Sheri Spaine Long Professional Development Webinar Series

 

Our fall lineup of distinguished speakers has been carefully curated to have something of high value and interest for all of our members. We are very grateful for the generosity of our presenters and honored to feature their work at the AATSP.

 

Upcoming FEATURED WEBINARS

 

Spanish as a heritage language: The Bad Bunny effect vs "No sabo kid" narratives

Monday, December 1, 7:00pm ET 

Professor Kim Potowski, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL

Many heritage speakers suffer a “triple bullying”. First, the country is approximately 80% monolingual in English with many people insisting that other languages do not belong here. Next, some Spanish teachers damage heritage speakers’ linguistic self-esteem by labelling their family and community ways of speaking as “incorrect”. Finally, perhaps most painfully, members of their own families and communities frequently mock the ways they speak (or don’t speak) Spanish. The term “no sabo kids” is often intended to make fun of people who, though no agency of their own, did not develop strong levels of Spanish. Although some are now defending the “no sabo” identity and pushing back against the intended shame implied in the term, it is not surprising that many heritage speakers prefer to abandon Spanish altogether. Why and how should Spanish teachers counter all three of these narratives and empower our students to continue growing their Spanish abilities? Some recent stances espoused by Bad Bunny towards Spanish in general and Puerto Rican Spanish in particular provide excellent ideas for inspiration.

To register for this talk, click here. 

 

Empowering Heritage Learners with Generative AI and Student-Centered Approaches

Tuesday, December 2, 7:00pm ET

Ivette Dobarganes, Stephen T. Mather Building Arts and Craftsmanship High School, New York City, NY 

This talk will present strategies to promote the active use of Spanish among heritage learners through student-centered approaches and the use of generative artificial intelligence. Using comprehensible methods and interactive activities, participants will discover how to integrate tools such as Adobe Express Generative AI so that students can create original content while strengthening their linguistic and cultural identity.

To register for this talk, click here. 

 

Heritage Language Teaching Exchange

Wednesday, December 3, 7:00 pm ET

Join us for a gathering of HL specialists from all levels of education for an open conversation and Q&A on best practices, challenges, and innovations in heritage language teaching. Bring your questions and suggestions for improving teaching. 

Middle school: Maria Dessipris, Glen Ridge High School, Glen Ridge, NJ 
Secondary: Ivette Dobarganes, Stephen T. Mather Building Arts and Craftsmanship High School, NY, NY 
Community College: Alejandro Lee, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, CA 
University: Sendy Rhone, Texas Woman’s University, Denton TX  

To register for this event, click here.