teaching heritage speakers: best practices

Teaching Heritage Speakers: Best practices

Maria M. CarreiraSTARTALK, UCLA

July 18, 2011

Workshop topicsThe ins and outs of HL teaching

• 5 components of “Enduring knowledge”: Core curriculum of this workshop

• A larger number of components “Important to know and do”

• Many items “Worth knowing”

Five Components of Enduring Knowledge

• The general principles of good language teaching also apply to HL teaching.

• HL teaching should be learner-centered, rather than curriculum centered

• Curriculum and syllabus design should be grounded on issues of language and identity

• Program design should make linguistic and demographic sense

• HL teaching should be assessment intensive

Today’s presentation

AM: Two views of what language teachers do• Why HL teaching must be learner-centered• Curriculum, syllabus and program design

within the learner-centered paradigmPM: Responding to Individual learner needs• Differentiation strategies• Assessment

Project description

• Each language group will develop a teaching unit to be used with HL learners. The development of the unit will follow a 3-step process, with each requirement being the primary focus of specific meetings. Teaching units will be presented to the class on the last day of the workshop.

Unit requirements

• Spans three to four class periods (3-5 instructional hours)

• Exemplifies the 5 components of “Enduring understanding”

• Incorporates components that are “Important to know and do”, as well as “worth knowing”;

• Is anchored in the HL community• Is aligned with the Standards for foreign language

learning and other best L2 practices

Today’s assignment

Using rubrics 8, 9, and 10 in the “Guide to HL Teaching”, thegroup will discuss HL learner characteristics and the dimensionof learner variation in the classroom. This information will serveto identify general goals and pedagogical approaches andstrategies for the unit. In addition, the group will describe theteaching context and the societal use of the HL in their area ofresidence as well as at a national level. On the basis of thisdiscussion, participants will select an HL theme/topic for theinstructional unit and identify resources in the HL community and elsewhere.

TWO VIEWS OF WHAT LANGUAGE TEACHERS DO

Part I

View # 1: Teach Languages

View #2: Teach language learners

The “What-centered” view versus

The “Who-centered” view

Traditionally, language teaching has been “what centered”

“What centered” = “curriculum centered”

Teachers start at the front of the curriculum

The what-centered view with L2 learners

The curriculum-centered classroom

But what if…

And...

What happens when you apply a curriculum-centered approach to

HL teaching?

The what-centered view with HL learners

The “who-centered” view

“Who-centered” = “learner centered”

The “learner-centered” classroom

Why is the learner-centered view better?

• HL learners differ from each other with regard to- linguistic abilities (in the HL and in English)- literacy skills

- affective needs- goals for their HL

• HL learners also differ from L2 learners

Exploring the “WHO”

What does the “learner-centered” view teach us?

Exploring the “who”

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

Definitions:Who is a heritage language learner?

• Narrow definitions – based on proficiency

• Broad definitions – based on affiliation

Definitions orient us to the what of HL teaching

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)

HL learners who fit the narrow definition also fit the 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 orientations to HL teaching

Linguistic needs (narrow definition)

Affective needs (broad definition)

Filling in details

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

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;

Typical HL learner (from NHLRC Survey)

• Used their HL exclusively until age 5, when they started school (+)

• Has visited their country of origin once or twice; (+)

• Listens to music, watches soap operas, and attends religious services in their HL (not much reading) (+/-);

• Little to no schooling in the HL (-);• US born (?)

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);

Curriculum• Particular language

features acquired after age 5; e.g. Aspect, subjunctive, perfect subjunctive

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

We also have the “why” (orientation)

Typical learner profile (cont.)• Has positive associations with his HL, but also

some insecurities;• Is a “hyphenated American” (e.g. Arab-American)• Wants to learn more about his roots;• Wants to connect with other members of his/her

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

his/her HL skills (only Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese speakers)

Reasons for studying the HLCareer or job

To explore their roots

To communicate with family and Friends in the US

To meet a language requirement

To communicatewith family and friends abroad

Spanish 1 2 3 4

Chinese 1 2 3 4

Russian 2 1 4 3

Korean 3 2 1 4

Tagalog 2 3 1 4

Vietnamese 2 3 1 4

Persian 1 2 3 4

Socio-affective orientation of the curriculum

• Responds to HL learners’ affective needs– i.e. the need to explore issues of identity, builds on learners’ positive associations, combats negative associations;

• Responds to HL learners’ social needs – i.e. the desire to connect with other US speakers;

• Responds to HL learners’ professional goals;

Exploring the “how”

Exploring the “how”

• 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

Research on HL Learner variation

Individual learner variationVariation in the class

Review: Critical factors in proficiency

• Home language (the HL + English, only the HL, English only);

• Age of acquisition of English (before 5, after 10);

• Order of acquisition of English (simultaneous, sequential)

• Schooling in the HL;• Overall exposure to the HL: travel abroad,

media use, density of local HL speakers;

Variation as a function of life experiences

Hl learner type Home language

Age of acquisition of English

Schooling Travel abroad/overall HL exposure

Advanced bilingual, schooled

Only the HL > 10 yes yes

Advanced bilingual, unschooled

Only the HL > 10 no yes

Typical bilingual, HL + English < 5 no yes

Quasi typical bilingual I

HL + English < 5 yes yes

Quasi typical bilingual

HL + English > 5 yes no

HL + English > 10 yes yes

HL + English > 10 no yes

Receptive bilingual English Birth no yes

English Birth yes yes

Variation in the classroom contextThe NHLRC Survey

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;

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

Variation in Japanese 100

• Between HL learners• 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• Dialectal• Diglossic• Literacy

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• Between learners

HL classes v. L2-HL classes

• Which scenario seems more challenging?• What is the problem?• How does this problem arise?

Two categories of problems: Arabic and Hindi

• 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.

The Japanese problem

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

The Japanese problem

• The class does not make “demographic” sense

Lesson

• Curriculum and program design should make linguistic and demographic sense.

LEARNER CATEGORIES MEET PROGRAM REALITIES

But there’s another problem

Placement scenario #1: One track program, no HL classes

Placement scenario #2: Dual-track program, one HL class

Placement scenario #3: Dual-track program, two HL classes

What’s the point?

Any way you slice it, you end up with more categories of students than there are levels of instruction. As such, you end up with mixed ability classes (classes enrolling studentswith different skills, goals, backgrounds… in theHL).

Question: How do you deal with these classes?

Dealing with variation

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 of this presentation and preview of the next one

Enduring knowledge

• Learner-centered Teaching: HL learners present a wide range of linguistic, social, and psychological profiles. For that reason, HL teaching should be learner-centered, rather than curriculum centered. The tools and strategies of Differentiated Teaching make it possible to address individual learners’ needs in specialized HL classes, as well as in mixed classes (classes enrolling HL and L2 learners).

Enduring knowledge

• Curriculum and syllabus design: The broad and narrow definitions of the term “HL learner” identify two general orientations for curriculum and syllabus design: language and identity. Use the profile of the “typical HL learner” to lay the general instructional plan. Build in additional pathways to help students that deviate from this profile achieve objectives.

Enduring knowledge

• Program design should make linguistic and demographic sense: HL classes should not be conceived of as a catch all repository of students that do not fit the profile of typical L2 learners. Program design should take into consideration local realities surrounding the use of the HL language, language-specific properties, particularly those involving related dialects and languages, and practical considerations such as enrollments vis-à-vis available resources.

RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF ALL LEARNERS

Part II

Short quiz (formative assessment)T/F• To be considered a HL learner, a student has to have some

facility in the HL;• HL learners study their HL mainly so that they can travel

abroad;• Issues of identity and group membership figure prominently

in the lives of HL learners;• The “what centered” view of teaching is premised on a fixed

curriculum.

Short quiz (cont.)

Which of the following is NOT a critical factor in the linguistic development of HL learners?

1. age when English was learned;2. language use at home;3. grades in school;4. formal education in the HL

From one-size fits all to learner-centered teaching

Not so good Better Best

Start at the front of the book, curriculum is fixed

Start with a curriculum that is designed to meet the needs of the majority (typical learner)

Start with a curriculum that targets majority needs and is flexible enough to respond to the needs of individual learners.

Appropriate for homogeneous classes, not for mixed classes

Weakness: Neglects those who fall outside that group.

Strength: Meets the needs of all learners.

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).

What can you differentiate?

• Content • Process (how you gain mastery of the material)• Product (how you demonstrate mastery of the

materialAccording to students’• Readiness• Interest• Learning profile

Concerns…

• It’s too much work!• What am I, a psychic? How I am supposed to know

about the needs of my students? • If everyone is doing something different, how do I

keep track of students’ work and progress?• So now I have to discard everything I’ve been doing

for years and start something new?

Quick answers• It’s too much work! – When done right,

differentiation actually decreases the amount of work done by the instructor.

• What am I, psychic? How I am supposed to know about the needs of my students?

• If everyone is doing something different, how do I keep track of students’ work and progress?

• So now I have to discard everything I’ve been doing for years and start something new?

Quick answers• It’s too much work! – • What am I, psychic? How I am supposed to know

about the needs of my students? Use ongoing assessment (formative assessment).

• If everyone is doing something different, how do I keep track of students’ work and progress?




keep track of students’ work and progress? Hold the students accountable for keeping track of their own learning.




keep track of students’ work and progress? • So now I have to discard everything I’ve been doing

for years and start something new? No, many of the strategies of DT are familiar to teachers and are part of the best practices of language teaching.

Key to dealing with concerns:

• Teaching the routine• Knowing what to differentiate• Knowing when to differentiate• Knowing how to differentiate

Teaching the routine

• Think of experienced travelers at a busy airport;

• Expect shared responsibility;• Give clear directions and expectations;• Discuss potential problems (use scenarios);

What to differentiate(Wiggings and McTighe, 2001)

What to differentiate(Wiggings and McTighe, 2001)

Instructor selected, fixed core objectives for the class

Instructor selected, fixed core objectives for the class

Negotiated objectives. Negotiated objectives.

Student selectedobjectivesStudent selectedobjectives

When to differentiate

• Don’t differentiate all the time – only when needed:

What happens if you differentiate all the time?

How to differentiate

• Master a small number of instructional tools;

How to differentiate

• Master a small number of instructional tools;• Let the students do the heavy lifting

Activities

Don’t have to be teacher-centered

Don’t have to be teacher graded/approved

Don’t have to be teacher-crushing

Basic tools

• Flexible grouping• Centers• Agendas• Templates

Basic tools

• Flexible grouping: Grouping strategies, types of groups

• Centers• Agendas• Templates

Grouping strategies

Flexible

By ability

By interest

By learning style

By student choice

By chance/proximity

By HL/L2 status

Types of groups

• Learning partners (1/1)• Small groups (3-5)• Half-class/half-class

Learning partners (1/1)

• For peer editing• For peer teaching

Types of groups


Forming small groups (3-5)The Jigsaw Sequence

(Dodge, 2006:118)

“Home base” group

11 22

33 4411 22

33 4411 22

33 4411 22

33 44

1111

1111

2222

2222

3333

3333

4444

4444

“Expert” group

Activities for a jigsaw sequence

Forming small groups (3-5)The Jigsaw Sequence

(Dodge, 2006:118)

“Home base” group

11 22

33 4411 22

33 4411 22

33 4411 22

33 44

1111

1111

2222

2222

3333

3333

4444

4444

“Expert” group

Comprehension Design a Compare React to text; Questions graphic organizer two texts re-write the textKnowledge/Comprehension Application/analysis Analysis Synthesis/evaluation

Activities for a jigsaw sequence

Translate all or part of the textDo a “cloze” activity with part of the textReduce the textExpand the textSummarize the informationRepresent the informationAdd a chart, map, picture and write a captionAnswer inference and opinion questionsRe-write the ending

Holding all students accountable for group work

• How do you do it?

Holding all students accountable for group work

• Asking questions• Group quiz• Quick visual quiz• “Regular” quiz• Group contribution check

Identify a contribution you made to your group andone made by another student (see Rubric 11)

Types of groups


Instructional practices cont.

• Group work• Centers• Agendas• Templates

How I use centers

• Virtual spaces (Blackboard)• Computer graded• Work can be repeated for a better grade• Work is done outside of class• Work is done independently by students• Work is self-paced(the workbook can also be a source ofcenter activities)

Instructional practices

• Group work• Centers• Agendas and contracts• Templates

How I use agendas and contracts

• Agendas: A list of activities students must complete in a given time. I use it to vary the pace of instruction.

• Contracts: An agreement between the teacher and student. I use it to vary the process and product. For example, students have a choice about how they will demonstrate mastery of the material (i.e. write an essay, re-write the ending of a story, make a presentation, etc.)

Sample agenda

Date due: (usually in 1-2 weeks)Work to be completed:• Workbook # 7, 8, 9, 10 • Blackboard, #1, 2. Must be completed with agrade of 90% or better.• Textbook, read “xxxxx” and answer questions1-7. Use a spell check. • Prepare a “Sum it up” card for this unit.

Instructional practices


To teach grammar and grammatical analysis

• Constructivist grammar activities(López-Sánchez and Mojica-Díaz 2006)Students use authentic materials to discover the patterns and principles of their language of study.Instructor acts as a facilitator

Examplepalabra significado significado oración

Mi my me

Tu you your

Te pronoun tea

Se I know pronoun

De of give

Mas more but

Si yes if

El the he

Example for HL-L2 paired interactions

____ (ser) a fines de agosto. Ito, el aparcero, ya no ________ (sonreir). ____ (ser) natural. La cosecha de fresas _________ (terminar), y los trabajadores, casi todos braceros, no recogían tantas cajas de fresas como en los meses de junio y julio. Cada día el número de braceros disminuía. El domingo sólo uno - el mejor pizcador - vino a trabajar. A mí me caía bien. A veces hablábamos durante nuestra media hoa de almuerzo. Así fue como supe que era de Jalisco, de mi tierra natal. Ese domingo fue la última vez que lo vi.

Say it Write it

Paired interactions between HL and L2 (Bowles, 2011 a,b)

• HL and L2 learners were matched for proficiency

• In Bowles 2011a, L2 learners benefited more from the activity than HL learners.

• In Bowles b, both types of learners benefited equally from the activity.

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;

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

Take home lesson about HL + L2 pairings

• Take advantage of complimentary strengths of learners

• Match HL-L2 pairs for proficiency• Mix tasks that require intuitive knowledge,

and tasks that require meta-linguistic knowledge

• Hold both students accountable for contributing to the task

Back to…


Templates to vary instruction by interest

• The dialectal journal• The multiple-entry journal• Text-to-_____x_____ comparisons

Dialectal Journal (Dodge 2006: 67)

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

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

Passage from the textPassage from the text

This reminds me of…This reminds me of…


I agree or disagree because…I agree or disagree because…


I find this interesting because…I find this interesting because…

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



Character from the textCharacter from the text

This character reminds me of…This character reminds me of…

A theme of the textA theme of the text


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



Character from the textCharacter from the text

This character reminds me of…This character reminds me of…

A theme of the textA theme of the text


Text-to-language connections

Five important nouns in the reading:Five important nouns in the reading:

Five verbs used in connection with the Five verbs used in connection with the verbs:verbs:

Five words that are entirely new to you:Five words that are entirely new to you:

Five words that you are vaguely familiar but Five words that you are vaguely familiar but you do not use: you do not use:

Five words you know but did not know how Five words you know but did not know how to write:to write:

One “spelling discovery” (rule or One “spelling discovery” (rule or generalization):generalization):

Activities to review the material

• The exit card• Sum-it-up!

These can also be used as the basis for attendance/participation grade.

The exit card (Dodge 2006)

Describe an “aha!” momentDescribe an “aha!” moment

Formulate a question about a point that Formulate a question about a point that remains unclear. Describe one or two remains unclear. Describe one or two strategies that you will use to answer this strategies that you will use to answer this question.question.

Compare and contrast ____________Compare and contrast ____________

Sum it up! (Dodge 2006)

Topic/question/sentenceTopic/question/sentence

E.g. The verb “haber”E.g. The verb “haber”

Date:Date:

What I already knew.What I already knew. What I could already What I could already do.do.

What I learned.What I learned. What I can do now.What I can do now.

What I still need to What I still need to figure out.figure out.

What I would like to What I would like to be able to do.be able to do.

Assessment

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

Two roles for diagnostic assessment

• To build maximally homogeneous classes


• To build maximally homogeneous classesBUT PLACEMENT CANNOT ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM OF LEARNER DIVERSITY



• To inform curriculum design



• To inform curriculum designTHIS IS CRITICAL IN A LEARNER-CENTERED CLASSROOM (BUT NOT IN A CURRICULUM CENTERED ONE).

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

Why do we need formative assessment?

• For instructors: Provides the knowledge base for good teaching, differentiation, curriculum design, and school and program reform

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

How can we do formative assessment?

• The oral quiz• The “aha” moment card• The exit card • The group quiz• The KWL chart

What I knowWhat I want to learnWhat I learned

• Almost any pedagogical activity can function as formative assessment

Summative Assessment(Grades)

How do you?

• Maintain standards• Address issues of fairness

Suppose the following HL Learners are all in the same class:Advanced bilingual, schooled: Born abroad. Arrived in the US at age 9;Typical HL learner: US-born. Both parents are native speakers, immigrants.Receptive bilingual US-born. Speaks HL only with mother. Father does not speak HL.

How do you assign a grade to these students?

Advanced bilingual, schooled: Born abroad. Arrived in the US at age 9;Typical HL learner: US-born. Both parents are native speakers, immigrants.Receptive bilingual US-born. Speaks HL only with mother. Father does not speak HL.

How I do it• Final grade is made up of many components (quizzes, tests,

homework, writing portfolio, hybrid exercises, exit cards);• Some components are graded holistically (exit cards,

homework exercises, portfolio assignments), others are graded on a discreet-point scale (quizzes, hybrid exercises, tests, main writing assignment);

• Some components can be done several times (hybrid exercises);

• Lower-stake items serve to preview higher-value items (homework and hybrid exercises preview the quizzes, and the quizzes preview the tests, peer writing assignments preview “elderly” writing assignments);

Grades

BACKWARDS DESIGNHow do I decide on these components of the grade?

Basic idea: Two examples

• No Backwards Design: Dinner at my house• Backwards Design: Catching a flight• Different ways of making a flight

Essential Important Worthy

Step 1

• Identify desired results distinguishing between(a) results everyone must obtain (enduring understanding, important)(b) results that can vary from one student to the next depending on their needs, goals, etc. (a subset of the “important to know and do” and “worth knowing” components)

Step 2• Determine acceptable evidence of results• Chart a continuum of assessment methods

(formative assessment):Informal checks for understanding;Observation;Exit cards, homeworkQuizzes/tests;Performance tasks, projectsPortfolios

Step 3: Plan learning and instruction

• What enabling knowledge and skills will allow students to achieve results?

• What activities will give them this knowledge?• What materials are best suited to accomplish

this goal?• Is the instructional sequence coherent and

logical?• What is the appropriate pacing?

Stages in the Backward Design Process

Summarizing: Enduring knowledge

• Assessment: Use diagnostic assessment prior to the start of instruction for placement purposes and to fine-tune the curriculum to your particular group of students. Use formative assessment throughout instruction to modify teaching and to help students prepare for summative assessment, which is the basis on which a final grade is assigned. Apply the principles of Backwards Design to decide on the pacing of instruction and use of activities.

A word on workload

• Don’t go cold turkey. Aim to introduce a differentiated activity every week or two. Build up a bank of activities over time;

• Take advantage of templates;• Work with others;• Don’t try to differentiate every aspect of instruction.

Use differentiation only when needed;• Press on. This will be difficult at first but the results

are well worth it.

Project description

• Each language group will develop a teaching unit to be used with HL learners. The development of the unit will follow a 3-step process, with each requirement being the primary focus of specific meetings. Teaching units will be presented to the class on the last day of the workshop.

Unit requirements

• Spans three to four class periods (3-5 instructional hours)

• Exemplifies the 5 components of “Enduring understanding”

• Incorporates components that are “Important to know and do”, as well as “worth knowing”;

• Is anchored in the HL community• Is aligned with the Standards for foreign language

learning and other best L2 teaching practices

Today’s assignment

Using rubrics 8, 9, and 10 in the “Guide to HL Teaching”, thegroup will discuss HL learner characteristics and the dimensionof learner variation in the classroom. This information will serveto identify general goals and pedagogical approaches andstrategies for the unit. In addition, the group will describe theteaching context and the societal use of the HL in their area ofresidence as well as at a national level. On the basis of thisdiscussion, participants will select an HL theme/topic for theinstructional unit and identify resources in the HL community and elsewhere.

teaching heritage speakers: best practices

Documents

learnercentered curriculum

learnercentered view

learnercentered paradigmpm

centered viewtraditionally

centered viewwho

heritage language learner

curriculumcentered approach

centered view versusthe