Educating Teachers for teaching Greek as a L2: The LETEGR2 pilot model

Research in instructed language learning environments has shown the importance of classroom observation and reflection practices for teacher education and professional development. Despite the vast amount of research in other contexts, education research on teaching Greek as a Second/Foreign Language (L2/FL) is limited. The aim of the current paper is, firstly, to present the LETEGR2 program as a pilot teacher education model for the skills development of future L2 Greek teachers in Greece and abroad. Secondly, to explore future teachers’ attitudes and perceptions. The LETEGR2 model was designed based on the principles of action research, classroom observation and reflective practice. Participants in this pilot education program were: (a) students of the Interdepartmental Postgraduate Program in Teaching Greek as a L2 of the University of Athens, Greece and (b) student-teachers who were doing their teaching placement at a language school in Barcelona, Spain. Participants carried out a series of classroom observations and engaged in reflective practices. Their perceptions were collected at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the program through questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. Data were analyzed within the theoretical framework of the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Results demonstrated that the LETEGR2 teacher education model was very positively evaluated, with participants highlighting the key role of classroom observation and reflective practices in their teacher education and professional development.