Teaching and Learning Heritage Languages: Multilingualism, Identity, and Innovative methods
Dear Colleagues,
On the occasion of International Mother Language Day, the language centers at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and Goethe University cordially invite you to the sixth Heritage Language Week2026. We would like to invite teachers, educators, coordinators, students, and experts in the field of heritage languages alike and join them under the title “Teaching and Learning Heritage Languages: Multilingualism, Identity, and Innovative Methods.”
The aim of the Heritage Language Week is to raise awareness concerning heritage languages. Furthermore, it provides a platform for the exchange of teaching and learning experiences in the field of heritage language teaching at schools and higher-education institutions.
The Heritage Language Week is conducted in the format of a “Good Practice Exchange,” which offers participants the opportunity to present, discuss, and further develop methods and techniques for teaching heritage languages.
The event will take place from February 17 to 19, 2026, in Frankfurt am Main at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences.
We look forward to welcoming everyone who works in the field of heritage languages at schools and higher-education institutions. Foreign language teachers are also cordially invited to attend the event.
Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. You will receive a certificate of participation after the event.
Take advantage of this opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues, gain new inspiration, and shape the future of heritage language teaching together!
Preliminary Program (Subject to Change)
| Time | Program |
09:00–09:45 | Registration Frankfurt UAS, Nibelungenplatz 1, 60318 Frankfurt |
09:45 - 10:00 | Welcome address: Prof Dr Maren Harnack, Vice President for Studies and Teaching, Frankfurt UAS Dr. Sabine Schmidt, Head of the Language Centre, Frankfurt UAS |
10:00 - 11:30 | Keynote: Prompts in the Native Language: AI-Supported Material Development for Targeted Differentiation in Heritage Language Teaching Prof. Dr. Grit Melhorn, Leipzig University |
11:30 - 13:00 | Lunch (at own expense) |
13:00–15:00 | Workshops (parallel sessions)
Workshop 1: Slavic Languages: Multilingualism and Intercomprehension in Practice Dr. Svetlana Ahlborn, Goethe University Language: German and Slavic Languages
Workshop 2: Formative Assessment and Feedback Methods in Heritage Language Teaching Dr. Maria Sulimova, Leipzig University Language: German
Workshop 3: Material-Based Writing When Teaching Russian as a Heritage Language Uliana Retzlaff, Heritage Language Teacher, Düsseldorf School Authority; Nataliia Antonenkova, Author, Didactician Language: Russian
Workshop 4: Vocabulary Work in Heritage Language Teaching: Playful and Motivating Learning Viktoria Sokha, Ukrainian Saturday School in Mainz Language: German/Ukranian |
15:00-15:30 | Short break |
15:30-18:00 | World Café and Presentation of Results (for all participants) |
Starting at 18:30 | Joint dinner (at your own expense) & Get in touch Please let us know when registering if you would like to attend the joint dinner |
| Time | Program |
9:00–9:30 | Registration Frankfurt UAS, Nibelungenplatz 1, 60318 Frankfurt, |
9:30–9:45 | Welcome address: Dr Maria Kopp-Kavermann, Head of the Language Centre, Goethe University |
9:45–11:15 | Keynote: Between Linguistic Variation in a Migration Society and Linguistic norms: Perspectives on Critical Language Preservation Didactics Dr. Erkan Gürsoy, University of Duisburg-Essen |
11:15–11:45 | Coffee break, Building 2, Room 379 |
11:45–13:15
| Working Groups: Part I (parallel sessions)
|
13:15–14:45 | Lunch (at your own expense) |
14:45–16:15 | Sections: Part I (parallel sessions) Section I: Methods in Heritage Language Teaching Section II: Multilingualism in Everyday Life and Continuous Language Education |
16:15 - 16:45 | Coffee break, Building 2, Room 379 |
16:45 - 18:15 | Transitions in multilingualism: Identity and Cultural Experience
Cinzia Tanzella's short stories show how quickly one can live in two cultures at the same time and get wonderfully lost in the process —episodes about linguistic misunderstandings, cultural pitfalls, and surprising moments that arise when one's own heritage language and a new language collide. The stories from Like a Fish Out of Water combine wit, self-irony, and intercultural sensitivity. In her reading for the Heritage Language Week, Cinzia Tanzella will present an excerpt from the collection. |
Starting at 19:00 | Joint dinner (at your own expense) & Get in touch Please let us know when registering if you would like to attend the joint dinner |
| Time | Program |
9:00–9:30 | Registration Frankfurt UAS, Nibelungenplatz 1, 60318 Frankfurt, |
9:30–11:00 | Keynote: Multilingualism in Everyday Life and the Design of Heritage Language Teaching Prof.in Mag.a Julia Festman, Ph.D. habil., Tyrol University of Education |
11:15-12:15 | Poster Session and Exhibition of Learning Materials |
12:15–13:30 | Lunch (at your own expense) |
13:30–15:30
| Working Groups: Part II (parallel sessions)
Sections: Part II (parallel sessions) Section I: Methods in Heritage Language Teaching Section II: Multilingualism in Everyday Life and Continuous Language Education |
15:30-15:45 | Closing discussion |
