Teaching Nontraditional Language Learners: Issues and Opportunities

TitleTeaching Nontraditional Language Learners: Issues and Opportunities
Faculty/College/UnitEducation
StatusCompleted
Duration3 Years
Initiation04/01/2002
Completion03/31/2005
Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2002/2003
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorPatricia A. Duff
Year 1: Funded Amount28,400
Year 1: Team Members

Patricia A. Duff, Director, Centre for Intercultural Language Studies / Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education
Ken Bryant, Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts
Ross King, Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts
Mackie Chase, Centre for Intercultural Communication, UBC Continuing Studies

Year 1: Summary

This project will examine language programs at UBC with large numbers of “non-traditional” language learners (NTLLs) whose backgrounds, needs and interests are different from those of traditional language learners. “Non-traditional” in this context includes heritage language learners (e.g., students of Chinese or Korean Descent learning Mandarin or Korean, respectively) or students from ESL backgrounds (e.g., Cantonese) learning a third language (e.g. Japanese, with a writing system similar to Chinese). NTLLs often have distinct levels of cultural, linguistic, and literate familiarity, in comparison with traditional monolingual English learners, posing great challenges for instructors. This TLEF grant in its first year will examine innovative approaches to teaching heavily subscribed Asian languages (Mandarin, Korean, Japanese), by exploring the needs of instructors and students, preparing practical workshops for instructors, seeking and/or developing high caliber interactive, language/culture materials (including internet/new media/computer software), and then evaluating the effectiveness of these materials and approaches. Graduate students in Education (Modern Language Education) and Arts (Asian Studies), together with Centre for Intercultural Language Studies (CILS) members, will undertake this TLEF project, with additional input from undergraduate students in Asian Studies and experts outside of UBC. Thousands of students and dozens of instructors will potentially benefit from this project.

Year 2: Project YearYear 2
Year 2: Funding Year2003/2004
Year 2: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 2: Principal InvestigatorPatricia A. Duff
Year 2: Funded Amount25,000
Year 2: Team Members

Patricia A. Duff, Director, Centre for Intercultural Language Studies / Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education
Ross King, Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts
Leif Olsen, Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts
Caroline Rieger, Central, Northern and European Studies, Faculty of Arts
Ulrike Tallowitz, Central, Northern and European Studies, Faculty of Arts
Adelheid O'Brien, Central, Northern and European Studies, Faculty of Arts
Luisa Canuto, French, Italian and Hispanic Studies, Faculty of Arts
Jocelyn Baverel, French, Italian and Hispanic Studies, Faculty of Arts
Sandra Zappa, Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education
Martin Guardado, Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education
Emy Nakamura, Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education
Yayoi Shinbo, Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education
Ruth Guo, Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education

Year 2: Summary

This project will examine language programs at UBC with large numbers of "non-traditional" language learners (NTLLs), whose cultural backgrounds, needs, interests, and prior literacies are different from those of traditional, domestic native English ­speaking language learners. NTLLs for the purpose of this project includes heritage language learners (e.g., students of Chinese or Korean descent learning Mandarin or Korean, respectively) and students from ESL backgrounds (e.g., Cantonese) learning a third language (e.g., Japanese, with a writing system similar to Chinese; or Mandarin, learning German, without the related European cultural schemata).

In the first year of the TLEF grant (2002-03), our team has focused on Asian languages (esp. Japanese, and to a lesser extent Mandarin), since these languages arguably have the largest numbers of NTLLs and some of the fewest resources (for this population), and because we have qualified students and faculty interested in working with these language groups.

In its second year, this TLEF grant will continue the initiatives begun in the first year, with a wider focus, to include: Korean, Mandarin, German, French, Italian, and Spanish NTLLs and to include some new faculty/student collaborators. We will examine the needs of instructors and students, prepare practical instructional workshops, survey related research and initiatives internationally (esp. in Australia and USA), seek and/or develop high-caliber interactive language/culture materials (including internet/new media/computer software), and then evaluate the effectiveness of these materials and approaches. Graduate students in Language and Literacy Education and in Arts (Asian and European language programs), together with Centre for Intercultural Language Studies (CILS) members and associates, will undertake this TLEF project. with additional input from undergraduate students in language programs and experts outside UBC. Thousands of students and dozens of instructors will potentially benefit from this project.

Year 3: Project YearYear 3
Year 3: Funding Year2004/2005
Year 3: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 3: Principal InvestigatorPatricia A. Duff
Year 3: Funded Amount22,550
Year 3: Team Members

Patricia A. Duff, Director, Centre for Intercultural Language Studies / Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education
Patricia A. Shaw, Director, First Nations Language Program / Linguistics, Faculty of Education
Duanduan Li, Director, Chinese Language Program / Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts
Sandra Zappa-Hollman, Ph.D. Student, Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education
Yuan Tianxuan, M.A. Student, Modern Languages Education

Year 3: Summary

This project will improve language and language teacher education programs at UBC with large proportions of "nontraditional" language learners (NTLLs), whose cultural backgrounds, needs, interests, and prior literacies are different from those of traditional, domestic native-English-speaking foreign language learners. NTLLs in this project include heritage-language-learners (e.g., Chinese-descent students learning Mandarin, of whom there are about 2500/yr at UBC; and First Nations (FN) students learning and revitalizing endangered FN languages); and/or non-Anglo-students learning a third language (e.g., Chinese students learning German in the 2003-04 project). In the 1st year of the TLEF grant (2002-03), our team focused on Asian languages and communities (esp. Japanese, and to a lesser extent Mandarin) and ESL; in the 2nd year (2003-04), the linguistic focus widened to include NTLLs in Korean, Mandarin, German, French, and Italian programs; in the third year (2004-05), we will focus on Mandarin, FN languages, and general NUL teacher-education issues and related research. Innovative multimedia materials and websites will be developed for Mandarin and FN programs, as well as print-based teaching resources and manuals (for Int./Adv .. Mandarin; and FNLG 100B & 200B).

Education TLEF members will provide leadership on teacher-education initiatives for teachers of NTLLs; TLEF website development, including annotated bibliographies of heritage-language education and research; and workshops. Graduate and undergraduate students will be integrally involved and thousands of students at UBC and the wider education/language communities will benefit from improved, innovative instruction and awareness of issues.