2014 STARTALK/NHLRC Teacher Workshop

professional development \ startalk workshop \ 2014 workshop

Diagnosing and addressing the linguistic needs of heritage speakers

Cynthia Martin

This mini-workshop is intended 1) to provide participants with an overview of the findings from a joint NHLRC/ACTFL study about the profiles of heritage speakers of Russian and Spanish and which specific features prevent them from achieving higher levels of proficiency in an official ACTFL OPI; and 2) to focus on curricular implications of those findings. Participants will be asked to consider the findings as they relate to their own institutional contexts and to explore ways to address the unique needs of heritage learners wishing to improve their proficiency in the home language.