Language, culture and history are an entity that takes on primary value among those living in the Diaspora. For almost two years, the online platform “Mëso! Shqip” has managed to best combine these elements to enable the learning of the Albanian language and the recognition of our culture for children and adults in the United States and Canada. Founded in Atlanta, Georgia, by Faton Gjuka, the platform has become the digital school for hundreds of American-Albanian students and beyond. The great success of “Mëso! Shqip” in America and Canada, no doubt, comes as a result of several factors, among which:
1. Private lessons, 1 teacher, 1 student
The 60-minute virtual classes take place with only one student. Thus, all the attention of the teacher is fully paid to the student, in order to master the material as deeply as possible. Each learning topic focuses on a specific axis, which aims to encourage the use of a variety of vocabulary and expressions of everyday Albanian communication. Also important is the detailed report sent to the student or parent himself, which explains the key points of the lesson, the student’s achievements and assigns tasks for the next class.
2. Personalized approach according to student level
To make the lesson as effective as possible, teachers take care to select topics, materials, and questionnaires that fit the level of each student. Tasks created specifically for each level and individual audio or video tasks are also checked by the teacher. For students under the age of 12, quizzes and exercise classes, combined with conversations about topics that interest them most, also make classes fun.
3. History, culture and places to visit
Folklore, history, music, cultural heritage and historical sites are also of special importance in the curriculum. For all students, the cultural component is one of the most important parts of the classrooms, as they have the opportunity to get to know sites of archaeological and architectural value in Albania and Kosovo. Also, important characters in the history of our culture are included in the curriculum. Fragments of artistic readings originate from the fund of publications of the best publishing houses of Albania and Kosovo, such as: Dukagjini, Albas, etc., and complement the cultural background.
4. Selected teachers
The rich curriculum is conveyed through selected teachers from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Northern Macedonia. All of this geographical reach gives students the opportunity to communicate with instructors who speak the same dialect as them. Regardless of whether the students have registered to learn to speak fluently with their family, grandparents and cousins at home, to get to know other parts of the culture or to learn Albanian, their results have been really impressive. This summer, they will all speak and relax in Albanian.
From : Eni Myrtollari- www.diasporashqiptare.com
