Spanish in the professions and in the community in the US

The learning and teaching of Spanish as a heritage language through community service-learning in New York City

“…They also took notice of how essential it is to try out various strategies and approaches to attain a final goal. As a result, respondents reported that the service they provided and the skills they developed through the CSL experience showed them how they could become more involved in education and helped make them better future teachers (Lafford et al, 2014). Of equal relevance is the finding that the experience helped them define their individual professional goals.…”

“…The fields of languages for specific purposes (LSP) and community servicelearning (CSL) have gained considerable popularity in US higher education over the last twenty years (Long & Uscinski, 2012;Lafford, Abbott & Lear, 2014;Sánchez-López, Long & Lafford, 2017). Most of the research thus far has examined the potential impact of both disciplines on second language (L2) learners (e.g., Lafford, 2012;Lamboy & Thompson, 2012;Lear, 2012;Sánchez-López, 2013;Abbott, 2017;Salgado-Robles & Kirven, in press; just to name a few).…”

Heritage language learners and Spanish for specific purposes: Bridging the gap through community service learning

“…Yet in spite of the apparent ascent of SSP in the academy, seamless integration into post-secondary Spanish programs remains an obstacle for a variety of reasons. Lafford, Abbott and Lear (2014) conclude that LSP "is a square peg that we are trying to fit into the round hole of traditional university language curricula (language and linguistics)" (Lafford et al, 2014: 98). Brown and Thompson (2018) identify three primary challenges going forward for SSP in the American post-secondary context: (1) the diverse nature of SSP students, their profile, and their needs, (2) the tri-partite structure of LSP courses mentioned previously that requires balancing topical knowledge, linguistic skills, and domain-specific cultural mores, and (3) the transformation of institutional cultures from those that are faculty-centered and resistant to change to those that are student-centered and embrace curricular innovation.…”

“…Quite ironically, student diversity, particularly in the case of SHLs, can lead to more meaningful and transformative experiences when accounted for prudently. In spite of the many administrative and programmatic struggles that undermine effective and systematic implementation into post-secondary Spanish curricula as identified by Lafford et al (2014) and Brown and Thompson (2018), SSP may function as a conduit to greater engagement among SHLs at post-secondary institutions. When SSP is deployed primarily via community service learning (CSL) the potential for learning of all types to take place is maximized.…”

Special issue: Advances in Spanish for specific purposes in the United States: Connecting the heritage language pedagogy and the Hispanic community

“…Therefore, extensive research has been devoted to addressing how best to prepare students by enabling them to gain high-level language and intercultural competencies that will serve them personally and professionally in the international scenario of the twenty-first century. In this development, there have been three key factors that second language (L2) pedagogy experts and language programs directors have focused on separately: community, heritage language (HL) pedagogy, and language for specific purposes (LSP) (Wurr & Hillebrandt, 2007, inter alia;Abbott & Lear, 2010;Sánchez-López, 2013;Lafford, 2012;Lafford, Abbott & Lear, 2014). The eight papers in the present issue of this journal discuss innovative practices and findings in teaching Spanish for specific purposes in a variety of fields, such as academic Spanish, education, intercultural competence, interpretation, and translation.…”