Dr. Kim Potowski is a Professor of Hispanic linguistics in the Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is also a faculty affiliate in the Latin American and Latino Studies Program, the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and in the Social Justice Initiative. She is also the founding director of the Language in Context Research Group. Since 2009, she has served as Executive Editor of the journal Spanish in Context.
Most broadly, Dr. Potowski is interested in the promotion of minority languages and multilingualism, particularly via elementary schooling. Her work focuses on Spanish in the United States, including factors that influence intergenerational language transmission, connections between language and identity, and heritage language education. Some of her recent research topics include:
* Language development in dual immersion schools
* Mexican and Puerto Rican Spanish in Chicago, and the language and identity of mixed “Mexi-Rican” individuals
* Teaching heritage languages, particularly Spanish in the U.S.
* Spanish use in Chicago quinceañera celebrations
* The use of “Spanglish” in commercially published greeting cards
At the Winter Conference, attendees will participate in a Talk and Workshop with Dr. Potowski. See below for details...
Talk:
"Apples and oranges: Best approaches in working with Spanish heritage speakers"
Heritage Spanish speakers have linguistic, affective, and academic characteristics that require very different pedagogical approaches. Separate courses are the best way to address their needs appropriately, but when this is not possible, instructors must make adjustments in the regular Spanish classroom. This talk covers ways to differentiate our processes and products to best serve the linguistic and affective profiles of heritage speakers.
Workshop:
"Spanish variation: Why teachers should respect haiga and La rufa está liqueando."
Spanish lexicon and grammar vary widely around the extensive geographical locations in which it is spoken, including the U.S. However, as is the case with all languages, some variants are considered prestigious while others are stigmatized. In this session, we explore some common stigmatized Spanish variants, including monolingual features such as haiga (haya) and bilingual features such as codeswitching and borrowing from English. We see who determines that they are stigmatized and why, and what teachers can do to respect variation while simultaneously promoting formal language uses.
REGISTRATION will open soon in Jan. 2020!
Most broadly, Dr. Potowski is interested in the promotion of minority languages and multilingualism, particularly via elementary schooling. Her work focuses on Spanish in the United States, including factors that influence intergenerational language transmission, connections between language and identity, and heritage language education. Some of her recent research topics include:
* Language development in dual immersion schools
* Mexican and Puerto Rican Spanish in Chicago, and the language and identity of mixed “Mexi-Rican” individuals
* Teaching heritage languages, particularly Spanish in the U.S.
* Spanish use in Chicago quinceañera celebrations
* The use of “Spanglish” in commercially published greeting cards
At the Winter Conference, attendees will participate in a Talk and Workshop with Dr. Potowski. See below for details...
Talk:
"Apples and oranges: Best approaches in working with Spanish heritage speakers"
Heritage Spanish speakers have linguistic, affective, and academic characteristics that require very different pedagogical approaches. Separate courses are the best way to address their needs appropriately, but when this is not possible, instructors must make adjustments in the regular Spanish classroom. This talk covers ways to differentiate our processes and products to best serve the linguistic and affective profiles of heritage speakers.
Workshop:
"Spanish variation: Why teachers should respect haiga and La rufa está liqueando."
Spanish lexicon and grammar vary widely around the extensive geographical locations in which it is spoken, including the U.S. However, as is the case with all languages, some variants are considered prestigious while others are stigmatized. In this session, we explore some common stigmatized Spanish variants, including monolingual features such as haiga (haya) and bilingual features such as codeswitching and borrowing from English. We see who determines that they are stigmatized and why, and what teachers can do to respect variation while simultaneously promoting formal language uses.
REGISTRATION will open soon in Jan. 2020!
Latest World Languages News for California:
Happy 50th Birthday, CLTA! Join us in April 2020 in Anaheim, CA as we celebrate CLTA's 50 Years of Multilingual Magic at SWCOLT's Regional Conference on World Languages at Disneyland! Click on the image below for more info and hotel bookings! Rooms are first-come, first-served at their discounted rate exclusively for us!
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