DEVELOPING LANGUAGE AUTONOMY OF HERITAGE LEARNERS IN CLASSROOM SETTINGS Seventh Heritage Language Research Institute UIC, 2013 Irina Dubinina, Brandeis University

Gaps in HLs Linguistic Performance Limited range of contexts for language use, hence… … associated vocabulary and register gaps … lack of precedented cultural knowledge (or background cultural knowledge) … lack of knowledge of the world that exists in language X and Lack of attention to grammatical fine print

Pedagogical challenges How can we create opportunities for students to use their HL in novel authentic contexts and how can we trace their skill development? How do we connect the larger world of language X with whats happening in the classroom of X as HL? How do we address each learners linguistic needs in a class of multiple and disparate proficiency levels?

Language Portfolio A graded semester-long project A collection of documented student work using authentic language (paper folder or electronic format)

Language Portfolio Students choose the topics of interest to them, but their choice is limited by the instructor and depends on the goals of the course. Topics and assignments have various degrees of difficulty. Students use their HL to solve real world tasks: e.g., receive factual authentic information (linguistic and cultural). Students can work at different levels of difficulty and choose their own schedule for completing assignments.

Examples of assignments For this task, go to the website of a Russian MacDonald's: Use the menu on the left and choose what you could have for one of the meals: на завтрак (for breakfast) на обед (for lunch) на ужин (for dinner) Make sure to use Russian (cursive letters) when making a list. (Your meal should include food and drink. Dessert is optional.) Now click on the "Состав и калории" (in red, right under the picture of the item) and count the total calories and percentages of fat, protein, carbs and fiber in your meal. Guess or look up the Russian equivalents of these words. You can add any other relevant information about your choices to your Portfolio.

Examples of assignments Portfolio Activity: Мир такой красочный! For this task, you will play with colors as if you were choosing an official color for a website. You will see basic colors and various combinations. Go to the website: First play with the two circles to find basic colors and combinations that you like, then make a list of them; pay attention to the spelling of these color names. Write down English equivalents of these words. Then make a list of 4-5 colors that are your favorites (either the color or the name looked attractive to you) AND that are adjectives (not a combination of an adjective and a noun as in "детская неожиданность"). Write out the words on paper, then combine these adjectives with nouns юбка, пальто, брюки, changing the endings of the adjectives appropriately. You can also find 2-3 colors whose names look very creative to you and write them down! NB: If the site above doesn't work, go to At the top of the page, click on "по названию", then type in some colors in English. Choose complex colors (not green, but "toad"; not pink, but "magenta"). Click on the tag that appears. The square below will change to the color you chose and right under it, there will be the name of the color in Russian.

Examples of assignments Русские продукты (Russian groceries) For this task, go to the website of a Russian store: Explore the various categories of foods by clicking on the pictures. Write out (use cursive) words of продукты that you don't know, but can figure out from the pictures or context. You can check yourself by using a dictionary. You can explore продукты in each category further and figure out how much things that you love to eat cost in Russian rubles and in dollars (considering that the current exchange rate is about 30 rubles to $1).

Examples of assignments McDonaldsGreat Patriotic War (WWII) Russian groceriesCheat sheets Russian-style Russian horoscopeProfessions Harry PotterStudent superstitions WeatherParasitic words Adopting a pet in RussiaJewish life in Moscow ColorsNews Moscow metroPostcards Jewish last namesRussian holidays Family members killed in WW II Winter Olympics 2014 in Sochi

Examples of assignments Portfolio Activity 4: Гарри Поттер Если вы читали книги или смотрели фильмы о Гарри Поттере, мальчике, который выжил, вам будет легко читать информацию о Гарри Поттере на русском. Зайдите на этот сайт: и с левой стороны найдите рубрику "КНИГИ" (после ПОРТАЛ и ФИЛЬМЫ), затем нажмите на "Персонажи." Запишите имена 6 самых интересных для вас персонажей и напишите несколько слов о каждом из них. (Check the spelling and word endings (as well as punctuation) against the text on the website). Alternate assignment: Если вам больше интересно узнать о заклинаниях (spells) и как их объясняют по- русски, нажмите на "Заклинания" (в рубрике "Книги"). Запишите 6 самых интересных для вас заклинаний и объясните по-русски, что они делают (Check the spelling and word endings (as well as punctuation) against the text on the website). Дальше вы можете исследовать (=explore) сайт сами.

Examples of assignments Portfolio Activity 9: Объединенная база данных "Мемориал" Если у вас в семье есть родственники, которые воевали в Великой отечественной войне (так называется Вторая мировая война в России и других постсоветских странах), вы можете найти информацию о них на этом сайте: Это база данных Министерства обороны Российской Федерации, которая включает в себя сведения о всех людях, которые воевали и погибли (или пропали без вести) во время войны. ** Пропасть без вести = missing in action. Вы должны написать как можно больше информация в поля поиска (имя, фамилия, отчество, год рождения, воинское звание = military rank). Если у вас нет всей информации, запишите только то, что вы знаете, но будьте готовы к тому, что база данных дасть вам список ВСЕХ людей с такой фамилией, а их может быть очень много. Если у вас никто не воевал, напишите свою фамилию в поле "фамилия" и посмотрите, сколько людей с вашей фамилией воевали и погибли. Выберите какого-нибудь одного человека (если у вас никто не воевал) или найдите своего родственника и напишите о его судьбе: когда он родился, когда погиб, от чего от умер (погиб или умер от ран в госпитале), где похоронен (или может быть, он пропал без вести?), куда была отправлена похоронка = документ, где говорится, что человек погиб (обычно это город или деревня, где живет его ближайший родственник (обычно мать или жена)), какое звание было у этого человека, в каком военном подразделении (army unit) он воевал и т.д. Распечатайте официальный документ с информацией об этом человеке.

Grading Based on rubrics Quantity Quality (grammar) Vocabulary Creativity

Rubrics for Portfolio Assignment I. Quantity25 points This item is somewhat subjective, as the "number" will vary according to the length and complexity of the items included in the Portfolio. As a rule, however, you should have short to medium length items in the final Portfolio on May 1 for the full credit. II. Use of Language30 points This rubric measures not only the actual amount of Russian used in the items in the Portfolio, but also the accuracy of the language. The ratio of old material to newer (how much of the item is practicing familiar language, and how much delves into new forms that you are trying out?) is also taken into account. III. Semantic Complexity30 points How many complex Russian words are actively used in each Portfolio item is the key question for this rubric. As the items increase in difficulty and complexity, the use of idiomatic Russian that is beyond what you normally use at home with your parents should rise in each item. IV. Creativity15 points For this rubric your attempt to use the item to develop and expand vocabulary, reinforce grammar, and stretch the limits of your ability in the language is measured. Creative use of media incorporated into the item and reflecting more language use is rewarded. ______________________________________________________________________________ TOTAL100 points

Logistics Assignments are prepared ahead of time and are made available at the start of the semester. Students work on items for the Portfolio all semester setting their own schedule. Completed items are collected twice in a semester (whatever is completed); no grade is assigned. Students can add new material to what has already been looked at; they dont have to correct mistakes identified by the instructor, but must take comments into account. Students turn in their Portfolios at the end of the semester for a grade.

Why is this useful? Portfolio helps broaden the context of authentic language use and increase students vocabulary & lingo-cultural knowledge. Portfolio serves as a great motivator (development over time; controlled freedom of topic choice). Portfolio allows everybody to work at their level. Portfolio develops several skills: reading for detailed information, reading/scanning, writing, attention to linguistic details (spelling, capitalization, punctuation, cognates*). Portfolio as one step toward becoming an autonomous heritage language learner.

HLs attention to morphology Heritage speakers dont sweat the small stuff and pay dearly for that: they have a relatively poor control of morphology which cascades and escalates into a series of greater apparent deficits such as problems with long-distance dependencies, binding, or agreement Heritage speakers have difficulty noticing and producing light functional elements ( Polinsky, HLRI 2009, Urbana-Champaign, IL) Pedagogical challenge: why are HSs unsuccessful in learning? new ways of explaining material (Polinsky, HLRI 2013, UIC)

Challenges of teaching Russian case system Russian has complex morphology (nouns gender, number, case) Heritage Russian has reduced gender and case system (Polinsky 1995, 2008; Smyslova 2009) HLs difficulty in recognizing unstressed endings (Sekerina, 2011)

Data-driven approach to teaching cases Assignments that allow students to use their general cognitive skills and remaining intuition to form hypotheses about their HL Guided step-by-step process Presenting a data set Initial observation Formulating hypothesis Checking hypothesis Refining hypothesis Finalizing and systematizing Exercises

Я пишу письмо бабушке. I write (a) letter to (my) grandmother. Я люблю гулять по Бостону. I love to walk around Boston. Миша подарил Тане цветы. Misha gave Tania flowers. Маше нравятся анекдоты про Штирлица. Masha likes jokes about Shtirlitz. Александре холодно. Aleksandra is cold. У вас есть учебник по математике? Do you have (a) textbook on math? Миша звонит бабушке каждый день. Misha calls (his) grandmother every day. В субботу они поедут в гости к тете. On Saturday they are going to (visit) (their) aunt. Presenting data set (Dative)

Initial observations Ask a question so that the underlined word serves as the answer. Can we assume that if all the words answer the same question, they belong to the same case? If yes, what does this case do? What meaning does it express? What are the observed endings for this case?

Formulating hypothesis What are the observed endings for this case? Your hypothesis is when asking the question to/for whom (something is done), nouns must end in either _______ or _______. Break down the endings by gender. Does the choice of the ending depend on the gender of the noun? Are all three genders represented in the data set? Analyze words of the missing gender. Do the endings fit in your hypothesis? Which previously observed gender do they fit?

Checking hypothesis Я звоню (I call): маме, папе, брату, сестре, подруге, другу, профессору, секретарю, Сергею, Мише, Дане, Владимиру, Лере, Саре, Ирине Евгеньевне, Йонатану, Якову, Давиду Мы ходили (we went for a walk around): по университету, коридору, улице, музею, городу, столице, комнате, общежитию

Checking hypothesis Use the nouns provided to complete the following sentences (orally): Я звоню/I call.... (Аня, Дина, Миша, студентка, подруга, дядя, Сара, Женя) What do you hear? What should you write if your hypothesis is correct?

Refining hypothesis Мы подошли к (we walked up to): лаборатории, Марии, Софии, Юлии Книга по (a book on): истории, химии, географии, антропологии Твоё отношение к (your attitude toward): жизни, любви, радости, храбрости, новости

Finalizing and systematizing What prepositions are associated with this case? What does this case do? What functions does it have? Summarize the system of endings in the form of a table.

Exercises Use the nouns provided to complete the following sentences, using your hypothesis (orally): Мы идем в гости к/ We are going (to visit).... (Аня, Дина, Миша, студентка, подруга, дядя, Сара, Женя) What do you hear? What should you write?

Exercises Comparing case endings: Я подарил машину подруге/Ja podaril mašinu podruge (I gave my girlfriend a car) VS Я подарил машину подруги/ Ja podaril mašinu podrugi (I gave my girlfriends car)

Exercises Mixing prepositions/cases: у бабушки, к бабушке, про бабушку U babuški, k babuške, pro babušku Substitution: Replace a masculine word in Dative with a feminine word in Dative (singular with plural)

Exercises Sentence completion (provided nouns) – controlled exercise Sentence creation (write/say 5 sentences with the Dative case) – free language use

Why is data-driven approach useful? Develops attention to both stressed and unstressed endings Focuses learners attention to form and meaning of grammatical morphemes Facilitates acquisition of grammatical norms?

Questions?