Adelaide-based dynamic primary and secondary school Greek teacher and a rock musician, Simone Mary Karanicolas, will present a lecture about how to engage our Youth in Modern Greek Education, on Thursday 3 October, at the Greek Centre.

For the first time in history, Australia is fostering fourth and fifth generation ethnic Greeks and of this Greek youth, we are seeing a diminishing number speaking and learning the language and culture of their heritage. There have been countless initiatives and efforts to preserve Greek Language and Culture education in Australia, but achieving this is becoming increasingly difficult with the influence of pop culture, technology and globalisation. The nature of our youth in Australia is changing and my aim is to reinstitute the passion and excitement associated with learning the Greek language and culture. Modern Greek education must evolve with current trends in teaching pedagogies and by doing so, we will access more of our Greek youth and create an engaging learning experience that aligns with students interests and is contextual to their Australian environment. In this presentation, I will exhibit my teaching pedagogies and the Youtube channel I have created in an effort to engage all my students, Greek and non-Greek alike, in the modern Greek curriculum at Prospect Primary School in Adelaide.

Thespinis Asimina is an Adelaide-based dynamic primary and secondary school Greek teacher and a rock musician who uses YouTube, gaming technology and a movement-based approach to engage youth in second language learning. In her current workplace at Prospect Primary School, Thespinis Asimina has created an immersive and captivating Greek language program despite only seeing each class once a week; and sometimes only for 50 minutes! Thespinis Asimina draws upon her study and experiences as a rock performer, musician and producer in multiple Adelaide-based bands to create educational Greek songs on YouTube using famous pop song melodies. Within the film clips, Thespinis Asimina uses popular dancing and acts multiple character roles to express Australian-Greek family dynamics. These approaches not only draw in her students, but diverse audiences globally. From the creation of her YouTube channel one year ago, the channel has since gained 500 subscribers and over 20,000 video views accumulatively. Thespinis Asimina uses the YouTube channel to support students in accessing Greek learning content at home so that she can maximise in-class time for students to use their new knowledge in practical ways. Using a game software called Classcraft, Thespinis Asimina designs quests where students use new knowledge to journey through challenges that emulate the structure of modern gaming technology. Through her passion for teaching, music and the Greek language and culture, Thespinis Asimina strives to bring Greek language learning to the forefront of contemporary education.

The lecture is a joint initiative with the Modern Greek Teachers’ Association of Victoria.

When: Thursday 3 October 2019 | 7:00pm
Where: The Greek Centre, Mezzanine Level, 168 Lonsdale Street , Melbourne
Language: English.

Finger food and light refreshments will be served