Perceptions of Heritage and Domestic Students

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Describe your experiences working with Heritage Language Learners in your Korean courses. They are interesting.

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Reflections - So-Eun makes a case that heritage language learners are much more heterogeneous than the label suggests and she describes the different kinds of HLLs in her class. Do you agree with her about the diversity of HLLs? What kinds of students have you had in your classes? Are there labels for students that you feel would be more appropriate? How so?

So-Eun describes her domestic students as better at reading than speaking but finds her heritage language students are embarrassed by their accents when asked to read aloud in class.

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Reflections - Have you found that your students seem embarrassed by their accents, whether they are heritage language or domestic? If so, how have you dealt with this in your language classes?

So-Eun asks individual students to read sentences from the textbook aloud and provide a translation.

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Reflections - As a language learner and/or teacher, do you think reading aloud in class is an effective way to foster greater oral language proficiency? Do you feel it is an effective instructional strategy for both heritage language and domestic students?

So-Eun describes her heritage language students as less mature, complaining more often, and not taking their class work seriously.

SE: I: sp- usually speak to heritage students in Korean. And, even even the class is over even the class is over. And it’s like a pattern I think um it’s like a pattern. Other students like domestic students? They are they are behave like un adults. They’re behav- they’re adults, right? They’re adults. And and they’re not asking me such as um “There’s no too much homework” or that kind of complaints right? Or “no more quizzes” or that kind of complaints. He- they never do that. They never do that. er- or- I know sometimes you know a lot of homework and all that-or quizzes but they never complain to me. But um heritage students they are complaining to me. I don’t know why they’re complaining. So yeah, yeah that’s true yeah yeah that’s true you know domestic students are doing their work diligently and whenever they-so, I don’t know, whenever we have like like discussion, do you have- you have to do this this and this and sometimes you know domestic domestic students say something about it that’s too much we need more time. And I really accept that. But um heritage students? I’m, tsk (laughs)doing again, ok complaining again cause um they’re always complaining and and I can’t say all of them are like that but, there are some heritage students complain a lot and just I just cannot I just happen to treat them like a babies like babies. So these (students students this is)

Reflections - Have you found this to be the case with your heritage language students? If so, how do you respond to them? Do you think So-Eun’s response ['I treat them like babies'] is appropriate?

So-Eun encourages a resistant heritage language student to include more complex ideas and more complete sentences in the dialogue he is writing.

T: (T is walking around and see students working) 율필아 선생님이 [Yulphil, I (teacher) will] underline 해줄테니까 [do that (for you]] think about spellings again

P: [xxxx]

T: 음 음음음 [hmmm] 이거 [this] 그리고 또 맛있다 냉면 [and it’s good, the cold noodles] she's not gonna say 냉면 [cold noodles] right

P: yes she is

T: can I have one 냉면[cold noodles] or can I get a 냉면 [cold noodles]

P: she's talking [xxxx]

T: I don't know too simplified

P: she's talking like that

T: 아 맛있다 [ah, that’s good] 아이쿠 [oh]

S: [xxxx] you get

T: [xxxx] again T is walking around again

T: [xxxx]

T: [xxxx] he is saying something to her

S: [xxxx]

T: (laugh) well

T: (to Phil) 다 했어? [finished?] 아이쿠 미안해요 [oh, I’m sorry] 그냥 돈을 주세요 [just give (me) money] 다 했어 [finished?] hmm? 다 했어? [finished?] 다 해야지 [(you) should finish all] finish it (to class) if you guys are done making story practice em, like practice em one person has to be 이미숙씨 [Ms. Misuk Lee] and the other person has to be waitress or 아저씨 [the man] so look at letter 다 [ta] there is waitress right? So she have to say something what do you want to order

T: (to phil) 냉면 [cold noodles?] 예 [yes] too simple make a sentence

Reflections - Three times during this clip, So-Eun asks one of her heritage language students to expand upon the dialogue he is writing. Have you found your heritage language students are resistant to your attempts to get them to use the language in artificial classroom-types of activities? If so, how have you dealt with this issue?

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