ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE TEACHER FOR FOREIGNERS
Function in a professional context:
This professional profile specializes in teaching Italian language and culture to foreigners, using the linguistic and glottological techniques specific to its own field. Adapting to the needs of society and the working world, the graduate in Italian language and culture for foreigners:
- plans and teaches courses imparting Italian language and culture to foreigners, tailored to the pupils' age and background;
- draws up teaching programmes and classroom activities geared to intercultural mediation;
- teaches Italian language and culture to classes of Italian students and multi-ethnic classes;
- liaises with teachers of other school subjects;
- liaises with local authorities in preparing teaching programmes suited to the pupils' varying backgrounds;
- coordinates projects in schools or associations with a view to integrating foreigners, thus playing the much-needed role of cultural mediation.
Competencies associated to the function:
- teachers of Italian language and culture for foreigners have gained special skills (teaching of L2 Italian) by which to design teaching modules for foreigners at various levels of education (from primary to high school)
- have the psychological and educational skills to relate to foreign learners of school age and over
- are able to organize and coordinate complex teaching ventures calling for know-how networking and relating towards a joint project
- are trained to do research with a view to updating materials and techniques for L2 Italian teaching, with specific reference to new technology
Career opportunities:
- language centres (private or university language support facilities) where teachers of Italian language and culture for foreigners act as L2 teachers or (in the case of university centres) as coordinators or Italian language teachers to incoming students
- public and private organizations handling language training in Italy, needing regular teaching staff or teaching assistants, as well as liaison staff working on integration schemes (especially for immigrants)
- public and private organizations handling language training abroad, calling for teachers of L2 Italian language and culture who have command of at least two foreign languages and are thus at home in the learning setting, achieving better results
- Italian primary, secondary and high schools as L2 Italian language teachers: at present this means liaising with incumbent literature teachers; in the future (following specific teacher-training programmes that still await ministerial clarification) they will be independent teaching assistants for multi-ethnic classes.
LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL EXPERT FOR MEDIATION AND LANGUAGE INTEGRATION
Function in a professional context:
This professional profile specializes in mediation in a range of institutional settings where immigrants and foreigners lack the language skills to enjoy full citizen rights.
In response to needs expressed by society and the world of work, a graduate in Italian language and culture for foreigners:
- advises on and helps plan and implement projects regarding issues of inter-cultural mediation arising in a multi-ethnic citizen body;
- organizes and coordinates mediation and language facilitation;
- organizes projects designed to manage language and cultural problems facing the foreign immigrant in Italy.
Competencies associated to the function:
- a multi-ethnic work environment with its different languages calls for graduates with a degree-level knowledge of at least two foreign languages, one of them preferably extra-European (Chinese or Arabic);
- they should have a range of skills in cultural mediation and inter-ethnic communication, based on appropriate psychological and pedagogical expertise;
- they must be able to cooperate in handling complex multicultural situations, displaying the language and relating skills that mediation calls for.
Career opportunities:
- public institutions (meaning sectors of the school system catering for disadvantaged foreigners, and branches of local public bodies liaising with social services, e.g. back-up for social workers) where language and cultural experts for mediation and language integration have a fundamental role to play as language facilitators and communication mediators;
- hospitals, trade unions, lawcourts, and all situations where their primary role as communications facilitators is needed to ensure basic rights such as health, work and justice are safeguarded;
- firms and other workplaces where communications need smoothing and information put across so that immigrants may fit into work patterns and the production line;
- diplomatic and consular offices; organizations looking after inter-linguistic and intercultural relations, and coordinating projects to improve the general and regulatory standard of diplomatic, cultural and associative relations in terms of language integration.
