15317 - Teaching of the Italian Language

Course contents

How do we learn a second language (L2)? How do people construct their own knowledge of a second language and learn tocommunicate in that language? To what extent our native language and/or other languages we speak influence our ongoing learning? Why do we make errors? Why some errors get into “fossilization”? How do we improve our linguistic competence? Which learning strategies do we apply? Which teaching strategies can facilitate language learning? More generally, what does it mean “to know a language?” Answers to these questions will be given as referred specifically to the learning of Italian as a 2nd language.

The general purpose of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the scientific literature on the learning of Italian and on interaction in Italian as a 2nd language. Drawing on different fields of research, this overview aims at offering a thorough grounding in knowledge to future teachers of Italian L2 (in Italy or abroad). It also addresses those who are training to be professionally engaged in activities related to immigration or in the internationalization of higher education areas and, for these reasons, are interested in knowing how interethnic interactions work.

Specific skills to be developed concern mainly the ability to “read and interpret” the linguistic, communicative and interactional competences of learners of Italian as 2nd language, as well as to identify the related teaching implications.

The course is divided into two parts. The first one focuses on the recent theoretical and practical developments of research on Italian as a 2nd language. We will work on the L2 learner from a cognitive perspective, analyzing his/her written and oral productions. Starting from the key-notion of interlanguage , we will examine the general principles described in second language acquisition studies. Theoretical concepts will be related to practical situations of spontaneous and guided 2nd language learning. Several examples of authentic monological and dialogic interlanguage productions of children, adolescents and adults will be discussed.

The second part of the course will go deeper into the interaction among native (N) and non-native (NN) speakers of Italian , from a social and an intercultural perspective. In order to deal with this theme, first we need to know some methodological issues concerning the analysis of interaction (see texts (a)). Then, we will work on several transcripts of authentic interactions among N and NN speakers (among adults, adults and children; adults and adolescents) of Italian which were audio-recorded in different social contexts (mainly, schools and workplaces) (see texts (b)). The aim is to develop an increasing awareness of the interplay between pragmatic, interactional and linguistic dimensions emerging in conversation, and to examine the pedagogical implications for classroom second language teaching.

One part of the course (15 hours) will be dedicated to workshops (seminars and practical activities) on Teaching Italian as a 2nd language . These activities are intended to provide some training on topics such as syllabus construction, lessons planning, teaching unit design, learners “linguistic profile”, written and oral texts comprehension. Teachers and experts of the field will be invited to give seminars. The schedule will be given at the beginning of the course (February 2013).

Readings/Bibliography

For the program 1st part: one of the following texts:

- G. Pallotti, La seconda lingua, Roma, Bompiani, 2000 [1998]

- C. Bettoni, Imparare un'altra lingua, Laterza, 2001

and these essays:

C. Andorno, «Saper ‘leggere' le varietà di apprendimento: competenze linguistiche per gli insegnanti di italiano» in Elena Pistolesi (a cura di), Lingua, scuola e società. I nuovi bisogni comunicativi nelle classi multiculturali, Trieste, Istituto Gramsci-Friuli Venezia Giulia, 2007, pp.125-35.

M.Piantoni, “L'analisi dell'interlingua” in R.Grassi et al. (a cura di), Dagli studi sulle sequenze di acquisizione alla classe di italiano L2, Edizioni Guerra, Perugia, 2008, pp.143-170

For the program 2nd part:

(a)

1. C.Bazzanella, «Quando dire è interagire» in C.Bazzanella,Linguistica e pragmatica del linguaggio. Un'introduzione,Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2005: cap. 5, pp.190-214.

2. A.Fasulo, C.Pontecorvo, Come si dice? Linguaggio e apprendimento in famiglia e a scuola, Roma, Carocci, 2000 [1° ristampa]: capp.1,2,3 e par. 6.3 (pagg.131-42).

3. P.Margutti, “Formulare una domanda per ottenere ‘quella' risposta: aspetti linguistici, organizzazione dell'interazione e costruzione di conoscenze in classe' in C.Baraldi (a cura di),Dialogare in classe. La relazione tra insegnanti e studenti,Donzelli, Roma, pp. 29-48.

(b) :

1. A.Ciliberti, R.Pugliese, L.Anderson, «La costruzione del non nativo nella classe multilingue» in A.Ciliberti, R.Pugliese, L.Anderson,Le lingue in classe. Discorso, apprendimento, socializzazione, Roma, Carocci, 2003: pp. 109-120.

2. R.Grassi,Parlare all'allievo straniero. Strategie di adattamento linguistico nella classe plurilingue, Perugia, Guerra Edizioni, 2007: cap.1, pagg. 19-92

4. G.Kasper, J.Wagner, “A conversation-analytic approach to second language acquisition in D.Atkinson (ed.)Alternative approaches to second language acquisition, Routledge, 2011, pp. 117-142

Other reference lists will be given during the course.

Teaching methods

Frontal and group lessons; some workshops on the analysis of written productions of learners of Italian (in their interlanguage), and on some units and activities designed to improve learners' written and oral comprehension.

Assessment methods

-the written exam consists of two parts: 2 open-answer questions (on the topics dealt with in the program 1st part), plus the analysis of a couple of short texts in which students should apply their newly acquired knowledge on second language acquisition principles and theories;

-the oral examination will consist of questions about the topics included in the program 2nd part.

*Written exams results are normally issued within a few days or after a week, depending on the number of tests to be evaluated.

Teaching tools

Office hours

See the website of Rosa Pugliese