Syllabus

Springfield MA School District 

Instructor: Diana Scalera
Assistant Media Coordinator
Region 5 Media Center
MS 202 Q
138-30 Lafayette Street
Ozone Park, New York 11417
Phone: 718 848 5242
email: dmscalera@yahoo.com

Heritage Languages, Motivation and Technology June 28 – June 30, 2006

Objectives:

  1. To identify and investigate the relationship between teacher, student and community and its impact on heritage learner success;
  2. To examine assessment and placement of students in your particular schools into heritage learner courses and develop recommendations to create better placement;
  3. To examine curricular goals for heritage language students and make recommendations for improvement;
  4. To identify technology and Internet resources that will enrich instruction and lesson planning and make recommendations for developing the use of technology in the heritage language classroom.
  5. To create a web site for use in your classroom.
  6. To create recommendations for improvements to instruction available for heritage learners to share with the Springfield School District.

Recommended Textbooks and Resources:

National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project. Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century. Lawrence, Kansas: Allen Press, Inc. (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages), 1996.

ACTFL K-12 Performance Guidelines, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

Teaching Heritage Language Learners: Voices from the Classroom. Webb, John B. and Miller, Barbara L. Eds. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Yonkers, NY. 2000.

New York State Learning Standards for Native Language Arts

Participant Tasks:

  1. Participate in all discussions.
  2. Examine current programs and practices.
  3. Participate in a message board discussion that describes what is currently available for heritage students and how those services can be improved.
  4. Evaluate the experience and identify how technology can be integrated into the heritage language classroom.
  5. Create a web site that can be used with your students.

Course Calendar:

June 28: Who are heritage learners, their parents, their teachers and how can this information improve instruction? How can understanding the characteristics of heritage learners help improve placement and instruction?

June 29: What do we teach and how do we teach it? Investigate three strands of instruction: Affective, Academic and Behavioral.

June 30: What is the role of technology in the classroom? Compilation of web site and recommendations to the district. Assembling web site. Creating a document for discussion ( a message board?) to share your ideas with the district.