Advocating for Critical Pedagogical Approaches to Teaching Spanish as a Heritage Language: Some Considerations

Abstract

This article makes the case for using critical pedagogical approaches to the teaching of Spanish as a heritage language (HL). Having different language tracks is not enough: As long as HL learners hold negative linguistic attitudes about their own language variety, they will be unable and unprepared to learn successfully. First, I define who HL learners are and why they need to be in a separate track from traditional language learners. Later, I discuss the basic premises of critical pedagogy in order to recommend that HL instructors take this pedagogical approach to maximize Spanish HL learner potential. Last, I recommend the importance of providing sociolinguistic tools in order to corroborate that standard Spanish is not a replacement for local varieties but simply a register students can use once they appreciate their own language.

A Sociolinguistic Approach to Teaching Spanish Grammatical Structures

“…In addition, researchers have also pointed out that instruction that does not acknowledge sociolinguistic variation may inadvertently trigger linguistic insecurity (Anderson, ; Beaudrie, ; Correa, , , ; Leeman, in press; Leeman & Serafini, ; Martínez, ; Potowski, ; Tallon, ). This may be exacerbated because some of the grammatical rules in textbooks do not match the patterns of language use in real life.…”

High School Spanish Teachers' Attitudes and Practices Toward Spanish Heritage Language Learners

“…The task of creating HLL‐specific materials would be more challenging when HLLs come from a variety of national backgrounds, speak different versions of Spanish, and have widely ranging socioeconomic backgrounds and cultural origins. Correa () echoed this need for differentiation in traditional L2 classrooms and even further differentiation within Spanish HLL courses (e.g., to accommodate their range of ability levels). However, the teachers in the present study who did not advocate for separate HLL courses noted some important advantages to inclusion, such as positive interactions between L2 learners and HLLs:

I absolutely love having the heritage learners mixed with my [Spanish] III and AP [Advanced Placement] students.

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“…A number of studies support the present study's findings. For example, some studies have advocated for the creation of programs for Spanish HLLs, given their varied linguistic needs (e.g., Correa, ; Lynch, ). Others have emphasized the importance of varying levels of courses so that lower‐level and advanced HLLs can have their own niches in the learning community to correspond to their ability levels (e.g., Alarcón, ; Beaudrie, ; Beaudrie & Ducar, ).…”

“…Despite commonalities among HLLs, L2 learners, and native speakers, these three groups of learners have fundamentally different characteristics and needs. In fact, a number of studies have determined that separate programs for HLLs are essential to address the particular strengths and weaknesses that they bring to the classroom (e.g., Correa, ; Krashen, ; MacGregor‐Mendoza, ; Montrul & Perpiñán, ; Potowski et al, ; Teschner, ; UCLA Steering Committee, ). Krashen in particular made a strong case:

Heritage language speakers are in a no‐win situation in foreign language classes.

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Implementing concept-based instruction in the heritage language classroom: A pedagogical proposal

“…Although the results in both studies indicated that HLLs showed significant gains in comprehension and production after being exposed to several treatments, it was not clear how different approaches (processing instruction, traditional techniques) had affected their performance. Consequently, Bowles (2011) andCorrea (2011a) proceeded to analyze the role of explicit and implicit knowledge in HL development, evaluating learners' abilities using a wide range of experimental tasks. Data from these investigations showed that, when compared to proficiency--matched L2 learners, HLLs exhibited better results in measures where explicit knowledge was not needed.…”