Future Directions for Heritage Teaching and Dual Language Immersion in North Carolina

The Duke-UNC area studies centers and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction are delighted to host this panel discussion, as an aspect of our Learning-through-Languages celebration of teaching and learning.

North Carolina is an established national leader in dual-language immersion programs at the K-12 level, yet the state must continue to adapt and grow with the needs of both heritage and non-heritage speakers. Programs for heritage speakers and dual language immersion programs not only respond to different needs among language learners, but they also must use different pedagogical strategies. This panel brings together experts from varying levels of education, diverse parts of the state, and different languages to discuss the state of the field in heritage teaching and dual language immersion in North Carolina and where these fields are going next.

Our expert speakers are:

• Lydia Fergison, Principal at North Academy of World Languages, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Prof. Ana Cecilia Lara, Director of World Languages, Coordinator Spanish Teacher Licensure, and Associate Professor at UNC-Pembroke
• Kimberly Pilling, World Languages Coordinator at Guilford County Schools
• Prof. Yi Zhou, Teaching Professor of Chinese and Coordinator of the Chinese Language Program at UNC-Chapel Hill

This panel will be moderated by Dr. Ann Marie Gunter, World Languages Consultant at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

This event is free and open to the public, and it will be conducted virtually over Zoom. Please register at the following link: go.unc.edu/DLI