24. Lingua-It: (5) The Lesson
Every morning at Lingua-It, the class started with our instructor, Giacomo, asking each of us what we had done the day before. This practice ensured that each of us was forced to speak Italian right from the get go! If we asked a question or if he happened to discuss something with one of us, it took the place of the question. This way he ensured that the class did not stray too far from the main lesson.
The main part of the lesson focused on some grammatical subject. Unlike other courses that I had attended before Lingua-It, Giacomo focused on the practicality of the grammatical subject with respect to everyday Italian. Let me give you an example. I have studied the Conditional in Vancouver, Siena, and Perugia, and engrained in me is the belief that one uses the Conditional to order something at a restaurant or bar. Now, perhaps at Siena or Perugia we might have been told how to order when at a restaurant, but the lesson certainly did not stick, probably because it was not at the centre of focus of the lesson. By his antics, drama, and humour, Giacomo impressed upon us that to use the Conditional when ordering at a restaurant or bar would mark us off as foreigners. I don’t think anyone in the class would ever forget the lesson.
As at the Scuola Leonardo, homework was given and corrected in class the next day. Giacomo was conscientious in going around the table so everyone had an opportunity to participate. In-class work was done the same way, but with the emphasis on what or how to use the grammatical topic in conversation. We also had to listen to audio conversations followed by in-class discussion, and I found this part of the lesson the most difficult. Although I recognise that I just was not up to speed, another contributing factor to my difficulty was the horrible echo in the room. It seems this too was a characteristic at Scuola Leonardo and at the Università per Stranieri, Perugia.
The last hour of the day was given over to another instructor, Ornella, whose function was to play word games with us. The purpose of these games was to increase our vocabulary and to prompt us to speak in Italian. With only 8 in the class, we had ample opportunity to participate, although it seems fated that there would always be in any class a perennial bore who drones on.
At times, usually on a Friday when some students were finishing their stay, the entire school would play some sort of game – either a quiz or a challenge in which groups would have to undertake certain projects like having the group’s photo taken beside a certain statue. The purpose I presume is to make one speak to strangers, either to ask the way if we didn’t know it, or to photograph us, or to solve some lore. These games were fun, challenging, and amusing, but, unfortunately, often only one person in the group would do the talking. I look forward to the day when the school develops a series of scenarios to be acted out in class and in the school, thus forcing one to learn the relevant words for the situation.
The main part of the lesson focused on some grammatical subject. Unlike other courses that I had attended before Lingua-It, Giacomo focused on the practicality of the grammatical subject with respect to everyday Italian. Let me give you an example. I have studied the Conditional in Vancouver, Siena, and Perugia, and engrained in me is the belief that one uses the Conditional to order something at a restaurant or bar. Now, perhaps at Siena or Perugia we might have been told how to order when at a restaurant, but the lesson certainly did not stick, probably because it was not at the centre of focus of the lesson. By his antics, drama, and humour, Giacomo impressed upon us that to use the Conditional when ordering at a restaurant or bar would mark us off as foreigners. I don’t think anyone in the class would ever forget the lesson.
As at the Scuola Leonardo, homework was given and corrected in class the next day. Giacomo was conscientious in going around the table so everyone had an opportunity to participate. In-class work was done the same way, but with the emphasis on what or how to use the grammatical topic in conversation. We also had to listen to audio conversations followed by in-class discussion, and I found this part of the lesson the most difficult. Although I recognise that I just was not up to speed, another contributing factor to my difficulty was the horrible echo in the room. It seems this too was a characteristic at Scuola Leonardo and at the Università per Stranieri, Perugia.
The last hour of the day was given over to another instructor, Ornella, whose function was to play word games with us. The purpose of these games was to increase our vocabulary and to prompt us to speak in Italian. With only 8 in the class, we had ample opportunity to participate, although it seems fated that there would always be in any class a perennial bore who drones on.
At times, usually on a Friday when some students were finishing their stay, the entire school would play some sort of game – either a quiz or a challenge in which groups would have to undertake certain projects like having the group’s photo taken beside a certain statue. The purpose I presume is to make one speak to strangers, either to ask the way if we didn’t know it, or to photograph us, or to solve some lore. These games were fun, challenging, and amusing, but, unfortunately, often only one person in the group would do the talking. I look forward to the day when the school develops a series of scenarios to be acted out in class and in the school, thus forcing one to learn the relevant words for the situation.
posted by Toby1939 at 12:40 PM
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