Book Review: Rethinking Heritage Language Education. (2014). Peter Pericles Trifonas and Themistoklis Aravossitas (Eds). Cambridge University Press. 270pp.

This article describes a critical service-learning initiative in which college students of Spanish taught in an after-school Spanish class for young heritage language (HL) speakers at a local elementary school. We contextualize the program within broad curricular revisions made to the undergraduate Spanish program in recent years, explaining how critical pedagogy and our students’ experiences motivated the design of the program. After describing the program, we analyze reflections from participants that show how the experience helped them take their critical language agency beyond the classroom walls and integrate university, school and community knowledges, as both the college students and the children they taught came to view their cultural and linguistic heritages to be of educational and public importance.

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A Working Model for Assessing Spanish Heritage Language Learners’ Language Proficiency through a Placement Exam

Heritage Language Journal ◽

10.46538/hlj.9.1.7 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 121-138

Author(s):

Marta Fairclough

Keyword(s):

Language Learning ◽

Language Proficiency ◽

Heritage Language ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Language Education ◽

Working Model ◽

Heritage Language Education ◽

Content Selection ◽

Placement Exam ◽

Clear Idea

Having a clear idea of the knowledge in the heritage language that a student brings to the classroom is essential for a successful language-learning experience; for that reason, research in heritage language education has been focusing increasingly on assessment issues, especially language placement exams. Professionals debate whether assessment procedures should measure what students know and can do with the heritage language, or what deficiencies they have. Ideally, a balance of both will produce a better placement exam. This paper presents a working model of language placement based on current second-language theory and research and on what is known of heritage language learning. It explains the rationale for content selection and the design of effective tasks in a language placement exam for incoming university students and, finally, briefly voices some key logistical considerations.

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The Influences of Indigenous Heritage Language Education on Students and Families in a Hawaiian Language Immersion Program

Heritage Language Journal ◽

10.46538/hlj.7.2.4 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 207-236 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rebecca Luning ◽

Lois Yamauchi

Keyword(s):

Heritage Language ◽

Family Members ◽

Language Education ◽

Cultural Issues ◽

Hawaiian Language ◽

Language And Culture ◽

Adolescent Students ◽

Heritage Language Education ◽

K 12 ◽

Indigenous Heritage

Papahana Kaiapuni is a K-12 public school program in which the Hawaiian language is the medium of instruction. In 1987, parents and language activists started the program in response to the dwindling number of speakers that resulted from a nearly century-long ban on the indigenous language. This study examined how participation in this indigenous heritage language program influenced students and their families. Data included interviews with 12 adolescent students and their family members. Results suggested that the program promoted students’ learning about and practicing traditional Hawaiian values, and influenced cultural pride among family members. Participation in the program also encouraged youths and their family members to become politically active around Hawaiian cultural issues. Unlike the more typical process in which culture is passed down from the older to the younger generations, participants viewed Kaiapuni students as the carriers of the culture and language, teaching older family members about these topics. Informants also reported that Kaiapuni promoted positive community views about both Hawaiian language and culture revitalization efforts.

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