7. Administration at a Small Commercial School
Since there are only two Italian universities that sponsor one-month courses in Italian, my comments about the University for Foreigners at Perugia probably have more significance. On the other hand, I have -- at least so far -- only attended one commercial school -- the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci in Siena. There are many commercial schools – a quick count from It-Schools.com showed close to 150 and the number seems to be growing all the time. Schools also vary in size, and larger ones, or those in larger cities, may have more or different problems. Or they may not. Despite the maxim that “one swallow does not a Spring make,” I shall still offer my observations based on my limited experience.
The Scuola Leonardo in Siena occupies one floor in a building. This floor has 4 to 6 classrooms – the exact number escapes me now— plus a front office and office for the instructors. There was no need for an orientation because all the classes were held in one building on one floor. But at least they made a gesture at welcoming the new students by having a little reception. Throughout our stay we were also given tours of interesting historical sites in Siena.
The school seemed to be administered by one person, who also oversaw the placement test, which every incoming student had to take. It was a much better test than the one given by the University for Foreigners at Perugia because it examined us for grammar, writing, comprehension, and speaking. It didn’t take her long to recognise that my knowledge of Italian was a jumble – I knew parts of grammar that were considered “advanced” but didn’t know other parts that I should have. If I remember correctly, she interviewed me after the written section to see if I could speak. Then she gave her verdict, with which I concurred. She said that she would start me off in the intermediate level [level 3] and then we would meet again after two weeks, which would be midway through my stay, and we could decide if things were too easy for me or not. As far as I was concerned, she was batting a 100.
The problem was that there was no follow-up after two weeks, which was disappointing as I did find the course on the easy side. I had no objections to remaining where I was if we had discussed the situation as promised. I got the distinct impression that she spent time at the beginning of the course to place a student but then failed to meet with and review the student’s progress. The administrator or teachers should not interpret silence as an indication that the student is happy with the class or level of learning. Most students are too polite to object. If there had been periodical reviews I think the Scuola Leonardo at Siena would have risen that much higher in my estimation.
Compared to the anonymous Administration at the University of Perugia for Foreigners –the administrator at the Scuola was certainly hands on. At least we knew who she was and could speak to her. More importantly, the role played by the secretaries at the Scuola was so much more personal and helpful. They knew what was going on, and so could give help when requested, and one even went out of her way to help in booking a hotel for me in Florence and trying to reserve a ticket for the Uffizi. I certainly left having had a good experience. Any flaws were minor, which if attended to, would place the school even higher up my scale of satisfaction.
On our last day we were given a sheet to fill up concerning our experience at the school, but it was so slanted that it would be unavoidable not to give a positive response – not that I would not have. In fact, I wrote a five page response [at home], which I handed in but I think I was barking in the wind as the administrator was not really interested in suggestions!
The Scuola Leonardo in Siena occupies one floor in a building. This floor has 4 to 6 classrooms – the exact number escapes me now— plus a front office and office for the instructors. There was no need for an orientation because all the classes were held in one building on one floor. But at least they made a gesture at welcoming the new students by having a little reception. Throughout our stay we were also given tours of interesting historical sites in Siena.
The school seemed to be administered by one person, who also oversaw the placement test, which every incoming student had to take. It was a much better test than the one given by the University for Foreigners at Perugia because it examined us for grammar, writing, comprehension, and speaking. It didn’t take her long to recognise that my knowledge of Italian was a jumble – I knew parts of grammar that were considered “advanced” but didn’t know other parts that I should have. If I remember correctly, she interviewed me after the written section to see if I could speak. Then she gave her verdict, with which I concurred. She said that she would start me off in the intermediate level [level 3] and then we would meet again after two weeks, which would be midway through my stay, and we could decide if things were too easy for me or not. As far as I was concerned, she was batting a 100.
The problem was that there was no follow-up after two weeks, which was disappointing as I did find the course on the easy side. I had no objections to remaining where I was if we had discussed the situation as promised. I got the distinct impression that she spent time at the beginning of the course to place a student but then failed to meet with and review the student’s progress. The administrator or teachers should not interpret silence as an indication that the student is happy with the class or level of learning. Most students are too polite to object. If there had been periodical reviews I think the Scuola Leonardo at Siena would have risen that much higher in my estimation.
Compared to the anonymous Administration at the University of Perugia for Foreigners –the administrator at the Scuola was certainly hands on. At least we knew who she was and could speak to her. More importantly, the role played by the secretaries at the Scuola was so much more personal and helpful. They knew what was going on, and so could give help when requested, and one even went out of her way to help in booking a hotel for me in Florence and trying to reserve a ticket for the Uffizi. I certainly left having had a good experience. Any flaws were minor, which if attended to, would place the school even higher up my scale of satisfaction.
On our last day we were given a sheet to fill up concerning our experience at the school, but it was so slanted that it would be unavoidable not to give a positive response – not that I would not have. In fact, I wrote a five page response [at home], which I handed in but I think I was barking in the wind as the administrator was not really interested in suggestions!
posted by Toby1939 at 12:59 PM
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