WAFLT/COFLT Conference Vancouver, WA October 13, 2012

1. WAFLT/COFLT Conference Vancouver, WAOctober 13, 2012 STEM and Heritage Language Learners UW STARTALK Russian Language Team: Michele Anciaux Aoki, Ph.D., Teacher Program Director World Languages Program Supervisor, OSPI Svetlana Abramova, Ph.D., Student Program Lead Instructor Veronika Egorova, Ph.C., Student Program Technology Lead

2. Goals for this workshop… • You can explain what STEM is and why it’s important to language teachers (and learners) • You can describe at least 2-3 characteristics of heritage language learners (HLLs) • You can identify 2-3 of the STARTALK Principles • You can give an example of a STEM language lesson (Space Race) • You can express one or two ideas for applying what you’ve learned about STEM and HLLs to your teaching situatio

3. Mission To provide summer language learning opportunities for students and professional development opportunities for teachers in critical languages

4. UW STARTALK Student Program 2012 • 4-week intensive (5 hours/day) language program • Focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) • Focus on Heritage Language Learners

5. STEM • What is it? • Why is it important to language teachers (and learners)? What have you heard about STEM?

6. STEM: What is it? • Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics • Program started by Judith A. Ramaley, former director of the National Science Foundation’s education and human-resources division. • Designed to revolutionize the teaching of subject areas such as mathematics and science by incorporating technology and engineering into regular curriculum by creating a “meta-discipline.” http://drpfconsults.com/understanding-the-basics-of-stem-education/

7. STEM: More than 4 subjects • STEM Education attempts to transform the typical teacher-centered classroom by encouraging a curriculum that is driven by problem-solving, discovery, exploratory learning, and requires students to actively engage a situation in order to find its solution. • The science, engineering, and mathematics fields are made complete by the technology component that provides a creative and innovative way to problem solve and apply what has been learned.

8. STEM: Why is it important (to us as language teachers)? • All students benefit from the STEM program because it teaches independent innovation and allows students to explore greater depths of all of the subjects by utilizing the skills learned; these skills are going to be required in order for today’s students to be tomorrow’s global leaders. • STEM is the big education “buzz” word • STEM has business and legislative support • STEM is often expanded to STEAM (for “Arts”) (so there is potential to also include WLs)

9. Heritage Language Learners: who are they? • Narrow definition: those who have been exposed to a particular language in childhood but did not learn it to full capacity because another language became dominant. FUNCTIONAL PROFICIENCY • Broad definition: those who have been raised with a strong cultural connection to a particular language, usually through family interaction. CULTURAL AFFINITY (Polinsky & Kagan, 2007)

10. HLL profile:oral performance characteristics • Pronunciation/intonation – Americanized/Native-like • Mispronunciations – Yes • Borrowings – Yes • Speech rate – Native-like • Lexical errors – Yes • Grammatical errors – Yes • Word order – Americanized/Native-like • Complex syntax – Some • Code-switching – No • Awareness of register - No

11. UW STARTALK 2012 student profiles • 21 students (ages 14-18 years old) • Born in the US or arrived before age 3 (10) • Age at immigration: 4-9 (7) • Age at immigration: 9-14 (4) • Self-ratings in listening, speaking, reading, and writing: • Receptive are stronger than productive skills (15) • Receptive equal productive skills (6)

12. Student 1/Student 2

13. HLLs gaps in linguistic knowledge and mistakes • incomplete grammar • limited vocabulary • limited pragmatic competence BUT: • near-native pronunciation • high range fluency

14. Getting to a higher proficiency level According to C. Martin, instruction should focus on: • Awareness of what is defined as Superior level language • Functions, contexts and content areas, the text type, and the expectations for accuracy • Expansion of contexts and content areas beyond personal and anecdotal • Expansion of the lexical base to include precise (rather than generic) vocabulary • Producing coherent extended discourse that goes beyond the single paragraph • Dealing with topics from an abstract perspective

15. Principles • Implementing a Standards-Based and Thematically Organized Curriculum • Facilitating a Learner-Centered Classroom • Using the Target Language and Providing Comprehensible Input for Instruction • Integrating Culture, Content, and Language in a World Language Classroom • Adapting and Using Age-Appropriate Authentic Materials • Conducting Performance-Based Assessment

16. STARTALK Lesson Demo • STEM Theme: The Space Race • Target audience: Heritage learners • Target proficiency levels: • Intermediate+ in Oral Proficiency • Novice to Intermediate in Reading and Writing

17. Debrief Observation Form • Goals for the unit. • Clear beginning, middle and end. • Target language at least 90% of the time. • The target language input is comprehensible. • Checks for understanding. • Authentic materials are used.

18. Debrief… • Learner-centered classroom. • Meaningful guided and independent practice. • Integrates language and culture. • Integrates language and content. • Interpretive mode of communication. • Interpersonal mode of communication. • Presentational mode of communication.

19. Space Race Lesson Plan • Elements of the Lesson Plan • What is similar or different from other lesson plan templates you’ve seen or used? • Where did STEM fit into the Lesson Plan and the Lesson Demo? • How did the lesson accommodate heritage language learners (HLLs)

20. Revisit goals for this workshop… • You can explain what STEM is and why it’s important to language teachers (and learners) • You can describe at least 2-3 characteristics of heritage language learners (HLLs) • You can identify 2-3 of the STARTALK Principles • You can give an example of a STEM language lesson (Space Race) • You can express one or two ideas for applying what you’ve learned about STEM and HLLs to your teaching situatio

21. For more information, visit: http://depts.washington.edu/startalk http://www.nhlrc.ucla.edu/events/institute/2012/index.asp http://startalk.nhlrc.ucla.edu/