Unit TEACHING OF MODERN LANGUAGES
- Course
- Foreign languages and cultures
- Study-unit Code
- GP004922
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Franco Lorenzi
- Teachers
-
- Franco Lorenzi
- Nicoletta Chiapedi
- Hours
- 18 ore - Franco Lorenzi
- 36 ore - Nicoletta Chiapedi
- CFU
- 9
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2019
- Offered
- 2020/21
- Learning activities
- Affine/integrativa
- Area
- Attività formative affini o integrative
- Academic discipline
- L-LIN/02
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
- Language of instruction
- Italian
- Contents
- The course addresses key issues related to language acquisition and the modern language teaching, by combining theoretical models and practical approaches to the discipline, and illustrating the historical development of educational linguistics and language teaching.
In short, the points covered will be:
- the concepts of linguistic and communicative competence;
- theoretical teaching models and practical approaches to language teaching in the classroom;
- teaching / learning of the various linguistic components (from vocabulary to grammar and text);
- the use of technology for learning / teaching languages;
- European language policy;
- the role of new technologies in language acquisition and motivation. - Reference texts
- Reference texts for the first module:
BALBONI P., Le sfide di Babele, Utet, Torino, 2015 (chapters 1-6).
Reference texts for the second module:
BALBONI P., Le sfide di Babele, Utet, Torino, 2015 (chapters 7-12).
CONSIGLIO D’EUROPA, Quadro comune europeo di riferimento per le lingue: apprendimento insegnamento valutazione, Milano, R.C.S. Scuola, La Nuova Italia-Oxford, 2002 (ristampa 2012).
The CEFR is freely available in the official languages of the Council of Europe (French and English) on the Council portal:
French version - https://www.coe.int/fr/web/language-policy/home
English version - https://www.coe.int/en/web/language-policy/home
The Council web portal and the Unistudium page of the course provide information on the versions of the CEFR in other European languages.
The previous texts can be integrated with the following reading:
BETTONI, C., Imparare un’altra lingua, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2001.
Reference texts for the third module:
D’ANGELO, M., Nuove tecnologie per la didattica delle lingue e della traduzione, Roma, Aracne, 2012.
The previous text can be integrated with the following reading: LOMBARDI, I., Motivazione, gioco, lingua. Elementi ludici tra glottodidattica e psicolinguistica, Milano, AItLA, 2019.
open access e-book: http://www.aitla.it/pubblicazioni/studi-aitla/24-pubblicazioni/studi-aitla/616-studi-aitla-10. - Educational objectives
- The goal of the course is to train students on the use of the most updated and accredited techniques for an effective and motivating teaching practice of foreign languages. Starting with the necessary psychological and pedagogical premises, through the analysis of personal motivations and of the language proficiency levels, it is necessary that the student reaches knowledge of the main contemporary educational theories and of the related implementing strategies, becoming completely autonomous in planning and acting in its possible future role of language teacher.
At the end of the course the student will know the theoretical foundations and applicative tools of the teaching of modern languages, the historical coordinates of this field of studies and current state-of-the-art, closely related to the evolution of research on the acquisition of second languages and to pedagogical technologies, multilingualism, the intercultural dimension of daily communication and the ongoing European language policies. Operationally, the student will be able to properly apply the components of the educational process (the analysis of the communicative needs of learners, the definition of the curriculum and of the syllabus, the elaboration of a didactic unit etc. ) to specific illustrative didactic situations. - Prerequisites
- No specific prerequisites are required to attend the course. It is very useful, however, a mastery of some related topics introduced in the course of General Linguistics.
- Teaching methods
- Frontal lessons.
- Other information
- For all information on lessons and exams, please visit the Department's website http://www.lettere.unipg.it/didattica.
The attendance at the course is strongly advised. - Learning verification modality
- The final exam consists of an oral discussion lasting about half an hour. The test aims at verifying the student's knowledge of the theoretical and methodological contents indicated in the program and illustrated during the course. It is envisaged the possibility of taking oral tests in progress, relative to the contents of the first two modules of the course.
- Extended program
- The course intends to deal with the key concepts of the teaching of modern languages, on a theoretical level and on that of pedagogical practice. These are concepts in constant development: every educational reflection, in fact, is placed in a defined temporal and spatial context, and also that concerning the specific field of language teaching is currently confronted with far-reaching phenomena such as geographical mobility, multilingualism, the evolution of multimedia technologies, supranational education policies and so on.
First module
Starting from some historical guidelines of the discipline, we will examine, therefore, its central notions (linguistic competence, interlanguage, linguistic input, communicative competence, linguistic abilities, pragmatic component etc.), taking into account some recent acquisitions both in language sciences and in the psychology of learning (cognitive and sociocultural theories), and the evolution of different teaching methodologies. We will focus on the intercultural dimension, understood as a process that goes beyond the idea of knowing the culture of the language being studied (static approach), characterizing instead primarily as a moment of confrontation with the discursive practices of a different community (the language-culture nexus) and as an educational process that has tangible effects both on the level of personal experience, and on that of the relationship with the variety and cultural diversity (dynamic approach).
Second module
Regarding the knowledge and operational skills of the language teacher, we will analyze the fundamental coordinates for the organization of a course: from the analysis of the linguistic needs of the learners to the definition of the objectives and the planning of a didactic unit, from the choice of resources and tools for the training activities, to the management of the interaction in the classroom and the evaluation of the language learning path.
During the course, the reference supra-national document called Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) will be also analyzed. Addressed to all those involved in the teaching of foreign languages, the CEFR serves as both a theoretical reference and an operational tool. It presents and critically analyzes what has been produced so far in the field of language teaching and learning theories of a second or foreign language and, at the same time, it is a useful consultation tool to be used in educational contexts in which it is necessary to design courses of teaching and learning of foreign languages.
The objective of this module is twofold. First of all we will consider the different types of learners with whom the language teacher must confront, differentiated not only by age groups, but also by cognitive and learning styles. On the other hand, we will deal with the purposes of the CEFR, its structure and its organization, the levels and the corresponding descriptors of competence. All these elements are crucial to develop educational linguistic paths, as well as for assessing the achievement of the planned objectives.
Third module
The module is devoted to the use of new technologies in language teaching, particularly in relation to motivation in teaching/learning processes. In recent years, the spread of computers and hypertextual communication has contributed to a change in language teaching, favouring a shift from the scholastic tradition of instructionism to constructivism. In instructionist practice the teacher controls teaching activities and the student is mainly a passive listener. In constructivist practice, however, the roles of teacher and learner are redefined; the teacher has the role of facilitator and the student becomes an active participant in the learning process, which is shaped by his or her needs and cognitive style. In constructivist practice, motivation plays a central role and gamification has a large place. The use of new technologies is therefore linked to humanistic approaches. In this module the main tools will be presented, from the analysis of hypertexts and multimedia systems to virtual classrooms, from videogames to translation resources.