(This is a two-part blog post…find part 2 with the highlights of the second half of sessions here!)
Hello! It’s been so long since we’ve posted a blog post I’m afraid we’ve forgotten how 🙂 I know teaching has gotten exponentially harder in the last months (and years! Eek!) since we’ve last posted, and I hope you are taking care of yourselves, friends.
I have carved out time to listen to the ABSOLUTELY AMAZING sessions of the 2024 Heritage Teacher Summit and it was super important to me to make time to do that so I could share some of my takeaways with you, while there is still time to buy your own ticket. My favorite part of this PD is that it is really affordable ($49 for access to 12 sessions) and super accessible (you get 6 months of access and can watch whenever is convenient for you!). But, a lot of times, I watch the sessions after the chance to purchase tickets is over, and when I share some of the awesome takeaways, people always have the same question: How can I watch that?
So…ta da! Here it is friends, a quick rundown of all my amazing takeaways from the sessions I’ve watched so far! I’ll be posting a part 2 soon with the second half of the sessions, so don’t miss that! And if this sounds like something you don’t want to miss…don’t forget to purchase your ticket before February 29, 2024!
Session 1: Empowering Heritage Language Educators: Adapting Teaching Methods for Diverse Proficiency Levels in a Single Classroom, Alana Kubeczka
This was such a great session to start off with! I love that Alana starts by saying, “What were the things I wish I’d known or learned about when I first started teaching heritage?” and she names two things: 1) even though it feels like you’re alone as a heritage teacher, you’re not alone, and 2) let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the extreme range of proficiency levels in one classroom. She goes on to name several strategies of how we can make our classrooms successful even with such a diversity of levels, including flexible group, role rotation, and varied materials. I love that this session will be helpful for teachers of pure heritage classrooms and teachers of mixed heritage-non heritage classrooms alike.
Session 2: Indigenous Perspectives & Practices in Heritage Language Courses, Dr. Marta Silva
It is such a pleasure any time I get to sit and listen to Dr. Silva, a friend, colleague, and fellow co-conspirator in this wonderful work. I found myself taking deep breaths and really slowing down to try and process her thoughts; I really loved how she took a decolonial stance even in how she approached her presentation. “I know this is pre-recorded, but how can we create a space of co-learning and community?” “I know objectives usually come at the beginning, but who says they can’t come at the end?” I appreciated her humility when sharing about this topic and her vulnerability; I especially loved that she encouraged us to be “curious without judgment.” I left with so many ideas of how I can begin and continue to tweak and change my units to incorporate and center more Indigenous voices. This session, too, would be super helpful for all language teachers.
Session 3: Navigating the Many Faces of Authentic Resources, Arianne Dowd
I have enjoyed attending Arianne’s presentations for many years and have purchased many of her well-designed Tpt materials for my classes over the years. This presentation was so fun because she showed how she has used different types of authentic materials (dolls, coins, paintings, etc.) as a jumping off point to create an entire cultural unit for her students. She shares several in-depth examples of how she centers authentic resources but makes it exciting and engaging, and successful for students. This would be a fantastic session for all language teachers, not just heritage teachers.
Session 4: Picture Books Are For Big Kids Too!, Angela Oropeza
Although the first three sessions would be excellent resources for any Spanish teacher, Angela’s session was uniquely suited to a Spanish heritage classroom. I loved this session so much! I was imagining an overview of the benefits of childrens’ books in the HS classroom with some examples, but instead Angela shares very detailed examples with us and shares so many resources so that we, too, could easily incorporate these activities in our classrooms. She details how her students wrote their own (GORGEOUS) versions of “If Dominican Were a Color / Si Quisqueya fuera un color.” She also discusses the how/why she teaches “Mis dos pueblos fronterizos” by David Bowles and “Lola” by Junot Diaz. I loved all her thoughts on how to have these hard conversations in class.
Session 5: Poesia Slam in a Heritage Classroom, Michaela McCaughey
A dear friend and colleague of mine, I love being in the trenches with Michaela and I love hearing her present. Her units are so exciting and incorporate the arts in such unique ways, I learn so much and always walk away wanting to try to do all the things! It’s fitting this session follows Angela’s because it does seem perfect for a Spanish heritage class. I was so impressed by this “Poesía Slam” project because it is such a beautiful representation of what I feel like is the perfect heritage class project: student ownership in every detail in every nook and cranny, a high level of literacy knowledge and mastery, and connection to the community. It was so beautifully thought-out and executed, I am so glad I watched it! I am racking my brain for how this might fit into my own curriculum.
Session 6: Preparing for the 2024 AP Spanish Language and Culture exam using Heritage Classroom relevant films!, Oscar Guzmán
It’s always a privilege to get to hear Oscar present on what he’s so passionate about: using film in the classroom. He has such a depth of knowledge on this topic, and I’m so glad he is presenting this year to share it with us! I love that he spends slide after slide reminding us (and allowing us to convince admin) of why film matters and why it’s so valuable in our classroom. I love that he reminds us that most kids are going to forget the article, the short story, even the book, but very few kids are going to forget a great film. In addition, he goes through a few films and shares a ton of ideas on how we can use that film in our classroom. He even shares movie guides with us for “A Million Miles Away,” and “In the Heights.” In addition to all the great recommendations he shares during the session, he shares a huge list of recommended movies for the AP Spanish Classroom, organized by AP theme! And for each movie, he lists the country it’s about and the year it came out; a really invaluable resource. This session would be great for any teacher that teaches upper level Spanish, heritage or not.
Wow! I’m only halfway through and I’m so impressed by the amazing content from these presenters. I hope you’re convinced too! For a price point of $49 and 6 months of access to these 6 sessions PLUS 6 more…it is really an unbeatable option. And if you’re keeping track, you’ll see that many of the sessions are relevant to all Spanish teachers! (See the chart I had to make myself below.) Don’t miss this amazing PD opportunity; tickets are only on sale until February 29, 2024.
| Specifically for heritage Spanish teachers | For any Spanish teacher | For any World Language teacher | |
| Session 1: Diverse proficiency levels in a single classroom | X | X | |
| Session 2: Indigenous Perspectives | X | X | |
| Session 3: Authentic resources | X | ||
| Session 4: Picture books | X | ||
| Session 5: Poesia Slam | X | ||
| Session 6: Preparing for the AP test using films | X |
Don’t forget to that this is only the first part is a two-part blog post…find part 2 with the highlights of the second half of sessions here!!
Happy teaching, friends!
Adrienne
Adventures in Heritage Teaching 
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