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

Aravossitas, Themistoklis; Oikonomakou, Marianthi

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-44694-3_2

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Ideally, they must also have a sound understanding of pedagogic studies. As previous research (Aravossitas & Oikonomakou 2017, 2020Constantinides, 2001;Tisizi 2020a) suggests however, many Greek HL teachers in Canada either have limited Greek language skills, or no background in educational studies whatsoever. Offering teacher training opportunities targeted at both aspects is thus indispensable for the enhancement of Greek HLE in Canada.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…On the contrary, HL learners are members of ethnolinguistic minorities who maintain a connection with the HL not only at home and in the local community, but also through formal instruction (Polinsky & Kagan, 2007). Previous research has identified some challenges that Greek schools in Canada are confronted with, namely the fact that the schools are underfunded, there is a lack of appropriate teaching materials, and the teaching staff is in some cases untrained and has little or no background in pedagogic studies (Aravossitas & Oikonomakou 2017, 2020Constantinides, 2001;Tisizi 2020aTisizi , 2020b. Despite such challenges, Greek schools in Canada remain one of the main places where students of Greek origin can learn and practice their HL.…”

Section: Situating the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Their Greek goes to waste”: Understanding Greek heritage language teachers’ language ideologies and instructional practices

Tisizi

2022

OLBIJ

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Framed within critical poststructuralist sociolinguistics, this narrative study sheds light on the language ideologies and practices of eight Greek heritage language (HL) teachers in Greek schools in Montreal and Toronto. Examining the teachers’ ideologies and practices is important, as they can either engage or alienate HL learners. Engaging HL learners is significant, because for many of them the Greek school is their only opportunity to use the language. Language portraits, written tasks, and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, which were then analyzed narratively and thematically. The findings suggest that the teachers’ attitudes towards students and practices are largely shaped by their monolingual ideologies. The need for targeted teacher training is highlighted, to ensure that HL teachers are equipped to accommodate all their students’ needs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Situating the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“Their Greek goes to waste”: Understanding Greek heritage language teachers’ language ideologies and instructional practices

Tisizi

2022

OLBIJ

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“…Recent ethnographic work in this area, such as that of Hornberger and Johnson (2007); Menken and García (2010) and Marlow and Siekmann (2013) have offered rich descriptions of teachers' engagement with policy and the ways in which they can individually or collectively seize openings, and creatively and actively negotiate for space, transforming and expanding the possibilities for language education. Other research on educators' agency in the education system has drawn on the communities of practice perspective to illuminate the social processes involved (Aravossitas and Oikonomakou 2018;Borko 2004;Coburn and Stein 2006;Lave and Wenger 1991;Liu and Evans 2016;Marlow and Siekmann 2013;Wenger 1998). The term Community of Practice refers to a group of people who have developed shared practices, and historical and social resources (Lave and Wenger 1991).…”

Section: Theoretical Framing: Endangered Language Maintenance and Communities Of Practice In Schoolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communities of Practice in the Warlpiri Triangle: Four Decades of Crafting Ideological and Implementational Spaces for Teaching in and of Warlpiri Language

Browne

Napaljarri²

2021

Languages

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Warlpiri communities in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT) have long advocated for the inclusion of Warlpiri language, values and knowledge in their government-run schools. After the first bilingual programs were established in the NT in the 1970s, educators and community members from four Warlpiri communities formed a professional network known as the Warlpiri Triangle, a platform for meetings and professional development focusing on teaching and learning in and of Warlpiri language in schools. On these platforms, educators have consistently articulated the goal of the Warlpiri programs as maintenance of Warlpiri pirrjirdi, ‘strong Warlpiri language’. In this paper we seek to explore the development, refinement and consolidation of a consensual ideology around teaching and learning of and in Warlpiri pirrjirdi, ‘strong Warlpiri language’ that has informed Warlpiri language-in-education management. We analyse interviews with five Warlpiri educators at Yuendumu school in 2018/9 and a body of grey literature from four decades of Warlpiri educator professional development activities that has been less widely acknowledged and visible in local education policy discourse. We draw on the theoretical concept of communities of practice to understand the ways in which Warlpiri educators negotiate ideological and implementational spaces for inclusion of Warlpiri language teaching in the context of an ambivalent language-in-education policy environment. The results of this study exemplify the reiteration and reproduction of language-in-education goals through a community of practice in a sustained arena of action, the Warlpiri Triangle. The findings render more visible the vital efforts of Warlpiri educators and their professional networks in shaping language-in-education policy and practice to realise community aspirations of Warlpiri language maintenance in the school context.

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Heritage language education

Torres

2024

Studies in Bilingualism

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This chapter provides a brief overview of heritage language education and its potential role in supporting heritage language learners’ bi/multilingualism. We begin by considering the multifaceted nature of heritage language education programs and courses to address heritage language learners’ goals and needs. The chapter then outlines five major dimensions that currently contribute to the design and implementation of curricula for heritage language learners: grammar properties, pedagogical models, critical language awareness, policies, program development and institutionalization. The remainder of the discussion focuses on future directions by examining four critical areas that can help advance the effectiveness of education programs for heritage language learners. The overview of the chapter stems from scholarly perspectives, initiatives, and efforts with diverse heritage language learner populations across a number of international settings.

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

Cited by 4 publications

References 16 publications

“Their Greek goes to waste”: Understanding Greek heritage language teachers’ language ideologies and instructional practices

“Their Greek goes to waste”: Understanding Greek heritage language teachers’ language ideologies and instructional practices

Communities of Practice in the Warlpiri Triangle: Four Decades of Crafting Ideological and Implementational Spaces for Teaching in and of Warlpiri Language

Heritage language education

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