ITALIAN PROGRAMS IN CONNECTICUT
CURRENT CONDITIONS
 Italian is considered one of the most beautiful languages to learn
 Italy is considered one of the most attractive travel destination
 Italian culture is considered one of the richest and most interesting to
explore
… but …
 The number of programs of Italian is limited
 The number of certified teachers of Italian is limited
 School districts are resistant to open new Italian programs
 Few schools offer Italian beyond the intermediate level
 Teachers of Italian are not in the best conditions in schools
 Budget cuts to education/language education affect Italian programs
GOALS
 Appropriate place of Italian language and culture within language education and
within educational framework in general
 Adequate number of Italian programs, teachers and students
 Satisfactory work conditions
 Support for teacher qualification
 Support for functional delivery of instruction and new class format, including
flipped classroom
 Ongoing professional development on updated methodologies and educational
technology
 Fair distribution of resources
ADVOCACY
 Only Teachers of Italian can advocate for Italian teaching!
 Promoting Italian language and culture, being visible
 Coordinating class work together with other teachers of Italian
 Connecting with teachers of other languages and disciplines
 Sharing successes and challenges
 Joining professional organizations/associations (CITA, CTCOLT, ACTFL, NECTFL)
 Organizing and participating in events and conferences
 Showing leadership initiative to build and renew organizations
 Reaching out to institutions
 Reaching out to the community
 Applying for existing grants (IACE, NIAF)
NEW TRENDS IN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION
 Technology continuously changes teaching style and learner’s expectations
 Digital textbooks; e-learning
 Open textbooks where teachers add their own resources
 Blended/Hybrid instruction
 Flipped classroom
 Online language learning communities
 Mobile courses
 Alternative learning realities
 Interaction with virtual (and real) peers and tutors
 Self-reflection as critical thinking competence
THE FLIPPED LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
 Goals and expectations are always pre-defined
 Learning activities are pre-assembled
 Homework may involve readings from textbooks or e-books, videos, online
materials, podcast, video-recorded lectures
 Educational technology plays a main role
 Assessment is part of the learning process and class activities
 Classroom dynamic changes
 Class time is totally student-centered
TEACHERS …
 Prepare lesson content and lectures in advance
 Create videos, recordings, podcast, documents, webpages
 Select existing videos, texts and websites
 Put all resources online using technics allowed by their school
 Can also include traditional textbooks
 Answer student questions individually and as a group in class
 Guide students through their working on problems
 Revisit difficult topics of assigned lesson
 Explain complex concepts
 Facilitate student work and learning
AT HOME, STUDENTS…
 Read assigned texts
 Watch required videos at their own pace
 Visit provided websites
 Study both book and internet materials
 Take notes on what they understand
 Prepare questions on what they don’t understand
IN CLASS, STUDENTS…
 Work on practical applications of lesson individually, in pairs, or in groups
 Learn through activities
 Understand deeper aspects of lesson’s content
 Infer concepts and connections
 Receive immediate feedback from teacher
 Receive individualized support
 Solve problems with teacher’s help
ESEMPIO
Lezione su Raffaello Sanzio
e La Scuola di Atene
 A casa: leggere, osservare, studiare, capire, preparare domande

In classe: fare ricerca, raccogliere materiale, scrivere un rapporto
 Risultato: Ogni studente contribuisce a creare un opuscolo sulla storia e i
personaggi raffigurati da Raffaello nell’affresco
LA SCUOLA DI ATENE DI RAFFAELLO SANZIO
LAVORO DA FARE A CASA: LETTURE E SITI
 Lettura sul libro di testo a pagina 67-69
 Biografia di Raffaello Sanzio
http://www.italica.rai.it/argomenti/storia_arte/raffaello/biografia.htm
 Musei Vaticani, Stanze di Raffaello
http://mv.vatican.va/2_IT/pages/SDR/SDR_00_Main.html
 Stanza della Segnatura
http://mv.vatican.va/2_IT/pages/SDR/SDR_03_SalaSegn.html
 Scuola di Atene, affresco di Raffaello Sanzio 1509-11
http://mv.vatican.va/2_IT/pages/x-Schede/SDRs/SDRs_03_02_020.html
VIDEO DA GUARDARE A CASA
 Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNai10SmDJI
 La Scuola di Atene
Storia dell’opera
I personaggi raffigurati
 Video http://www.studenti.it/video-lezioni/storia/la-scuola-di-atene.html
Le stanze di Raffaello
Storia delle Stanze
Ingrandimento dei personaggi della Scuola d’Atene
LAVORO DA FARE IN CLASSE
 Dov’è Raffaello nella Scuola di Atene? Confrontare con gli altri autoritratti
 Documentazione Polo museale
fiorentinohttp://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/catalogo/scheda.asp?nctn=00287210
&value=1#
ANCORA IN CLASSE
 Ricerca su un periodo della vita di Raffaello
 Ricerca su un personaggio raffigurato nella Scuola di Atene
 Creazione di un opuscolo a cui contribuiscono tutti gli studenti
 Materiale a disposizione per scrivere il proprio contributo:
Libri
Immagini
Siti web
 Risposte dell’insegnante