20 Scuola Lingua-It: (1) General Assessment
Lingua-It, Verona
From 17 September – 12 October 2007, I attended a four-week course at Lingua-It in Verona. Lingua-It is a young school, only five years old, with a small student population -- during my four weeks it had about 30 students or less. It is owned by four teachers, all of whom were in their 30s or early 40s. Amongst these, Christian is the interactive dynamo, Enrico the tour guide and art historian, and Laura the organiser. I had little contact with the fourth proprietor as she only returned from vacation in my last week. I would like to add that when I was looking for a school I wrote to the two schools in Verona but chose Lingua-It because it took the time to answer my questions. The other school sent me a stock letter as a reply, and I thought if that is all they could do then I certainly would not want to go there.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The big advantage in a small school is, obviously, the teacher to student ratio. Our class was never larger than 10 and, on average, eight. The major disadvantage with a small school is that the heterogeneity in levels can affect the quality of the learning experience. If all students in the school could speak Italian at some level, and were prepared to do so, speaking Italian would be the order of the day. Unfortunately, with such a small number, a group of non-speakers can have a detrimental effect because of proximity. Add to this those who choose not to speak Italian, and the purpose of coming to Italy to learn the language is easily undermined.
Teachers at Lingua-It
All the staff at Lingua-It are young, enthusiastic, and friendly, and the school generates an atmosphere of friendliness. In fairness, so too were the teachers at Leonardo da Vinci in Siena, which I rated highly (See blogs 3,7, 8,11), and I would imagine, a “friendly” atmosphere exists at most -- if not all -- commercial schools. But Lingua-It does try to go one step further. When a group goes on a school-sponsored outing, it generally ends with a drink at the local bar where students and those instructors involved in the tour will sit and chat. Occasionally, I have also seen instructors chatting with students over a drink. Although there is a standing invitation to join the staff for a drink or during lunch, the invitation is really more honoured in the breach than in the observance. Fair enough, since they also need their space.
General Assessment
Let me say outright that I was very happy with the teaching and what I was taught. But I found their awarding of “diplomas” accompanied by fulsome praise to anyone who had attended for however long or brief a period rather over-enthusiastic. I also found troubling a lack of commitment by the school to an ambience in which only Italian is spoken. And I was disappointed by what I consider “bloated” advertising. In fairness, some people may not consider these reservations as significant. Indeed, they may even consider the willingness of the teachers to speak English as an advantage. I certainly had an enjoyable time, and it is important to stress that although the grammar was not new to me, I certainly learnt a lot with respect to what is used in everyday Italian.
From 17 September – 12 October 2007, I attended a four-week course at Lingua-It in Verona. Lingua-It is a young school, only five years old, with a small student population -- during my four weeks it had about 30 students or less. It is owned by four teachers, all of whom were in their 30s or early 40s. Amongst these, Christian is the interactive dynamo, Enrico the tour guide and art historian, and Laura the organiser. I had little contact with the fourth proprietor as she only returned from vacation in my last week. I would like to add that when I was looking for a school I wrote to the two schools in Verona but chose Lingua-It because it took the time to answer my questions. The other school sent me a stock letter as a reply, and I thought if that is all they could do then I certainly would not want to go there.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The big advantage in a small school is, obviously, the teacher to student ratio. Our class was never larger than 10 and, on average, eight. The major disadvantage with a small school is that the heterogeneity in levels can affect the quality of the learning experience. If all students in the school could speak Italian at some level, and were prepared to do so, speaking Italian would be the order of the day. Unfortunately, with such a small number, a group of non-speakers can have a detrimental effect because of proximity. Add to this those who choose not to speak Italian, and the purpose of coming to Italy to learn the language is easily undermined.
Teachers at Lingua-It
All the staff at Lingua-It are young, enthusiastic, and friendly, and the school generates an atmosphere of friendliness. In fairness, so too were the teachers at Leonardo da Vinci in Siena, which I rated highly (See blogs 3,7, 8,11), and I would imagine, a “friendly” atmosphere exists at most -- if not all -- commercial schools. But Lingua-It does try to go one step further. When a group goes on a school-sponsored outing, it generally ends with a drink at the local bar where students and those instructors involved in the tour will sit and chat. Occasionally, I have also seen instructors chatting with students over a drink. Although there is a standing invitation to join the staff for a drink or during lunch, the invitation is really more honoured in the breach than in the observance. Fair enough, since they also need their space.
General Assessment
Let me say outright that I was very happy with the teaching and what I was taught. But I found their awarding of “diplomas” accompanied by fulsome praise to anyone who had attended for however long or brief a period rather over-enthusiastic. I also found troubling a lack of commitment by the school to an ambience in which only Italian is spoken. And I was disappointed by what I consider “bloated” advertising. In fairness, some people may not consider these reservations as significant. Indeed, they may even consider the willingness of the teachers to speak English as an advantage. I certainly had an enjoyable time, and it is important to stress that although the grammar was not new to me, I certainly learnt a lot with respect to what is used in everyday Italian.
posted by Toby1939 at 4:51 PM
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