Teaching the Commonly Taught Languages as Heritage Languages: Questions and Continuing Dilemmas
by Guadalupe Valdes, Professor, Department of Spanish & Portuguese, Stanford University
This presentation will offer a brief overview of the linguistic and educational conditions that gave rise to the focus on the teaching of heritage languages within the foreign language profession in the United States. Using the case of Spanish, it will present current basic principles informing heritage language instruction and trace the evolution of these principles and practices over time. Finally, it will focus on the future and identify key challenges facing the development of comprehensive programs of heritage language learning and the preparation of individual who can teach in such programs within existing institutional structure.
Friday, September, 13, 2002