The application period will open on December 1, 2024.

Deadline to submit: January 31, 2025

Acceptance notifications: March 2025

Instructors of all languages from K-16 programs and community schools are encouraged to apply.

About the Workshop

Please note that the workshop will be held entirely online, including the two-day summit.

This summer workshop, led by Dr. Melissa Bowles (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) and Dr. Alegría Ribadeneira (Colorado State University Pueblo), is designed to help language teachers meet the challenges of teaching heritage language (HL) students, whether in mixed classes or in heritage-specific classes. The workshop will comprise asynchronous online assignments and synchronous meetings (by Zoom) over the course of three weeks. Specifically, each week will represent a time commitment of about 8 hours (4 hours of asynchronous online work and two 2-hour synchronous Zoom meetings). The workshop will culminate with a two-day virtual summit in July, where participants will present the materials they develop.

We aim to create a cohort of language teachers who will be leaders and mentors in the field of HL instruction. We hope that teachers who participate in the workshop will commit to re-teaching “lessons learned” at their institution or in their region when they return home.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the different linguistic backgrounds, abilities and motivations of HL learners and how these affect their needs.
2. Make the connection between language, identity, and affective needs.
3. Understand the tenets of critical language awareness and how it can be applied profitably in the HL classroom
4. Identify necessary items in the HL curriculum to meet HLs’ linguistic and affective needs.
5. Develop an asset-based approach that builds on students’ proficiencies.
6. Understand the difference between performance and proficiency and how the first leads to the second.
7. Become familiar with the principles of differentiated and macro-based teaching.
8. Identify criteria and strategies for developing project-based learning (PBL) curricula.
9. Understand how to select and use authentic materials and develop real-life activities to accompany them.
10. Learn about open educational resources (OERs) and how they can be beneficial in the HL classroom.

There is no charge for this workshop, but there is an application process. Click on the link above to apply.

For additional information, contact nhlrc@international.ucla.edu.