Professional Development of Heritage Language Instructors: Profiles, Needs, and Course Evaluation

Vitality of Heritage Languages and Education

“…Teaching Greek in heterogeneous multilevel classesand in the case of primary and secondary education of different age groupsis a challenge for educators who also synthesize a community with diverse characteristics. Apart from their origin, the personal and academic paths of the teachers (Aravossitas and Oikonomakou 2017) play an important role in shaping their professional profile.…”

“…In this context, the present study attempts to draw conclusions on the educational conditions governing the teaching and learning of the Greek language in Canada by focusing on two protagonists: the learners and the teachers (Aravossitas and Oikonomakou 2017;Oikonomakou et al 2017). Using questionnaires and interviews with two groups of participants -85 university Greek language students and 25 Greek language teachers, respectivelywe rely on a theoretical framework of recent HL research findings to analyze two vital issues in Greek/HL education: (a) teaching mixed classes of heritage and foreign language learners and (b) identifying the professional development needs of Greek language instructors who teach mainly HL learners.…”

“…The study of the social characteristics, as well as the personal and academic path of teachers and students (Aravossitas and Oikonomakou 2017;Oikonomakou et al 2017), constitutes a key research priority since it is linked to their (a) motivation to integrate into the language community and (b) educational or professional needs. It also highlights the importance of identity as a directing factor, because most participants have links to the country where the target language is spoken.…”