Attending to the Needs of Heritage Language Learners in Mixed Classrooms

Maria M. Carreira, Claire ChikJoan Chevalier, Alejandro Lee, Julio Torres, Alegría

RibadeneiraNational Heritage Language Resource Center, UCLA

March 6, 2014

Overview of this presentation:Five principles for teaching mixed classes

• Know your learners; • Choose and use materials with a view towards making learning meaningful, engaging, and accessible to all learners;• Make students active and autonomous partners in what happens in the classroom;• Build pathways to learning for all learners; • Design courses and curricula that make linguistic and demographic sense.

WHY FOCUS ON MIXED CLASSES?But first

Rationale:

• Mixed classes are more common than HL classes (the NHLRC programs survey);• The disconnect: By and large, efforts in the area of HL

teaching have focused largely on HL classes;• The principles outlined in this presentation also apply

to HL classes.

What we know about mixed classes(The NHLRC Programs survey)

• There are three types of mixed classes:Type 1: Very few HL learners (one to

three);Type 2: Small but significant numbers of HL

learners;Type 3: HL-learner majority (some are the

mirror image of type 1)

Common challenge(s)/issue(s)

Type 1: One or two HL learners;Type 2: HL learners are a significant

minority of class;

Type 3: HL learners are a (significant) majority of the class

Specific challenge(s) for each

Type 1: One or two HL learners;Type 2: HL learners are a significant

minority of class;

Type 3: HL learners are a (significant) majority of the class

Findings of the NHLRC Programs Study

Type 1 (very few HL learners)Needs of HL learners tend to be

disregardedTypes 2 and 3 (significant minority or

majority HLL population);Apply L2 methodology, materials, etc.

Quotes from the survey

• Type 1: I did not give particular consideration to HL—they are usually a very small segment of the class. • Type 2: (Name of book) does not address the needs of

HL but it does a good job at the beginning level where the majority of our students take the (name of language) as a general language requirement and where we have less HL (15%) than at more advanced levels.

The background behind this state of affairs;

• Limited resources (funding, instructors, materials);

• Too few students (HL or L2) make it impossible to separate students;

• Lack of institutional/departmental commitment;• Foreign language teaching methods are ill-suited

to teaching HL learners in specialized and mixed classes.

Definitions + linguistic studiesSources of information on learners

THIRD SOURCE?

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)

Broad definition

Narrow definition

Learners who fit the narrow definition also fit the broad definition

Broad + narrow definitions = two orientations to HL teaching

Linguistic needs (narrow definition)

Affective needs (broad definition)

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.

Find identity

Navigate two worlds

Connect to others (find community)

Deal with rejection

Activity time!

Activity I, p. 2

My work: Spanish names in the U.S.

• Two last names or one?• Nicknames?• Two different first names?• Maiden name or husband’s last name?• What do you do with difficult to pronounce

names? Keep them as they are? Modify them? Drop and substitute?

What about L2 learners?

• What can be done to make “My Name” meaningful and engaging for them?

Strategies

• Think in terms of comparing and contrasting elements of the target culture with American culture (Example: Little Red Riding Hood).

• Think in terms of adding “insider” knowledge or perspectives to the information presented (Example: Almanac style presentation of a country)

LET’S PRACTICE

READY?

Activity II, pp. 2 -3

Back to:Five principles for teaching mixed classes

BACK TO THE TWO ORIENTATIONS OF HL TEACHING…

HL learners’ linguistic needs are a function of

• The context of learning• The timing of learning• The amount 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-> similar to the language of children

• The amount input: limited, relative to natives-> incomplete knowledge of the HL (missing features

acquired later in life)• 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• 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• The context of learning: primarily, home

-> informal, home register, non-standard, spontaneous

• The timing of learning: early years, diminished or discontinued upon starting school

-> similar to the language of children

• The amount input: limited, relative to natives

-> incomplete knowledge of the HL (late-acquired items)• The type of input: oral, informal, spontaneous

-> implicit knowledge of the HL

L2 language• The context of learning: shool

-> formal, standard, academic, rehearsed, controlled

• The timing of learning: adolescence, early adulthood

-> adult-like with respect to certain features• The amount input: limited (relative to native speakers and HL learners)

-> incomplete with respect to certain features (early acquired features)• 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 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 + taskHL 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);

• Match HL-L2 learners for proficiency (????)

A metaphor for HL + L2 pairings

Seating arrangements at a fancy dinner party

Sample strategies and activitiesfor HL + L2 pairings

• Cloze activity• Long distance dictation• KWL chart• Vocabulary rubric

Cloze activity: HL-L2 learner groupingsMy 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. Just like that, as if she ________a fancy chandelier. That's the way he did it. And the story goes she never forgave him. She _________ out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she _______the best with what she got or was she sorry because she ________be all the things she wanted to be.

Say it Write it

Sample activities(HL + L2 learners)

• Cloze activity• Long distance dictation• KWL chart• Vocabulary rubrics• Exit cards

Long distance dictation

• In our family, we prefer to eat at home rather than at restaurants.##For dinner, we always eat a vegetable, a salad, rice or potatoes, and soup or meat. ## The children drink milk and the adults drink water and a glass of wine. ##We finish every meal with some fruit and mint tea.

• Cloze activity• Long distance dictation• KWL chart• Vocabulary rubrics

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):

The KWL chart in mixed classes

• The instructor previews point of instruction to highlight the different components of knowledge (e.g. past tense);

• Students look over the textbook presentation of the point of instruction;

• Students fill out the KWL chart and compare their responses;

• Students with complimentary needs find each other

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 when people when they talk about the past.

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

• What I have learned:

The vocabulary rubricVocabulary words that are completely new to me

Vocabulary words that I have heard and understand but do not use myself

Vocabulary words that I use but do not know how to write

These strategies develop learning and collaborative strategies

ACTIVITY III, pp. 3-4

MICRO- V. MACRO- APPROACHES

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;• Contrast with macro-approaches

Macro approaches

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

• Can be discourse-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

You need both approaches to make appropriate and correct use of language

Micro- Sustains macro abilities

Macro-Involves real-life use of language

However…

• Micro-approaches confuse HL learners because they lack the meta language of instruction and are not used to thinking of language as an object of study;

• Macro-approaches are inaccessible to L2 learners

Solution: Strategies

• To make micro-approaches useful to HL learners teach the meta language and provide a map of learning.

Useful tools: KWL chart, vocabulary rubric, graphic organizers

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):

A graphic organizer

Two ways of talking about

the past

Preterite(comí,

hablé,viví)

Imperfect(comía,

hablaba, vivía)

What about macro approaches?

• Micro-approaches confuse HL learners because they lack the meta language of instruction and are not used to thinking of language as an object of study;

• Macro-approaches are inaccessible to L2 learners

Solution: Strategies

• To make macro-approaches accessible to L2 learners by tapping into background knowledge, pre-teaching vocabulary, previewing the material, using graphic organizers, visual aids, etc.

Guess what time it is?

Again! ACTIVITY IV, pp. 4-5

• Know your learners; • Choose and use materials with a view towards making learning meaningful, engaging, and accessible to all learners;

☞ Make students active and autonomous partners in what happens in the classroom by taking advantage of complimentary skills, using micro and macro approaches, teaching strategies;• Build pathways to learning for all learners; • Design courses and curricula that make linguistic and demographic sense.

• Know your learners; • Choose and use materials with a view towards making learning meaningful, engaging, and accessible to all learners;• Make students active and autonomous partners in what happens in the classroom; ☞Build pathways to learning for all learners; • Design courses and curricula that make linguistic and demographic sense.

Why do we need this?

• Thus far, we have been looking at learners as members of a group or category (HL v. L2);

• But HL learners are highly individualistic. Their knowledge of the HL and HC varies according to their life experiences.

• Know your learners as individuals; • Choose and use materials with a view towards making learning meaningful, engaging, and accessible to all learners as individuals;• Make students active and autonomous partners in what happens in the classroom;• Build pathways to learning for all learners; • Design courses and curricula that make linguistic and demographic sense.

DIFFERENTIATION AND FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Principles of Differentiated Teaching (DT)

In differentiated classrooms, teachers begin where studentsare, not the front of a curriculum guide. They accept and buildupon the premise that learners differ in important ways…Indifferentiated classrooms, teachers provide specific ways foreach individual to learn as deeply as possible and as quicklyand possible, without assuming one student’s roadmap forlearning is identical to anyone else (Tomlinson, 2000:2).

Strategies and tools

✔KWL chart ✔Vocabulary rubric • Text-to-self connection• The interactive journal• Agenda• Targeted groupings (mixed pairs, non-mixed

groupings)• Exit card

✔KWL chart ☞ Micro- ability✔Vocabulary rubric ☞ Micro- ability• Text-to-self connection• The interactive journal• Agenda• Targeted groupings (mixed pairs, non-mixed

✔KWL chart ☞ Micro-ability✔Vocabulary rubric ☞ Micro-ability• Text-to-self connection ☞ Macro- ability• The interactive journal ☞ Macro- ability• Agendas• Targeted groupings (mixed pairs, non-mixed

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…

Other uses: To personalize readingsThe Dialectal Journal

(Dodge 2006: 67)

In this column, record In this column• a passage • write a reaction• a main idea • discuss its significance• an important event • make an inference

• How do the text-to-self and dialectal journals fit into a differentiated framework?

• Why is this well-suited for mixed classes?

✔KWL chart ☞ Micro✔Vocabulary rubric ☞ Micro✔Text-to-self connection ☞ Macro✔The interactive journal ☞ Macro• Agendas• Targeted groupings (mixed pairs, non-mixed

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 questions1-7. Use a spell check. (HOMEWORK) • Prepare a “Sum it up” card for this unit. (HOMEWORK)• Blackboard, #1, 2. Must be completed with agrade of 90% or better. (ONLINE EXERCISES, CENTER)

How do agendas support differentiation?

• Make it possible to vary the pace of learning;• Support self-directed learning;• Enable effective classroom management.

Effective classroom management

• Mixed groups (HL + L2 learners)• Homogeneous groups (only L2Ls or only HLLs)

Agendas support mini-lessons

• Mixed groups (HL + L2 learners)• Homogeneous groups: One group of learners

works on agenda while the other receives a mini-lesson from instructor.

When would you want to separate HL and L2 learners?

• With work that requires skills that only one type of group has

e.g. Exercises that make use of grammatical terminology, standard language, He knows me well. (What kind of pronoun is this?, give the equivalent pronoun in the plural)

• Solution: Teach a mini-lesson on grammar terminology to HL learners, ask L2 learners to work on agenda exercises.

What about the opposite situation? When would you want to meet with L2 learners and have HL learners work on agenda items?

✔KWL chart ☞ Micro✔Vocabulary rubric ☞ Micro✔Text-to-self connection ☞ Macro✔The interactive journal ☞ Macro✔Agendas✔Targeted groupings (mixed pairs, non-mixed groupings)• Exit card

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE USED EXIT CARDS?

Visual check

The exit card (Dodge 2006)

Describe an “aha!” moment

Formulate a question about a point that remains unclear. Describe one or two strategies that you will use to answer this question.Describe a contribution from a classmate that proved very useful to you today.

How do exit cards differentiate instruction?

• For learners - > encourage reflective thinking and learner autonomy;• For instructors -> provide feedback needed to adapt their teaching

EXIT CARDS ARE A FORM OF FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Assessment

• Diagnostic (pre-instruction) • Formative (during instruction)• Summative (post instruction)

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 students use results To self-monitor understanding,Identity gaps in understanding and strengths

To monitor grades and progress toward benchmarks

How teachers use results To check for understanding, modify their own teaching to enhance learning

For grades, promotion

How programs use results To modify the curriculum and program To report to external entities

Adapted from Checking for Understanding. Formative Assessment Techniques for Your Classroom by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey, ASCD, 2007

How to do formative assessment

Almost any pedagogical activity can function as formativeassessment…•Visual checks for understanding• The “aha” moment exit card • The KWL chart

What I knowWhat I want to learnWhat I learned

Why do formative assessment

Course placement

Summative assessment,

(grades)

THIS CONFLICT ARISES FROM THE INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT

Not enough courses for student population

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

• For instructors: Provides the knowledge base to respond to the needs of all learners through differentiation;

• For students: Fosters learning by encouraging metacognition and independence, offering multiple representations of knowledge, previewing summative assessment, lowering the stakes of testing

• For programs: Provides the knowledge base fo effective curriculum and program.

Grades

• In class assignments

• Agenda homework • Exit cards

Lowest stakeformative

• Quizzes

Medium stakesformative + summative

• Tests

High stakes summative

The result

• Struggling students get many opportunities to practice the material before they have to contend with high stakes testing;

• What about more advanced learners? - they have to work hard (not an easy A!!!!!)• But what can we do to make learning more

meaningful for them?

For outliers

• The contract: A negotiated agreement

It all hinges on

Dynamic teaching and

learning

Learner autonomy

Final activity: ACTIVITY V, p.5

Arabic 100 for HL learners(From the NHLRC Learner Survey)

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)

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)

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.

• Know your learners; • Make materials meaningful and engaging to all learners;• Make students active partners in the learning and teaching process;• Use strategies to build in pathways to learning for all learners; • Design courses and curricula that make linguistic and demographic sense.

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 for them (orient teaching around the typical learner)2) Use placement to build maximally homogeneous classes.

Class level: Accept and deal with diversity through Differentiated Teaching (DT). Build in pathways for all learners.

Five principles for teaching mixed classes

• Know your learners (as a type and as individuals); • Make materials meaningful and engaging to all learners (look for hooks);• Make students active partners in the learning and teaching process (use complimentary skills, micro- and macro-approaches, learning strategies;• Use strategies to build in pathways to learning for all learners (Differentiation, formative assessment); • Design courses and curricula that make linguistic and demographic sense.

Thank you!

Attending to the Needs of Heritage Language Learners in Mixed Classrooms

learners design courses

types of mixed classes

mixed ability classes

mixed classroomsmaria

significant majority

students active

learning meaningful

significant numbers

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