November 17, 2024
The FOHLC Europe team organized its 4th successful conference with inspirational examples and practical strategies. See below for conference coverage, videos, and padlet.
I wake up in the morning thinking not that I run a non-profit that is struggling with money and receives no governmental help. I wake up in the morning thinking that I am correcting an injustice.
- Gabrielle Durana, Éducation Française Bay Area, San Francisco.
This powerful testimony shows what the 4th annual FOHLC Europe 2024 online conference was all about: what drives us to organize this form of education? And why should others support it?
Video: Keynote talk by Prof. Terry Lamb
Global platform
This year, over 260 practitioners and academics registered for the conference, to gather virtually to discuss how we can motivate those involved in the crucial work of preserving and teaching heritage languages. The event was truly international, with attendees from over 40 countries representing over 50 languages, all united by their commitment to heritage language education. FOHLC Europe is unique in its platform to share real-world stories about the challenging work that goes into this form of education.
Exploring "motivation"
The theme of this year's conference was "Rethinking Incentives," which explored how we can better motivate all of the stakeholders in heritage language education. We did not only consider the the students, teachers, and parents, but also the wider community like mainstream schools, sponsors, and government officials. It is not only the families who benefit, but society as a whole.
Why should society be motivated to help language and culture programs succeed?
Heritage language programs are more than just vocabulary and grammar lessons, as demonstrated by a quote from Prof. Terry Lamb's opening keynote presentation. A student in England explained, "I GREW UP in high school, however, I was RAISED by my supplementary school." Society benefits when multicultural children are supported in shaping their identities, with a space for them to explore their culture, language, and sense of belonging.
Why should older students be motivated to make the time for it?
Workshop leader Zoe Kang of the Korean School in Eindhoven shared the story of a transformation in the upper classes. Students were disengaged and Zoe was faced with a class where at one point only one student showed up. Determined, Zoe turned things around with the introduction of project-based learning and drama techniques. Over time, more students joined, bringing their siblings along, and one teenager even told his mother during the mainstream school exam period, “I’m going to Korean School. I can make up my study hours later.” Thanks to the personal connections and fun activities, Zoe got her students inspired and taking ownership of their learning.
Why the "Why?"?
Throughout the two-day conference, keynote speaker Dr. Janica Nordstrom and workshop leader Dr. Sabine Little further explored the importance of digging deep into the "why" of students and their families. Once the motivations are understood, educators design learning environments that will work.
Ten turbo tips
The Pecha Kucha session is a highlight of the conference, with 10 presenters sharing within 3 minutes each their insights. This high-paced presentation showed examples from how to engage teenagers to advocacy tools to why students go back to teach a heritage language programs they graduated from. Each speaker added a layer to the conversation, showing the diversity of angles for thinking about motivation.
Thank you!
In the end, the conference was not just about exchanging ideas, but about strengthening a growing global community dedicated to heritage language education. FOHLC Europe 2024 was a reminder to us of why this work matters! Thank you to our speakers, workshop leaders, volunteer team, and participants for making this conference a success.
MORE VIDEOS FROM THE CONFERENCE
Keynote talk by Dr. Janica Nordstrom
Pecha kucha: 10 inspiring presentations, 3 minutes each!
FOHLC Europe is a collaboration between several groups involved with heritage language (HL) education with the purpose of organizing an annual conference and other regular online gatherings for the teachers and managers of HL programs in Europe, as well as for the leaders of coalitions and networks of HL programs. The goal of is provide a European platform for the exchange of ideas about how to promote HL education, improve the quality and professionalism of HL education, and to map the situation of HL programs in Europe. FOHLC Europe offers professional development and networking opportunities to professionals in the field of HL education. FOHLC Europe 2024 was organized by M Móðurmál – the Association on Bilingualism, Heritage Language Education Network, the Czech and Slovak School Okénko in London, Agnieszka Pędrak, an independent researcher at Trinity College in Dublin, and Sabine Little, a researcher at the University of Sheffield. See www.hlenet.org/fohlc-europe or email fohlceurope@gmail.com for more information.
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