Unit TEACHING OF MODERN LANGUAGES
- Course
- Lingue e culture straniere
- Study-unit Code
- GP004922
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Diana Peppoloni
- Teachers
-
- Diana Peppoloni
- Hours
- 54 ore - Diana Peppoloni
- CFU
- 9
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2025
- Offered
- 2026/27
- Learning activities
- Affine/integrativa
- Area
- Attività formative affini o integrative
- Sector
- 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 diachronic
development of these teaching models applied both to a more traditional
public (e.g. frontal language lesson) and to a possible new one (eg. online
language lesson).
In short, the points covered will be:
- what it means to know a language: the concept of 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);
- European language policy;
- the use of technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence, for learning/teaching languages. - Reference texts
- Reference texts for the first module:
BALBONI P., Le sfide di Babele, Utet, Torino, 2019 (chapters 1-6).
Reference texts for the second module:
BALBONI P., Le sfide di Babele, Utet, Torino, 2019 (chapters 7-12).
Reference texts for the third module:
PEPPOLONI, D., Fatto con l’IA, non dall’IA, Mondadori, 2026
Students with disabilities and/or with SLD who, having completed regular accreditation through SOL, have obtained access to University services, can apply for the compensatory tools ensured by law (e.g. textbooks in digital format; teaching materials in accessible formats: presentations, handouts, workbooks, provided if necessary in advance of the lessons), for which consult https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa.
For the request, students are invited to ask the teacher, who will put them in contact with the Disability and/or DSA Department Coordinator (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it)
No additional materials are provided for student workers or, in any case, for those who will be unable to attend classes. - 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 a second or foreign language. Starting with the necessary
psycholinguistic and pedagogical premises, through the analysis of
personal motivations and of the language proficiency levels and
pedagogical skills owned, it is necessary that the student reaches an
extensive and in-depth knowledge of the main contemporary educational
theories and of the related implementing strategies, becoming
completely autonomous in planning and acting in its potential 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 its current configuration, closely
related to the evolution of research on the acquisition of second languages and factors such as 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 highly recommended, however, the knowledge of some related topics introduced in the
course of General Linguistics. - Teaching methods
- Frontal lessons. Practical exercises, held with the support of experts in the field and collaborators, and in-depth seminars are also planned.
- Other information
- For any question or doubt, please contact the teacher at the following email address: diana.peppoloni@unipg.it
For further information on lessons and exams, please consult the website http://lettere.unipg.it/ and the specific course page in Unistudium (https://unistudium.unipg.it/).
Attendance at the course is highly recommended.
Working or non-attending students must contact the teacher to get insights on exam preparation.
Students with disabilities and/or SLD: for any information on University services, consult the page https://lettere.unipg.it/home/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Disability and/or DSA Department Coordinator (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it) - Learning verification modality
- The exam includes a written test on the contents of the first two modules of the course and a subsequent oral test on the contents of the third module of the course. To access the oral test students must first pass the written one, with a score of at least 18/30. The test aims at verifying the student's knowledge of the theoretical and methodological contents indicated in the program and illustrated during the course. Working or non-attending students must contact the teacher to get insights on exam preparation. Students with disabilities and/or with SLD who, having completed regular accreditation through SOL, have obtained access to university services, can apply for compensatory tools, dispensatory measures and inclusive technologies ensured by law, to be requested and agreed with the teacher well in advance of tests and exams. For general information, consult the page https://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa and contact the Disability and/or SLD Department Coordinator (prof. Alessandra Di Pilla: alessandra.dipilla@unipg.it).
- 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 (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 L2 teacher, we will
analyze the fundamental coordinates for the organization of a language
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 analysed. 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: on the one hand to orientate
students with respect to 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, to guide
students in understanding 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 emergence of generative artificial intelligence represents one of the most significant transformations in language education in recent decades. For the first time, students and teachers have access to systems capable of producing texts, simulating communicative interactions, providing linguistic explanations, correcting papers, and supporting activities traditionally considered an integral part of the language teaching and learning process.
This innovation raises questions that go far beyond the technological dimension and address key issues in contemporary language teaching: the relationship between language and thought, the role of errors in learning, the construction of student autonomy, the nature of linguistic interaction, and the ways in which communicative competence and metalinguistic awareness develop. Artificial intelligence is not only a new teaching tool; it is profoundly transforming the context in which language teaching and learning processes take place.
The module aims to provide students with the theoretical and operational tools necessary to critically understand the role of artificial intelligence in language teaching. The general functioning of generative AI systems, their potential and limitations, will be analyzed, with particular attention to the linguistic and cognitive processes involved in the production and comprehension of texts. Topics such as cognitive offloading, the delegation of linguistic operations to machines, the relationship between formal correctness and knowledge construction, the reliability of generated information, the risk of linguistic standardization, and the ethical implications of using AI in educational contexts will also be discussed.
Starting from the main theoretical models describing the integration of technologies into teaching processes, the module will examine the potential applications of artificial intelligence in the language classroom: personalization of learning paths, generation and adaptation of teaching materials, development of language skills, automatic feedback, simulation of communication situations, support for metalinguistic reflection and assessment. Particular attention will be paid to designing activities that foster a critical, informed, and pedagogically sound use of AI, avoiding forms of passive substitution of cognitive processes and instead promoting learner autonomy, critical thinking, and responsibility.
The aim of the module is to enable students to develop professional skills suited to the challenges of contemporary language education, enabling them to critically evaluate emerging tools and practices and to design teaching programs in which artificial intelligence is used as a resource to support language learning, rather than as a substitute for the cognitive, relational, and cultural work that characterizes language teaching. - Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile
- The contents of the course recall and deepen on a methodological level the importance of quality education and training to improve the living conditions of people, communities and societies. The course aims to provide students with the professional skills to develop language teaching courses that are always available, easily accessible, inclusive and adaptive, with regards to the different educational needs of the learners with whom they will deal during their future activity as language teachers.