Heritage language learning in a distance environment: Creating a shared identity

Nelleke Van Deusen-Scholl

As increasing number of language courses are taught through some form of distance technology, pedagogical approaches are adapting to the needs of these new, technology-mediated learning environments. Ongoing developments in technology have made possible rich opportunities for learner interaction and collaboration, both synchronously and asynchronously (cf. White, 2017). Nevertheless, the distance classroom poses unique challenges to learners in terms of attaining a sense of shared experience and establishing common goals. For heritage learners (HLs) in particular, the search for identity is often at the core of their motivation to study their language of origin (cf. He, 2014), and this raises the question of how this can be accomplished outside the cohesion of a physically shared space.

In this talk, I will focus specifically on how HLs can create a sense of shared identity and negotiate their complex multilingual identities within a virtual community of practice. I will provide some examples from the Shared Course Initiative, a collaborative project among Yale, Columbia and Cornell to share less commonly taught languages. These case studies yield new insights into the role of technology in the teaching of HLs, gaining a more nuanced perspective on learner identity, and applying current SLA theories to heritage language acquisition.

Super-Diversity or Super-Adversity? Conflicting Directions in Language and Educational Ideologies and the New Political Reality

Terrence G. Wiley, Ph.D.

In the new political reality of the recent presidential campaign and election, there is much that seems old as we witness the resurgence of nationalist, isolationist, and anti-immigrant and racist themes from the past century. Meanwhile, much of the recent focus in applied linguistics has been on the impact of neoliberalism and globalization in language policy, “super-diversity” as representing new and unprecedented forms of social and ethnolinguistic diversity, as well as critiques of language rights discourses. While many of these recent trends in scholarship have been heuristically interesting and helped to broaden, and deepen the intellectual focus of field, they often underemphasized the role of the nation-state and the need for “protective” minority rights. Against this background, this presentation shifts its focus to the resurgence of nationalism, the rise of the “ALT Right”, BREXIT, and anti-immigrant and nativist discourses and ideologies. It argues that a renewed focus on the role of the nation-state in promoting restrictive policies as instruments of social control is necessary, especially given resurgent threats to linguistic, educational, and human rights. The talk analyzes the relationship between nativism, and educational language policies in the U.S. It then considers the implications of historical immigration and restrictive language policies as threats to human rights. Of particular concern is the ongoing influence of “states’ rights” ideologies and corollary newly repressive immigration policies. After reviewing these challenges, the paper concludes by noting recent positive examples where advocacy for language and educational rights are having positive effects against the undertow of neo-nativism on the populations served by applied linguistics.