individual variation.

SUMMARIZING

Overarching goal:Threshold principles of HL teaching


Socio-affective Address HL learners’ social and affective needs.

LanguageBuild on HL learners’ language skills.

Learning approachesMake instruction accessible.

Domains Socio-affective Language Learning conditions

Main goals Attend to HLLs social and affective needs Build on HLLs’ skills Create the conditions

for learning

Important ideas

HLLs study their HL to find identity, connect with their roots, deal with their bilingualism/ biculturalism, interact with other HLLs

HLLs’ language skills are largely a function of life experiences;oral written skills;Informal formal register

HLLs focus on content to the neglect of form. HLLs lack knowledge of essential grammatical terminology and the routines of language learning

Classroom strategies

Strategic grouping:• Take advantage of HLLs’ and L2Ls’ complementary knowledge &

skills• Separate HLLs and L2Ls to level the “knowledge-skills” playing field

Tools

Text-to-text connection (and variants)Mini lessonsKWL chart

AgendasLearning centersExit cards

THANK YOU!!!

pedagogical approaches and classroom applications for teaching heritage language learners maria m....

Documents

broad definition slide

domains slide

heritage language valds

ucla slide

be39d6lb2f2aw slide

affiliation slide

learners language skills

particular language