Less Common, Not Inconsequential: Building on What LCTLs Really Share
Presented at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Convention 2023 in Chicago, Illinois
Saturday, November 18th, 5:30-6:15pm
Description
Supporting less-commonly-taught languages collectively makes perfect sense on some levels. However, the teachers most in need of support may not identify themselves as LCTL teachers or see themselves reflected in LCTL-oriented opportunities offered by well-intentioned entities, including STARTALK, Title VI Language Resource Centers, and ACTFL. LCTLs may all have relatively low enrollments, but they are among the mostly widely spoken languages in the world, among the most significant heritage languages in the U.S., and linguistically distant from each other. Nevertheless, as the case studies presented in this session demonstrate, many parallels do unite these teachers, including lack of materials, heavy workloads, struggles with recruitment, minimal teacher preparation, and professional isolation. This session aims to celebrate existing efforts to support these essential languages but also to interrogate our assumptions so we can provide more effective training, resources, and advocacy.
Participation
Contribute to the conversation, even if you didn’t attend the live session!
What are the challenges of teaching your LCTL?
https://padlet.com/LanierPedPad/lctl_pd_actfl23
What PD content themes and materials would you prioritize? Upvote, downvote, or add.
What steps should we take to improve LCTL teacher professional development?
