New Approaches to Teaching Italian Language and Culture: Case Studies from an International Perspective - Hardcover

Emanuele Occhipinti

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847186386 ISBN 13: 9781847186386

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

New Approaches to Teaching Italian Language and Culture fills a major gap in existing scholarship and textbooks devoted to the teaching of Italian language and culture. A much-needed project in Italianistica, this collection of essays offers case studies that provide a coherent and organized overview of contemporary Italian pedagogy, incorporating the expertise of scholars in the field of language methodology and language acquisition from Italy and four major countries where the study of Italian has a long tradition: Australia, Canada, Great Britain and the United States. The twenty four essays, divided into six main parts, offer a tremendous variety of up-to-date approaches to the teaching of Italian as a foreign language and L2, ranging from theoretical to more practical, hands-on strategies with essays on curricular innovations, technology, study abroad programs, culture, film and song use as effective pedagogical tools. Each case study introduces a systematic approach with an overview of theory, activities and assessment suggestions, collection of research data and syllabi. The book addresses the needs of instructors and teacher trainers, putting in perspective different examples that can be used for more effective teaching techniques according to the ACTFL guidelines and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

About this title

About the Author:

EMANUELE OCCHIPINTI is Assistant Professor and Director of the Italian Program at Drew University. He holds a Laurea in Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures from the University of Florence and received his PhD in Italian Literature from Rutgers University. He has published on Italo Svevo and Igino Ugo Tarchetti and contributed to the History of Feminist Thought, forthcoming from Greenwood Press. His area of specialization covers eighteenth to twentieth century Italian Literature, with a focus on travel literature, the Italian American experience, psychoanalysis, film, cultural and comparative studies, and language pedagogy.

Review:

'Emanuele Occhipinti has collected a series of excellent essays by renowned researchers and practitioners worldwide into a volume that constitutes a noteworthy contribution to Italian pedagogy. The topics, which address curricular and technological innovations, translation methodology and the teaching and assessing of culture through various art forms, reflect state-of-the-art discourse that will enrich the articulation of any program, at any institutional level, at any stage of development. The range of seminal information and lessons learned, from scientific research to practical guidelines and bibliography, provide an invaluable, multi-faceted tool for those entering the field, for those involved in teacher training, and for those well-established colleagues who seek sources that will provide stimuli for trying out new methods and approaches. As the coordinator of the Italian language program at Harvard and member of the Dean's Foreign Language Advisory Group, I reacted particularly to the unit on Curricular Innovation with its cogent discussion of content and language integrated instruction and the practical considerations of experiential learning, since they are issues of priority in our deliberations campus-wide. Similarly, the unit on Translation merits careful review for the many pedagogical implications inherent in the methodology and brought out in the essays. The exemplary units on the teaching and assessment of culture as integral to language study provide salient theory and extraordinary practical guidelines for the successful and sensible incorporation of this fundamental component. As the person responsible for the training of new teaching fellows, I will encourage my graduate student trainees to study this collection so that they might learn, put into practice and contribute to the dialogue fostered by these international scholars. This outstanding tome is sure to become a standard manual for teaching Italian language and culture.' Elvira G. Di Fabio, Ph.D., Sr Preceptor and Course Head in Italian, RLL Associate Director of Undergraduate Education, Harvard University
'Grounded in contributions from recognized experts in the field and enlivened by new and original voices, New Approaches to Teaching Italian Language and Culture: Case Studies from an International Perspective is a must for Italian language professionals. Occhipinti's thought-provoking volume contains perspectives on curricular innovations, teaching with technology, and teaching Italian culture that will enrich the working and intellectual lives of its readers. I personally appreciate the international context - important for our field today - and came away with many ideas that I will try in the Italian classroom.' Prof. Risa Sodi, Senior Lector II, Language Program Director, Italian Language and Literature, Yale University --Not available

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1847186386
• ISBN 13: 9781847186386
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 595
• Editor: Emanuele Occhipinti