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Brisbane, 17-18 November 2000
Sponsored by
Fondazione Cassamarca
Australasian Centre for Italian Studies (ACIS) and Griffith University
Organised by the Unit for Italian Education Studies at Griffith University
Editor: Claire Kennedy
Editorial committee: Mike Levy, Tiziana Miceli, Sara Visocnik Murray, Claire Kennedy
Published by Griffith University, Brisbane in December 2002
This is a peer-reviewed publication: the full written version of each paper in these proceedings has been reviewed by at least two anonymous, suitably qualified referees, to comply fully with the verification requirements for the Higher Education Research Data Collection conducted by the Department of Education Science and Training (Canberra).
Reviewers: Camilla Bettoni, University of Verona; Mirna Cicioni, Monash University; Anna Ciliberti, University for Foreigners, Perugia; Robert Debski, University of Melbourne; Maria Dobrenov Major, Griffith University; Michael Harrington, University of Queensland; Debra Hoven, University of Queensland; Greer Johnson, Griffith University; Mike Levy, Griffith University; Anthony Liddicoat, Griffith University; Carla Marello, University of Turin; Marilyn McMeniman, Griffith University; Drina Oldroyd, Griffith University; Anne Pauwels, University of Western Australia
The editorial committee warmly thanks all the reviewers, and Margaret Geoghegan, Katharine Myres and Dick Roebuck for extensive editorial advice and assistance.
Copyright © 2002, ISBN 0 909291 66 7
Italian in Australia: past and new trends – Antonia Rubino (University of Sydney) pp. 1-15
Motivation and its implications in tertiary Italian studies – Antonio Pagliaro (LaTrobe University) pp. 16-25
“Ti posso offrire un caffè?” Implementing an out-of-class experience in a tertiary Italian programme – Sara Visocnik Murray (Griffith University) and Francesca Laura (University of the Sunshine Coast) pp. 26-39
The role of online chatting in the development of competence in oral interaction – Vincenza Tudini (University of South Australia) pp. 40-57
Implementing an international web-based collaborative learning environment – Gary Birch and Cristina Poyatos Matas (Griffith University) pp. 58-74
Who’s afraid of the World Wide Web? A project involving teacher and learners in the integration of web resources into a beginners’ programme – Gabriella Brussino (University of Auckland) pp. 75-82
An apprenticeship with the CWIC corpus: a tool for learner writers in Italian – Tiziana Miceli and Claire Kennedy (Griffith University) pp. 83-94
Making it meaningful: teaching Italian language and culture with the telegiornale – Matthew Absalom (University of South Australia) pp. 95-112
Perceptions of literature: a comparison of students’ and educators’ views – Piera Carroli (Australian National University) pp. 113-128
The aim of the Innovations in Italian Teaching workshop was to bring together those engaged in Italian language teaching in universities and schools around Australia, for an exchange of ideas and information on the general theme of innovation in teaching resources and approaches. The workshop, held in Brisbane on 17 and 18 November 2000, was organised by the Unit for Italian Education Studies at Griffith University and sponsored by the University, the Fondazione Cassamarca and the Australasian Centre for Italian Studies.
While the presenters were mostly academics, (from eleven Australian universities and one in New Zealand), there were also contributions by teachers from Queensland secondary schools and representatives of Co.As.It in Sydney (an Italian community organisation that provides teachers for many primary schools). The twenty-two papers discussed new resources, applications of computer-based technology and other recent developments in teaching methodologies for both school and university contexts. Only one paper was not specifically concerned with Italian teaching: that by Gary Birch and Cristina Poyatos Matas on collaborative learning through the web, which was included because of its evident relevance for language teachers in general.
Click here to view the workshop programme
Those attending the workshop came from universities, primary and secondary schools, state government education departments and community organisations engaged in teaching (Co.As.It. and the Dante Alighieri Society). Several resources were on display over the two days and hands-on sessions were held to allow participants to experiment with some of the computer-based tools.
This publication includes a selection of papers from those presented at the workshop. We are confident they illustrate the appropriateness of the title we had chosen: the innovative spirit is certainly thriving in Italian Studies down under!
In the opening paper, Antonia Rubino provides an overview of the history of Italian as a community language and a language of study in Australia. She identifies recent trends in both the Italo-Australian population and Australian society at large, which, if nurtured and appropriately responded to, could generate an expansion in demand for Italian courses. Antonio Pagliaro reflects on factors that motivate students – not only to enter language courses but also to persevere – and our responsibilities to help them sustain their motivation, along with proposed strategies. The subsequent papers indirectly address the issues he raises: each presents a specific project aimed at enhancing the language-learning environment by exploiting a particular type of resource. The project by Sara Visocnik Murray and Francesca Laura makes use of a human resource – Italian-speaking members of the community – to extend the learners’ opportunities for practice. Computer-based resources – text-chatting facilities, the web, an electronic corpus – are the subject of papers by Vincenza Tudini, Gary Birch and Cristina Poyatos Matas, Gabriella Brussino, and Tiziana Miceli and Claire Kennedy. Finally, Matthew Absalom and Piera Carroli present fresh approaches to the use of more ‘traditional’ resources – television and literature, respectively – from a learner-centred perspective.
Further papers from the workshop are being prepared for publication in the “Occasional papers” section of this site.
The Editorial Committee