Heritage By Design

Meagan and Gaby reflect on their experiences learning Greek as non-heritage learners and the new lens these experiences give us for viewing heritage language education. In this episode, we discuss how our own language learning as non-heritage speakers of Greek has influenced our understanding of student needs and what it takes to support meaningful learning for everyone in mixed heritage language classrooms.

Gaby and Meagan discuss ways that HL educators can prepare for fall heritage community- and project-based courses now and make innovative heritage courses more feasible. Have any other tips or advice to add? Leave us a comment or send us an email at [email protected] - we love to hear from you! :) 

Meagan and Gaby address some of the most prominent misconceptions of heritage speakers, both in- and outside the classroom, and discuss how to change and push back against some of these ideas. Have a misconception to add to the list? Drop us a comment!  

In this episode, we chat with Sophia, a heritage speaker and pre-med student majoring in Spanish and Public Health. She shares her journey navigating heritage language learning, finding community in heritage Spanish classes, and preparing for a future in medicine. Together, we discuss healthcare disparities, building trust in medical settings, and why language and culture matter deeply in patient care, especially for Latine communities.

Gaby and Meagan share the advice they gathered from heritage speakers across languages to enjoy the holiday season and feel good in their heritage roots and language with family and friends. Wishing everyone a happy holiday season! 

In this episode, Meagan and Gaby explore what well-being means in the context of heritage language learning. From intergenerational trauma to compassion and forgiveness, they discuss how understanding the past can help heritage speakers and signers move toward healing and flourishing in their heritage journeys. 

Starting out a series on heritage languages in pop culture, Meagan and Gaby comment on themes from the popular Latinx remake of One Day at a Time, starring Rita Moreno and Justina Machado. Topics include cultural heritage, mental health, and language use within Spanish heritage communities, as they come up in the episode. 

Join us for a new season with Paul Meighan-Chiblow, Indigenous heritage speaker of Scottish Gael. Paul tells us about his journey learning his heritage language, and the emotional ups and downs of maintaining an Indigenous language, including working through historical traumas, celebrating family support, and connecting to the land. 

Meagan and Gaby chat about the challenges that exist for in-group scholars in heritage language studies. Representation, positionality statements, allyship, and community-building, this episode dives into creating a field by and for the heritage community. 

Andre shares his experiences as a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), his advocacy work as a student at Gallaudet University, and on Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and ASL communities in the DMV. This episode is sponsored by HumanitiesDC! :)

*This is the audio-only version of the episode - head to our YouTube channel for the video, including ASL interpretation! 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wWMfJKlDVs&t=10s