Three organizations from countries with significant Greek communities are coming together to modernize the Greek language and the way it is taught. Macquarie University in Sydney, the University of Western Macedonia (UOWM), and the Greek Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, are collaboratively organizing an online summit on the Greek language.
Scheduled to coincide with International Greek Language Day, the conference, titled Modern Practices in the Teaching of Greek as a Second/Foreign Language, will take place on Jan. 27–28, 2024.
Dr. Patricia Koromvokis, lecturer and director of the Program of Modern Greek Studies at Macquarie University, explains that the collaboration is aimed to modernize Greek-language teaching practices: “The international collaboration with Professor Eleni Griva (UOWM) and Dr. Georgios Vlachos (Johannesburg) will play a key role in the effective reform and modernization of the learning and teaching of Greek language in the diaspora of Australia, always aligned with the contemporary language needs of students and the urgent need for professional development of the teachers.”
The conference is open to academics, teachers, PhD students, and postgraduate students in areas relating to the Greek language; graduates of education studies and Greek philology; and those who play a role in teaching Greek as a second or additional language. There will be a particular focus on teaching Greek in Greek-speaking schools and those which teach culturally diverse groups of students.
The conference organizers have announced key topics as:
- Contemporary practices and approaches for teaching Greek
- Educational materials and activities for learning Greek in print and digital formats
- Intercultural skills and strategies
- Utilization of digital media for teaching the Greek language
- Literacies of teaching Greek
- Distance teaching of the Greek language
- Assessment of students’ language achievement/language skills
- Educational policies for the Greek language and Greek culture
- The value and universal offer/contribution of the Greek language and Greek culture
More information for Greek speakers can be found on the conference website.
