30921 - Teaching of the Italian Language L2 (LM) (A-L)

Learning outcomes

Students develop and/or consolidate some key skills through specialised readings: the ability to analyse how the Italian language works, not only in terms of the language as a ‘system’ (at phonetic, morphological, syntactic, and semantic levels) but also in terms of its ‘use’ (the textual and pragmatic dimensions); the capacity to reflect critically on the mechanisms of communication, considered in relation to both general social (individual and social) behaviours and the specificities of communication in Italian; the ability to develop coherent and conscious proposals in the field of teaching Italian as a second language.

Course contents

The field of Learning and Teaching Italian as a Second Language (L2) is really heterogeneous, both concerning learners' individual characteristics (age, motivations, linguistic needs, linguistic biographies, etc.) and learning contexts (institutional, non-formal, informal; in Italy and abroad).
Connecting with the most important international and local researches in the field, the first part of the course will be devoted to the analysis of the interlanguage in Italian as a second language.

We will address both the processes related to the Italian L2 acquisition as a cognitive and sociocultural phenomenon (the theoretical bases), and the teaching models and tools aimed at the fostering learning in the class (the methodological bases).

In the first part of the course, we will introduce a number of studies in the field of second language acquisition, which have developed from the concept of interlanguage and aim at describing the phases and sequences through which the acquisition of language structures takes place, as these gradually appear during the individuals’ cognitive processing of L2 structures. In order to relate the above-mentioned theoretical concepts to concrete situations of spontaneous and guided learning (and in order to consider the difference due to learners’ age), we will analyse samples of interlanguage taken from both monologs and dialogues.

In the second part of the course, we will examine in depth Italian L2 learning from the perspective of ‘language socialisation in a second language’. In other words, we will consider learning as an interactional process and observe it as it takes place in the discourse practices, which, in turn, are embedded in social situations; in particular, among the possible situations, we will specifically focus on educational contexts which are sociolinguistically and culturally heterogeneous, being characterised by bilingualism, multilingualism, code switching or other phenomena linked to the contact among different languages and cultures. Sessions of analysis of audio- and video-recorded class interactional sequences will allow us to identify what are the recurring features of human interaction in general and what phenomena specifically pertain to multilingual classes.

Overall, the course aims at developing awareness of the processes involved in language learning and teaching, at fostering the ability to observe the very interactional dynamics of the language class, and at reaching an understanding of how such dynamics can ease L2 acquisition. More specifically, at the end of the course, students will be able to “read and interpret” linguistic, communicative, interactional competences of Italian L2 learners.

We will consider the implications of each of these aspects when addressing language teaching to specific groups of learners: children, young adults, and adults.

The course will take place in the 2^nd semester (February-May 2021).

Readings/Bibliography

Introductory reading:

R. Pugliese, “Come si impara una lingua straniera”, in N. Grandi, F.Masini, Tutto ciò che hai sempre voluto sapere sul linguaggio e sulle lingue, Cesena, Caissa, 2017, pp. 77 - 80 [4 pagg].

1° part on interlanguage:

• • Pallotti G., La seconda lingua, Milano Bompiani, 1998: il cap.2, “L’interlingua”, pp.21-106, il cap 3, “Comunicare in una seconda lingua”, pp.107-149 e il cap.4, “Input, interazione, socializzazione”, pp.150-189 [ =pagg. 156 ].
  • Andorno C., "Grammatica e acquisizione della L2" in Italiano LinguaDue,1/2009, [pagg. 1-15] in: http://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/promoitals/article/view/450
  • Pallotti G., “Le ricadute didattiche delle ricerche sull’interlingua” in E. Jafrancesco (a cura di) L’acquisizione dell’italiano L2 da parte di immigrati adulti, Atene, Edilingua, 2005, pp. 43-59 [16 pagg.].
  • Pallotti G. “Applying the interlanguage approach to language teaching”, in IRAL, 2017, 55(4), pp. 393–412.
  • Andorno, C. (2012), “Varietà di esiti dell'apprendimento dell'italiano nella varietà dei contesti di apprendimento: possibilità e limiti dell'acquisizione naturale”. In Grassi, R. (ed.), Nuovi contesti d’acquisizione e insegnamento: l’italiano nelle realtà plurilingui, Perugia: Guerra, pp. 157-174. [18 pp.].
  • Nuzzo E.,  Rastelli S., “Didattica acquisizionale e cortesia linguistica in italiano L2” , in Cuadernos de Filología Italiana, 16/2009, pp. 13-30, [17 pagg.]. https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/CFIT/article/viewFile/CFI T0909220013A/16396
  • Pugliese, R. & Minuz, F. (2012), “L'input linguistico nel continuum delle situazioni didattiche rivolte ad immigrati adulti, apprendenti di italiano L2”. In Bernini, G., Lavinio, C., Valentini, A. & Voghera, M. (a cura di), Atti dell’Xi Congresso di Studi dell’Associazione Italiana di Linguistica Applicata (AItLA), Perugia: Guerra, pp. 339-360 [21 pp.];

Second part of the program:

• • A.Duranti (a cura di), Culture e discorso. Un lessico per le scienze umane, Meltemi, 2002; i seguenti capitoli [ = 18 pagg.]: E.Ochs,“Socializzazione”, pp. 339-344; C. Goodwin, “Partecipazione”, 245-50; J.W.Du Bois, “Grammatica”, pp.137-41; J.Sidnell, “Competenza/Competence”, pp. 63-67.
    
  
  
  • A.Ciliberti, R.Pugliese, L.Anderson, Le lingue in classe. Discorso, apprendimento, socializzazione, Roma, Carocci, 2003: i capp. 3 e 4 [ pagg. 57-92 ] e il cap 6 [pagg.109-120] [=46].
    
    
  • G. Pallotti, “External appropriations as a participation strategy in intercultural multiparty interactions”, in A. Di Luzio, S.Guenthner, F. Orletti (eds.), Culture in Communication, 2001, Benjamins, Amsterdam, pp. 295-334 [39 pagg.].
    
    
  • R. Young, “Second language acquisition as changing participation” in G.Bernini, L.Spreafico, A.Valentini (a cura di), Competenze lessicali e discorsive nell’acquisizione di lingue seconde, Perugia, Guerra Edizioni, 2008, pp. 407-436 [29 pagg.].
    
    
  • R. Pugliese, “In italiano e in altre lingue, a casa e a scuola: le interazioni tra pari nella socializzazione linguistica”, in LEND, 1/2020, pp.25-39 [15 pagg.].
    
    
  • Nicola Nasi, “Socializzarsi all’uso appropriato dell’italiano L2: norme linguistiche e pragmatiche nell’interazione tra pari”, in ItalianoLinguaDue, 1/2020, pp. 493-515.
    
    
  • R. Pugliese, “Tradurre per la compagna di banco: child language brokering e interazioni costruttive nella classe plurilingue”, in L.Corrà (a cura di), Educazione linguistica nell'Italia plurilingue, Atti dei workshop di Udine e Malta (2014), Roma, Aracne, 2017, pp. 63- 86 [23 pagg].
    
    
  • S. Kunitz, “Che cosa succede durante il lavoro di gruppo nelle classi di lingua straniera? Alcune risposte dall’Analisi della Conversazione”, in LEND, 4/2019, pp. 8-17 [9 pagg.].

• P. Diadori P., M.Palerno, D.Troncarelli, Manuale di didattica dell’italiano L2, Guerra Edizioni, 2009: cap.9, “Progettazione e programmazione didattica”, pp.179-203 [24 pagg]; cap.10, “Modelli operativi”, pp.204-227 [23 pagg].[l’edizione del 2015 è pubblicata da Carocci, Roma, con il titolo: Insegnare l’italiano come seconda lingua].

Non-attending students are required to study the following additional texts:

• Pallotti, G. (2014), “Studiare i contesti di apprendimento linguistico: modelli teorici e principi metodologici”. In De Meo, A., D’Agostino, M., Iannaccaro, G. & Spreafico, L. (a cura di), Varietà dei contesti di apprendimento linguistico, Milano: Studi AItLA, pp. 121-132 [11 pp.];
• Sert, P. Seedhouse, “Introduction: conversation analysis in applied linguistics”, in Novitas-Royal (Research on Youth and Language), 2011, 5(1), 1-14 [14 pagg.].
• A.Fasulo, H.Girardet, “Il dialogo nella situazione scolastica”, in C.Bazzanella (a cura di), Sul dialogo. Contesti e forme di interazione verbale, Milano, Guerini, 2002. p.59-72 [13 pagg].

 

Further bibliographical references will be given during the course.

* Students who did an exam of Glottodidattica or Didattica della lingua italiana during the Bachelor's degree or students who achieved a teaching qualification in Italian L2 will plan some variations with the teacher, during office hours.

** Recommended readings to students who haven't studied Linguistics yet:

• N. Grandi, F.Masini, Tutto ciò che hai sempre voluto sapere sul linguaggio e sulle lingue, Cesena, Caissa, 2017.
  
  And:

• C.Bazzanella, Linguistica e pragmatica del linguaggio.Un'introduzione, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2008

or:

• E.Lombardi Vallauri, La linguistica. In pratica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2010.

 

Teaching methods

- Frontal and dialogic lessons. Students attending the course are expected to read the corresponding study material, which will be suggested in a detailed course outline ("dates, contents and readings"), on the first day of the course.

-Exercises in order to analyze (i.) different examples of interlanguage, taken from linguistic elicited or spontaneous productions; (ii.) several examples of natural interaction in the classroom (transcribed audio sequences), in order to identify some specific phenomena of the plurilingual classes and of the L2 socialization, together with the structural aspects of the interaction.

Assessment methods

Learning is assessed through an oral examination, which is organized as follows:

(a) an analytical commentary of a short transcribed sequence of classroom interaction to be carried out according to the conceptual tools discussed in class and with the aim of pointing out acquisitional, linguistic, interactional and didactic aspects. Thus, students should apply their newly acquired knowledge on second language acquisition principles and theories;

(b) both general and specific questions on the topics dealt with during the course.

The oral exam will allow to evaluate not only the student's mastery of the contents, but also his/her capacity to apply the conceptual tools, which will have been discussed and exemplified in class and in the required books. The evaluation criteria of the student's answers will be mainly the following: precision and appropriateness, an organic and broad view of themes, a capacity in establishing connections among topics, clearness and language accuracy of the oral exposition.

Teaching tools

Slides that will be available on Alma Digital Library.

In the workshop activities different materials will be used: photocopies; teaching websites; video and audio material.

Office hours

See the website of Rosa Pugliese