Skip Navigation

Heritage Languages

The Center seeks to share and contribute to knowledge in heritage to help UC language faculty develop the immense potential of heritage learners. We offer resources in areas including guidelines for UC language faculty, teacher training, program and materials development, and research.

Guidelines for Heritage Teaching at UC

CWL has created two sets of guidelines for teaching heritage speakers at UC:

Instructional Guidelines

The instructional guidelines published in 2003 were the result of directed discussions at the 2002 Heritage Language Institute, sponsored by the UC Consortium on Language Learning and Teaching. The guidelines focus on recruitment and motivation, certification, placement exams, separate heritage tracks, materials, development, training and professional development, technology, sharing resources across UC campuses, research, and outreach and articulation.
View PDF file of the guidelines

Curricular Guidelines

The curricular guidelines published in 2003 were created with the support of an NEH Focus Grant, which funded the collaboration of UCLA faculty and outside experts. The guidelines focus on rationalization of curriculum design, instructional materials, assessment procedures, teacher training and media of instruction.
View the curricular guidelines online »

Teacher Training

  • UC Consortium Heritage Institute (2002)
    A five-day workshop to familiarize foreign language faculty with current research and practices in heritage language education. Guest speakers' presentations in PowerPoint and/or streaming video available.
  • Heritage Language Workshop (2005)
    A two-day workshop featuring presentations by scholars in the field, resources available at UC for heritage, and a review of current heritage projects.

Materials

  • Heritage Language Reading Project (in development). Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, this project is a computerized reading tutorial created for speakers who are learning to read in their heritage language. The project has two modules, one for Thai and one for Korean, and will be available online when completed.

Research

Report, Heritage Language Research Priorities Conference

Report, Heritage Language Research Priorities Conference

A report on the conference was published in 2000. The conference was hosted by UCLA and featured papers and discussion by invited scholars. Its goal was the articulation of a research agenda for the field.
View report online »

Survey of Heritage Language Teaching at UCLA

This survey project, conducted in 1999, was produced under the auspices of the Language Resource Center, by Helen Reid, in collaboration with Olga Kagan, Chairperson of the Foreign Language Resource Committee.
View survey online »

K-12 Schools

Japanese heritage language schools

A web map of Japanese heritage language schools in the United States. A project by Masako Douglas (CSU Long Beach)

French Heritage Language Program

The program serves students in New York City’s international schools. The site includes information on the program and a comprehensive page of links to online teaching resources.