Postgraduate Studies, Courses and Community Support
The Unit offers postgraduate studies, Polish language courses and methodological training. Its provision is addressed to current and prospective teachers, educators, parents, carers and specialists working with children and young people in multilingual settings.
Courses in Polish as a heritage and foreign language are offered at different levels of proficiency. Teaching combines language learning with an exploration of Polish culture, literature, history and contemporary life.
Postgraduate studies
Teaching Polish as a Heritage and Foreign Language
The postgraduate programme is delivered jointly by the Polish University Abroad and the University of Łódź. It responds to the needs of teachers working with children, young people and adults learning Polish as a heritage, second and foreign language, both in Poland and in migratory settings.
The programme comprises two semesters, 58 ECTS credits, 256 teaching hours and 30 hours of supervised teaching practice. Teaching is delivered through lectures and practical classes, and the programme includes 16 study weekends.
Teaching practice is an important element of the programme, enabling participants to connect academic
- learning with teaching experience.
- methods of teaching pronunciation, spelling, grammar and vocabulary;
- developing listening, speaking, reading and writing skills;
- working with heritage-language learners and learners of Polish as a foreign language;
- curriculum planning, assessment and evaluation;
- active methods for hybrid learning environments;
- modern technologies and AI tools in Polish language education;
- bilingualism, elements of speech and language therapy, and psychological and pedagogical conditions of teaching in migration contexts.
An integral part of the programme consists of teaching placements, allowing students to integrate the knowledge they gain during their studies with hands-on teaching experience.
Courses
Bilingualism B1 Course Bilingualism in Practice
The course was delivered in 2025-2026, coordinated by Dr Dorota Hrycak-Krzyzanowska and funded by the Chancellery of the Senate of the Republic of Poland under the Senate-Polonia 2025 competition. It was addressed to teachers, educators, parents, carers and specialists supporting bilingual children in the United Kingdom.
The programme covered the linguistic and emotional development of bilingual children, teaching Polish as a heritage language, pronunciation and speech therapy, differences between Polish and English, work with texts, modern technologies and collaboration among schools, homes and specialists.
Eighty-one people took part in the course. In the evaluation survey, 88.1% of respondents declared that they use the knowledge gained in their work or everyday practice.
Workshops
Education of the Future
2026–2027
The Unit offers a series of teacher workshops coordinated by Dr Dorota Hrycak-Krzyzanowska under the common title Education of the Future: AI, Immersive Educational Games and Digital Art in the Work of Humanities Teachers. The workshops are practical in nature and provide tools and lesson scenarios that can be used directly in the classroom, online and in hybrid teaching.
The programme consists of four modules:
- AI and the hybrid learner: bringing language, literature and history lessons to life – designing engaging lesson scenarios, interactive maps, visual materials and short written texts co-created with learners.
- Immersive educational games and digital stories: humanities that move people – creating mini-games, digital narratives, urban and museum routes, and simple AR and VR activities.
- Videopoems, haiku and digital art: creative language and arts lessons – combining language, literature, music and image in videopoems, digital collages and short films.
- Safe and inclusive AI at school: ethics, relationships and learner wellbeing – responsible use of AI and immersive technologies, digital safety and the design of accessible learning for diverse groups of students.
The Department also develops the Polish Language School in a Hybrid Learning Environment for children and young people. This initiative combines in-person classes with online learning, project-based activities, creative workshops, digital tools, and VR and AR technologies, creating an accessible space for developing Polish language skills, cultural competencies, and connections with Polish heritage.