Feeling Stuck? Ways to Springboard Heritage Language Learning
Heritage language acquisition is a process that has times of growth, plateaus, and regression. This variability can be exciting, but it can also be discouraging. It is important to expect this bumpy ride, enjoy the periods of growth, tolerate the plateaus, and learn ways to reset during periods of challenges. Here are some recommendations about how to maximize your learning during each of these stages.
Celebrate the periods of growth - When you experience a period of growth in your home language skills, it is crucial to affirm your hard work and skills. Intentionally enjoying the feeling as well as the reinforcement your receive from others is important. Take time to write about why you are leanring the language and the feelings you have now so they will be available as a reminder at times when you may hit a bump in your learning. This activity serves to illuminate the intrinsic motivation, the internal reasons, for learning the language. Research suggests that intrinsic motivation, rooted in the pleasure and interest the language brings to a person, is essential to the learning process. It is also useful to celebrate the extrinsic motivation, the positive responses you receive from others, that have also be found to encourage language growth. To savor the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation you can re-read your narrative about how the positive experience serves to reinforce your learning in the present and can act as a powerful buttress during more challenging times in the learning process.
Accept plateaus and have realistic expectations - Much of the literature on language acquisition notes that it is crucial to have realistic expectations about the learning process, which includes periods where learning will level off. During these periods it is useful to recognize that language learning is a marathon, not a race, and be kind and patient with yourself. Experts say “To stay motivated remember what you love about your heritage language.” and this can be accomplished by rereading your narrative about why you are committed to learning your heritage language and how past growth in the language made you feel.
Anticipate challenges and move to reset - Knowing there will be periods where you feel like your skills are regressing is important to anticipate. During these times it can be helpful to look at your goals and determine if they are realistic or need to be reframed. This might involve setting small interim goals that feel acheiveable to build in a sense of progress toward the bigger goals. Maria Carreria, co-founder of the National Heritage Language Resource Center at UCLA, recommends that you catalog your strengths among the four categories of language learning (listening, reading, speaking, and writing) and use them to learn. If you strength is listening and you build goals related to listening into your refined plan, this can boost your motivation and push you out of a period of lack of progress.
Armed with an understanding of the stages that occur in the process of heritage language learning, you can proceed with realistic expectation and utilize tools at each stage that help you move forward. Fasten your seat belt, prepare for those bumps, and enjoy the journey!
Information for this piece was sourced from:
Photo credit: Matt Duncan for Unsplash.
