45. A Comparison of Scudit with Linguait and Scuola Leonardo da Vinci (Siena) (4 of 4)

Extra-curriculum Activities
Leonardo: This school offered a host of activities: mid-week lectures on Tuscan cooking, the contradas, pronunciation, and guided tours to churches and galleries. The highlight, though, was the dinner at a local inn located on a farm.

Linguait: Each week there would be a free showing of a film with subtitles, but these were not integrated into the morning lessons. Consequently, attendance was very poor especially for the older films. There was a weekly visit to some location of interest in Verona. There were also communal activities during which we practised our Italian. As I have re-iterated several times, even in Italy most students converse in Italian within the walls of the school rather than outside.

Scudit: Offered a weekly film, which was better attended than that at Linguait because of the effort by the Director. He would go from class to class recruiting for the film. Besides the film, we had a lecture on the lyrics of modern Italian songs. It could have been in lieu of the weekly film, or in addition—I can’t remember.

Both Linguait and Leonardo – especially Leonardo —offered so much more than Scudit that I regretted not having chosen another school in Rome. With the advantage of hindsight, I believe I should have kept to my normal policy of going to It-schools.com and selecting a school in Rome from its list.

Excursions
Leonardo: Each weekend, the school offered a tour to other cities in Tuscany and Umbria. Generally, the median price of these excursions was 30 Euros [2005]. I found them good value, but it was perhaps a bit steep for some of the younger students.

Linguait: Each week there was an excursion to somewhere outside Verona – to taste artisan-made grappa, wine, olive oil, or to visit an exhibition in Venice or another neighbouring city. As with Leonardo, I found these excursions good value, but not some of the younger students.

Scudit: There was ONE excursion, namely to Frascati and it was educational, enjoyable, and affordable. The total cost per student could not have been more than 12 –15 Euros. Unfortunately, it was the ONLY excursion in the four weeks of the course.

Common Room
Leonardo: None. Students leave after class and return when there is something sponsored.

Linguait: Not really, but has a small hall with Internet and 4 computers. It was only one minute to local café and bars. Students can also borrow videos and books. Has Internet access.

Scudit: Not really. Has a hallway and has wireless Internet access.

44. A Comparison of Scudit with Linguait and Scuola Leonardo da Vinci (Siena) (3 of 4)

Administration
Leonardo: The Administrator/Director remained behind the scene ensuring that the school ran smoothly. My only objection is very much a personal one in that I didn’t think she was really interested in the suggestions I made at the end of my stay.

Linguait: The school had both a Front man and a Back room Administrator as well as other owner-teachers. I thought this was the best administered of the three schools in what I consider the most important aspect – the placing of students at their correct level and ensuring minimum disruption from new and departing students.

Scudit: The Director was front and centre at this school.

Incoming Test
At all three schools incoming students had to take a test before being placed.
Leonardo: A very thorough test comprising, grammar, reading, writing, and speaking. The last occurred after the Administrator had marked the written test. My only complaint was that there was no follow-up after we had discussed my strengths and weaknesses. See Blog 7.

Linguait: A written test followed by an interview as per Leonardo. Despite my caveat with Leonardo, both schools were thorough in testing students and in trying to place them at the appropriate level.

Scudit: The test was strictly on grammar, and as a result, my class displayed a wide range in terms of comprehension and ability to speak. Although the school was flexible enough to move students about, a more thorough testing, or just an interview might have helped when placing students. Poor testing results in insufficient consideration before placing a student, especially as the school claims to emphasise conversation in its brochure.

Orientation - Reception
Leonardo: There was a welcoming reception, but no effort to introduce students to each other at the reception. If my memory serves me, there was another reception two weeks later. But there was no real orientation that I can remember.

Linguait: There was a welcoming reception and some effort at introducing students to each other. There was also an orientation at which we were given information on Verona, including restaurants etc. Even if some of the material needed to be updated, full credit should go to the school for this effort.

Scudit: No welcoming reception, no orientation. Nothing. Nada. Shades of Università per Stranieri, Perugia! (See Blogs 4, 5).

43. A Comparison of Scudit with Linguait and Scuola Leonardo da Vinci (Siena) (2 of 4)

Objective
Leonardo: Solid foundation in grammar based on the school’s own textbook. Second part of the morning is devoted to conversation.

Linguait: Focuses on the “spoken language” but tied to grammar. Class started by students recounting what they had done or whatever. The second part of the morning is devoted to conversation.

Scudit: Essential grammatical points. Class started by students recounting what they had done or whatever. No special time allotted to conversation. Any conversation occurs in response to questions.

Material
Leonardo: The school has its own set of exercise books that range from Beginner to Advanced. The instructor also brought in extra photocopied material

Linguait: The instructor used photocopied material, although I hope someday the school produces its own textbooks based on their approach of focusing on the “living” language.

Scudit: The instructor used photocopied material but a lot less than at Linguait. It appeared to me that the same material was re-cycled through different classes perhaps indicating a prepared approach. At least, I hope so.

Quality of Teaching
All three schools offered a high-level when it came to quality of teaching. All the teachers were approachable and patient.

Leonardo: We had a change in instructor after the first two weeks –I was told this is part of the school’s rotating policy. Perhaps one of the two instructors was a little blasé and at times was “winging” it.

Linguait: We had a main teacher and a second one who came in for the last hour for strictly conversation.

Scudit: One teacher for a week or more depending on what happens when students leave. Depending on how much movement there is, it could be less satisfactory.

Although at both Leonardo and Scudit the teachers were high energy and good, I preferred the instructor at Linguait who had a more measured pace and was easier to follow.

Ambience
Leonardo: Excellent atmosphere: professional where staff were friendly but only spoke Italian [as far as I know] so one had to converse in Italian. There was no mixing between staff and students outside of class. It was a school where one attended and left after classes. However, unlike Scudit, the school held a good mix of extra-curriculum activities.

Linguait: Very friendly, in that the staff went out of its way to create a friendly atmosphere. Unlike Leonardo, staff would adjourn for a drink with students after an excursion. I found their meetings to grant diplomas with applause, hugs, etc a little too gushy, but, then, I’m a bit of a cynic and grouch. Nevertheless, I do believe that many people will enjoy the school’s friendly atmosphere. My main objection was the mixed focus in that the staff did not always speak Italian.

Scudit: Like Leonardo, very professional in that the staff only spoke Italian to the students [as far as I know]. And like Leonardo, it was a school where one attended and left after classes. Instructors were friendly, and approachable. The ambience reflected very much the personality of the Director.

42 A Comparison of Scudit with Linguait and Scuola Leonardo da Vinci (Siena) (1 of 4)

In this and the following three blogs I will attempt to compare Scudit (Rome) with Leonardo da Vinci (Siena) and Linguait (Verona). I have omitted the University per Stranieri, at Perugia because it was such a BAD experience that I wouldn’t wish it even on my worst enemy. Do bear in mind that I attended Leonardo da Vinci at Siena four years ago and things may well have changed. There are several Leonardo schools, including one in Rome, but remember that beyond the text books, what applies to Siena may not (probably does not) apply to the other Leonardo schools.

City
Leonardo: in Siena, Toscana. Beautiful city, beautiful Tuscany countryside with accessibility to other interesting cities. Had very little contact with the local people, whom I am told are highly insular. The taxi drivers, waiters, and sales clerks I encountered were honest!

Linguait: in Verona, a beautiful Roman city – a smaller Rome, or a smaller Florence -- take your pick. More of a Northern European feel about the place. I liked the city and the people I met.

Scudit: in Rome. The Eternal City; The city of dog poop; of churches, museums …it’s all here. Most clerks and bus drivers insisted on speaking English.


Course Attended
I attended the Standard 4-week Course at each of the schools. These courses had a definite start and end date. However, at all three schools these dates seemed to have little significance since students could enter and leave at any time. At both Leonardo and Scudit the so-called 4-weeks was broken into two 2-weeks periods to accommodate new students. I maintain that if a school advertises a course for a set period it should limit entry to those students who take the entire course.

Disruption by Incoming Students
At Leonardo and Scudit there was a definite interruption as the instructors awaited the distribution of new students.

Leonardo: we were “occupied” by a film while new students were being tested. We also wasted a good portion of the first week while the instructor reviewed what we had completed with the new students.

Linguait: most of the students stayed for the four weeks and there was no pedagogical cooling of heels while we waited for new students. We received three new students in a class of 10, but there was no going over earlier material. These students appeared to fit in well. In this respect, Linguait did offer the best sense of continuity.

Scudit: My class from the second week dissolved away after one week and I was placed into a new class in my third of four weeks! So much for the so-called 4-week “course.”

41 What to Avoid in Rome

They call Verona “little Rome” because it too has a Coliseum and Roman ruins and is, indeed, a Roman city. However, it differs from Rome in one major way – Verona is a lot cleaner. I was amazed how often the city cleaners cleaned the streets each day. I presume, Rome being a large city, cannot have the same level of cleanliness. Rome is called the Eternal City. Well, I would also called Rome the City of Dog Poop. Whatever you do, keep your eyes on where you place your feet!

Before I visited Rome, I had horrible fears of pickpockets and purse-snatchers, but I found that the Historical City is really quite safe. This does not mean that pickpockets don’t thrive, especially in crowds or on the bus from the Termini station to the Vatican. Currently (2008) Rome has a right of centre mayor, and like Verona, the police are everywhere but not intrusively. This makes good business sense because tourism is a major industry. Nevertheless, keep your wits about you.

The police can’t protect you from scammers since scamming involves your voluntary involvement. Do be careful of anyone asking the way or who wants to borrow your map or your cell phone. By all means lend if you are inclined, but if the conversation goes further and he offers you something just remember the good advice given me (but alas too late), “when money is raised, walk away!” I wish I had! The scammer’s approach is to befriend a mark and then offer something out of “friendship,” which one then finds difficult to reject because one does not want to offend.

Another type of scamming is institutional in the sense that restaurants that cater to tourists often have hidden costs. One can have dinner sitting under the stars even in October, something most of us enjoy. These restaurants often advertise their menu, and all looks reasonable – 6 to 10 Euros for pasta and other reasonably charged features. However, when the bill arrives you will discover anything up to a 3 Euro cover charge for eating at an outdoor table, plus 10% Service Charge, plus exorbitant charges for wine, coffee, etc. One way they hit you is to charge 5 Euros for a glass of house wine or 12 Euros for half a litre. Coffee can cost as much as 3 Euros -- at a bar it’s 0.7 Euro. By the way, “Service Charge” is not a tip for the waiter but for wear and tear. Waiters are well enough paid that a tip is not expected but appreciated. A tip is one Euro per head or less, and not the North American 15% and up!

Do read your bill and be very aware of what you hand over. I went to a restaurant near the Coliseum, and for once had a waitress who was attentive and spoke Italian to me. I thought, “how nice, I am being pleasantly served in Italian”. But then another waiter with a cheeky mannerism tried to take over from her – I think he was the senior waiter. He started by speaking German to me, then English …I just glared at him. Whenever he came to ask if I wanted something else I answered abruptly no, and then called her over and told her. When it came to paying the bill I wanted to make sure that she received the tip. I gave her a 50 Euro bill and she returned without the main change. I explained to her what I had originally given her. She was obviously embarrassed and hurried back to retrieve the correct change. I noticed her remonstrating with the other waiter, who had obviously handled the payment and had tried a fast one on her as well as on me. (I still gave her a tip.)

Finally, if you want to get away from the tourists eat at the time Italians eat, which is from 8 p.m. on. Also, remember that restaurants that don’t have outside dining or are hidden away from the main tourist thoroughfares often offer good food at more reasonable prices.

40. Scudit in Rome

There is a saying that one must see Rome before one dies (or is it one sees Rome and then dies?). Either way it certainly is true that Rome is breathtaking with its ruins, churches and galleries. However, let me divest you of one illusion, if like me you believe that there are seven hills around Rome. I think bumps in the road might be a better description of some of these “hills”! Bumps or hills, I certainly kept myself occupied for five weeks visiting the different sites and galleries.

For the student who hopes to practise Italian with the local populace, Rome is definitely NOT recommended. Normally, one wants to live in the Old or Historical City because that is where all the galleries and historical sites are found. Unfortunately, this is also the centre of the tourist trade. Most waiters spoke English, and insisted on speaking English even when I kept speaking Italian! I tried to ask a bus driver the direction and before I finished he had answered me in English and in a tone that let me know that he couldn’t be bothered listening to my Italian! Mercifully, occasionally I did find a driver who replied to me in Italian, but what got my goat was that the civil servants -- your museum attendants --insisted on speaking English. I can understand a sales clerk or waiter speaking to me in English, but I would have thought that servants of the state would take pride in their native language and speak first in Italian and only switch if they observe the stranger struggling to understand.

To order my food in Italian I mostly went east of the Termini station to the university area known as San Lorenzo. I’m told it is an old established working-class area, and amid all the wine and beer bars one can find excellent and economical restaurants. Here one can still find a carafe of wine for 5 Euros as opposed to paying 5 Euros for a GLASS of house wine in the Old City. To add insult to injury, it was often the same brand and type of wine! My only regret is that I only started going to San Lorenzo in my last two weeks. If you do follow my suggestion of visiting and eating there, I would recommend you take the bus rather than the train. Walking from San Lorenzo to the train station at night means you walk along a rather isolated and dark street. On the other hand, the bus leaves from within San Lorenzo.

Rome has so much to offer that you may well like to attend a school like Scudit that offers little – at least in comparison to some other schools—in terms of extra-curriculum activities. Being inherently lazy with a strong dislike for reading Guide books, I like to have a learned guide show me the sites. I certainly enjoyed the one and only tour the school sponsored. I just wished there had been more. I still have fond memories of how much Scuola Leonardo offered in terms of tours around Siena [See Blog 3]. Linguait also sponsored several tours around Verona. Both of these schools took their students to churches, museums and galleries. Alas, nothing comparable happened during my attendance at Scudit. Of course, there’s nothing to stop you from looking for another Roman school that has a fuller menu of extra-curriculum activities.

39. My Best Week at Scudit

I don’t want to give the impression that Scudit was not a good school. As I indicated in blog 33, what the school did it did well, although I found its testing inadequate and its offering of extra-curriculum activities sparse during my four weeks. As I further stated in Blog 33, I had misread their brochure and consequently went with false expectations of classes focusing on conversation rather than on grammar. However, I was not the only one to misconstrue their publicity as at least two others I met expressed the same disappointment to me. As I mentioned in Blog 34, I complained to the Director that he had placed me in a class that was too easy and so for my second week he placed me in a different class. If the rest of my stay at the school could have been what I experienced during this week I would have been very happy indeed.

In this class the emphasis was truly on conversation. The instructor would throw out a subject for discussion or show us a cartoon strip and we would devise a story based on the drawings. Although the instructor had grammatical points she wanted to discuss, she allowed the class to follow its own head. For example, one day she mentioned something scandalous that she had read in the newspaper and asked us for our opinion. So we got into a lively discussion. At times, she would stop us and explain some grammatical point that one of us had used incorrectly.

On another occasion, the instructor brought in a set of comic strips and each of us had to take a role and act out what we thought was happening between the characters. We spoke a lot and laughed a lot, and again, the grammar “lesson” rose from our efforts to speak. By the end of the week I was feeling more comfortable speaking. I felt less rushed so that I was beginning to use the appropriate tense. If I could have had four weeks of this type of class I am sure my ability to speak would have taken a quantum leap. Unfortunately, the following week there was a wholesale exit of students and I was placed back into a “normal” class, at which point I resigned myself to another standard course of grammar with some conversation. If you read this blog and know FIRST-HAND of a school in Italy that teaches the way I am advocating -- conversation with grammar coming from the discussion - - please do let me know.