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T39
Meeting the Needs of Heritage Speakers in a Spanish
as a World Language Classroom
As middle school teachers take on the challenge of teaching
Spanish to a small minority of heritage Spanish speakers
(in a predominantly native English-speaking classroom), it is
important to keep in mind the ultimate goals: to promote
language acquisition and cultural awareness for both groups.
This can be accomplished by differentiated instruction, by
open-ended and cooperative activities that require linguistic
and analytic ability, and by allowing both groups to contribute
to completing tasks that promote equal-status behavior.
The Traditional Role of the Heritage Speaker
In the past, heritage speakers of Spanish were relegated to
the role of “model” for the English speakers. While this gave
them a higher status, it seldom met the need to increase their
level of academic language. This resulted in discipline issues
stemming from a lack of interest on the part of the student.
The Heritage and Native Speaker Backgrounds
Heritage speakers are American-born students whose home
language is Spanish. Native speakers are recent immigrants
from Spanish-speaking countries. Recent immigrants range
from well-educated native speakers, at or above grade level
in their primary language, to children whose formal schooling
has been interrupted significantly. Heritage speakers can be at
grade level in English and tend to have different levels of oral
proficiency, but lack register development in Spanish since their
formal education has been predominantly in English. Because of
the differences in academic preparation in the target language,
it is essential to determine each student’s individual needs.
Spanish at the Middle School Level
The Center for Applied Linguistics has completed a
comprehensive survey of K
–
12 foreign language programs
nationwide, describing how schools are meeting the need
for language instruction to prepare global citizens. The 2008
survey results indicate a serious “disconnect between the
national call to educate world citizens with high-level language
skills and the current state of foreign language instruction in
schools across the country.” According to the study, however,
“Spanish has become increasingly popular over the last
decade. In 2008, 88% of the elementary schools teaching
a language reported teaching Spanish.” Unfortunately, while
the number of Spanish for Heritage Speakers programs is
Maria Elena Messina
Adrian C. Wilcox High School, Santa Clara, California
increasing at the high school level, they are practically none
existent at middle schools. There are several reasons for
this deficiency, including an insufficient number of heritage
speakers to implement a program and a lack of appropriate
materials. Because of this lack of dedicated programs,
Spanish as a World Language programs must also embrace
heritage speakers.
Meeting the Needs of English Speakers and Heritage
Spanish Speakers: A Balancing Act
While the goals of Spanish instruction for heritage speakers
are the same as those for their peers, the approach to reaching
those goals is definitely different, and a true challenge for
Spanish teachers in middle school.
The Curriculum
A successful second-language program will contain systematic
differentiated instruction through which
all
students are guided
to develop higher-order thinking skills which allow them to work
independently, in pairs, and in groups. This program must teach
language-learning strategies through authentic target language
materials enhanced by the use of technology. Standards-based
instruction, alternative assignments, and goals for heritage
speakers that enable them to demonstrate mastery will foster
engagement and motivation for both groups. Activities that
raise the English speakers’ level of confidence as well as the
heritage speakers’ level of academic language will promote
a sense of community and enrich the relevance of learning.
Bibliography
Hall, Joan K., and A. Ramírez. “How a Group of High School
Learners of Spanish Perceives the Cultural Identities of
Spanish Speakers, English Speakers, and Themselves.”
Hispania
76(3) (1993): 613-620.
Jensen, Janis, Paul Sandrock, and John Franklin,
The Essentials
of World Languages, Grades K–12: Effective Curriculum,
Instruction, and Assessment.
Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2007.
Rhodes, Nancy C., and Ingrid Pufahl,
Foreign Language
Teaching in U.S. Schools: Results of a National Survey
.
Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics, 2009.
Background and Research