Heritage Languages: Alliance News Flash: February 2011

February 2011

www.cal.org/heritage

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IN THIS ISSUE

Heritage Language Spotlight: Chinese

In the News

Online Resources

STARTALK Update

The Education of Language Minority Immigrants in the United States

This publication brings together well-known experts on immigrant and language minority education in the U.S. with the goal of informing educational policy and practice. This publication has immediate application for educators and policy makers and will be of value to students and researchers interested in the education of immigrant language minority students. Learn more.

Heritage Language Spotlight: Chinese

The Alliance periodically creates Heritage Language Spotlight web pages that focus on select heritage languages. This month, the Alliance is pleased to highlight the Chinese language.

Visit the Chinese Language Spotlight web page.

In connection with this issue’s Language Spotlight on Chinese, we feature several Chinese Heritage Voices and Heritage Briefs.

Heritage Voices Highlights Chinese
Our Heritage Voices collection features languages spoken as heritage languages in the United States and also heritage language programs.

• Heritage Voice Language: Chinese
• Heritage Voice Language: Mandarin
• Heritage Voice Program: Alamo Chinese Language School
• Heritage Voice Program: Bilingual Buds
• Heritage Voice Program: Chinese School of Delaware
• Heritage Voice Program: Rockville Cantonese School

View the Heritage Voices Collection.

Heritage Briefs

Our Heritage Briefs collection provides short, peer-reviewed papers on topics of interest about heritage languages.

• Chinese Heritage Language Schools in the United States
• Chinese Language and Language Planning in China

View the Heritage Briefs collection.

In the News

Alliance Staff Contribute to the Heritage Language Journal

The Heritage Language Journal provides a forum for scholars to publish the results of their research and to advance knowledge about educating heritage language speakers. The latest issue is now available online and contains a range of articles, including one submitted by Alliance staff members Joy Peyton and Jacqueline Lopez, Se puede conserver la cultura y tambien se puede aspirar’: Language and cultural identities among the Cora of Mexico. Read the journal.

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National Heritage Language Resource Center (NHLRC) Update

NHLRC Survey: College Level Heritage Language Instruction
The National Heritage Language Resource Center (NHLRC) at UCLA is conducting a study of heritage language programs at the post-secondary level. The study will serve to identify useful practices, valuable resources, and critical needs across different languages and institutions of higher learning.

The NHLRC seeks your help in completing the survey if your language program enrolls heritage language learners at the post-secondary level. You can also help by forwarding the survey link to interested colleagues.

Access the survey. For more information contact NHLRC.

NHLRC Annual Summer Heritage Language Research Institute
The NHLRC announces its 5th Summer Heritage Language Research Institute, (Re)Learning the Heritage Language: Integrating Linguistics and Pedagogy. The institute will take place June 26 – July 1, 2011 at UCLA.

The 2011 institute will focus on current linguistic research and the implications for heritage language instruction. Applications are invited from linguists, language instructors, post-doctoral fellows, and doctoral students currently involved in heritage teaching and research. Limited funding will be available for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows only.

Applications are due March 1, 2011. Learn more.

Visit the NHLRC website.

Online Resources

Speaking in Tongues
A Film Featuring Vignettes About Second Language Learners
This film features four American children who learned a second language -- in some cases, their heritage language -- in a bilingual education setting starting from kindergarten. The film addresses issues of building a multilingual society, addressing communication barriers, heritage language learning, and cultural awareness.

New video shorts that highlight key issues in multilingualism are now available. Learn more.

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Spanish Heritage Language Forum
The Alliance is pleased to sponsor the Spanish Heritage Language Forum (Listserv), a new resource designed to facilitate the discussion of issues relevant to work with students whose native or heritage language is Spanish. SHL Listserv members are invited to read and write messages about topics of interest or concern to the Spanish heritage language community. All messages sent to the list will be approved by the moderator before they are sent to the list.

Visit the website to learn more and register.

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Materials for Spanish Speakers Instruction: An Annotated Bibliography
An updated version of this annotated bibliography is now available on the Teaching Spanish to Native Spanish Speakers (SNS) website. Learn more.

STARTALK Update

STARTALK Multimedia Teacher Workshop Collection

This collection features 12 online, multimedia workshops designed for educators to improve their skills in critical areas. CAL’s workshop, Assessment for Language Instructors: The Basics, is a computer-based workshop that focuses on assessment training for language educators.
Learn more.

Visit the STARTALK website.

Collaborate with the Alliance

The Alliance for the Advancement of Heritage Languages is seeking to develop community among professionals working in heritage language education and research by providing information and resources of interest.

Bookmark the Alliance website to stay up-to-date with the latest information.

The Alliance News Flash is a quarterly online newsletter created for professionals working in the area of heritage language education, to create connections and to give updates on new developments and recent resources in the field. If you have suggestions for articles for the Alliance News Flash, for Alliance activities, and other ideas to create community, please email the Alliance at heritage@cal.org.

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