Ideas for the discussion on the effectiveness of heritage language teaching | HLT

Where do you personally see the positive effects of HLT (i.e., your classroom instruction!) on your students, independently of the research results? Please express, substantiate and discuss some relevant points!

In what respects are you not quite sure as to the effectiveness and the benefits of HLT (and your classes) in the place where you teach? Why? Please express, substantiate and discuss these points as well!

Please review once more chapter 15 A.2, “Research in the US”: How do you personally assess the effect of HLT on your students‘ proficiency in their first language or mother tongue?

Please review once more chapter 15 A.2, “Research in the US”: What effects do you see between attending HLT classes and student success in the school system of the host country? In your view, are these effects mainly the result of participation in HLT, or are they attributable to the fact that HLT is primarily frequented by children from educated families (i.e. by children who have good prospects in school anyway)?

Chapter 15 A.4 provides a critical review of Hartmut Esser’s position. It implies that knowledge of the first language or mother tongue plays no role for school success in the migration; the decisive factor is the competence in the language of the immigration country. What is your opinion? How would you counter Esser’s theory, or in what way should it be amended?

Chapter 15 A.5 sugggests that a better coordination between HLT and regular classroom instruction would be highly desirable, also in terms of students‘ performance in HLT. Do you personally have any experiences in this area, and/or what are your desires and hopes in this context?

In chapter 15 B, Edina Krompàk presents the main findings of her research project as well as an outlook concerning HLT in German-speaking Switzerland. To what extend do these findings and perspectives correspond to yours? Where are the differences? Could they be related to the specific situation in the country where you currently live and teach?

Considering the topic of this chapter – Studies on the effectiveness of native language education – state of research, research problems, need for research –: in your opinion, what would be important for a deeper analysis and research concerning HLT in the country where you live and work, in terms of its effectiveness and the possibilities of improving this effectiveness?

Practice section: Report about a research project on the first and second language development

Conclusion: optimal HLT instruction - a vision for the future

Table of Contents

Topic Information

1st – 3rd grade 4th – 6th grade 7th – 9th grade

Explanations, abbreviations
First language	Also mother tongue or family language: the first language a child has learned and speaks at home. Some children have two first languages.
School language	The language that is spoken in the schools of the host country. In addition, the local dialect may count as an environment language.
Abbreviations	S: Student T: Teacher (instructor)

Legend for indications referencing organizational form, class, time requirements concerning teaching proposals:
	IW = Individual Work
	WP = Working with a partner
	SG = Small Groups
	WC = Whole Class
2nd – 4th grade	Suitable for... to... (e.g. 2nd – 4th grade). Keeping in mind that this designation may vary according to the requirements of the individual students.
20 minutes	Approximate time requirement, e.g. 20 minutes. (Estimated time varies, must be determined by the instructor according to the level and the requirements of the class).