Although the field of heritage language (HL) education is relatively new, the number of HL students and programs is rapidly increasing. Innovative research to identify teaching practices that better serve this student population is a priority. In this chapter, I present an overview of emerging trends within HL instructional practice. These practices are grouped into the following overlapping clusters that attempt to answer the questions of what to teach and how: (a) linguistic varieties; (b) use of technology; and (c) connections with home-language communities. Within each cluster, I briefly summarize some of the main points regarding advances in teaching practices presented in the chapters in this unit, pointing out the main advantages and challenges.
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Burgo, Clara
2020. The impact of study abroad on Spanish heritage language learners. Journal of Latinos and Education 19:3 ► pp. 304 ff.
Carreira, Maria M.
2021. The Vitality of Spanish as a Heritage Language in the United States. In The Cambridge Handbook of Heritage Languages and Linguistics, ► pp. 230 ff.
Lacorte, Manel
2018. Multiliteracies Pedagogy and Heritage Language Teacher Education: A Model for Professional Development. In Multiliteracies Pedagogy and Language Learning, ► pp. 197 ff.
2021. Heritage Languages around the World. In The Cambridge Handbook of Heritage Languages and Linguistics, ► pp. 11 ff.
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