21. Lingua-It: (2) Primary Objective

Lingua-It prides itself in its primary objective: “The school’s primary objective is to immerse students in the real language of Italy as it is used everyday by Italians.” Certainly, for me the school’s best point was its focus on teaching “the real language” as opposed to “academic” Italian. I came away with a list of 131 pointers gleaned from the lessons on what to use and not to use when speaking Italian.

When I asked one of the four owners to explain the differences in approach, she showed me examples from two “old-fashioned” textbooks. This “old-fashioned” approach to grammar drills involved the student filling in blanks in sentences that bore little relation to everyday life. In contrast, the examples we used were considered more “relevant”. To achieve this relevancy, students were given photocopies of drills selected from different textbooks.

Frankly, I think she was setting up some “straw men,” because no self-respecting school these days would use such antiquated examples as she showed me. Most textbooks these days use examples from life situations. After all, the exercises my class did over the four weeks came from other textbooks. I think that the difference between Lingua-It and say a more traditional school like Leonardo da Vinci is a matter of emphasis. I’ve looked through my notes from both Leonardo and the University per Stranieri, Perugia -- a school that I don’t recommend unless you are a masochist (See blogs 4 - 6, 9,10) -- and noted that each school also discussed the “real language of Italy”. It’s just that Lingua-It focuses on the “real language” in use, which makes it easier to assimilate. Still, it is a difference in approach, and even a difference in content for the student. I look forward to the day when the teachers at Lingua-It decide to write their own textbook based on every day situations.