My teaching philoposhy:

For me, language is culture and by teaching Italian I hope to instill in my students an appreciation and love for Italian language and culture. We explore relevant topics that pertain to Italian society, the students' lives, and to the world around us. I teach Italian because I deeply appreciate Italian language and culture and I want to convey that enthusiasm and interest to my students.

I believe that maintaining a healthy and nurturing classroom atmosphere is essential. I encourage students not only with the usual rewards but also by explaining to them the basic theories behind second language acquisition. If a student in Italian 1 understands that they will not understand every word in a given text, that student realizes that their lack of language proficiency is not a failure on their part, but a skill that they should continue to develop via reading strategies that we practice in class. In the classroom I believe in the Italian saying Sbagliando, s'impara. Mistakes are natural, normal and often provide great teaching moments.  I also believe that rewarding the eventual correction of mistakes is a good practice. For example, in an oral exam, I will give students points for self-correction while speaking. This shows me students are thinking about their use of language as they employ it.

Students must actively participate inside and outside of the classroom in order to develop language skills. I encourage participation in various ways, but the underlying idea is that students learn more effectively the function of the language through practical use in realistic, culturally significant contexts. In oral activities, students may plan a dinner party to practice food vocabulary or compare articles of Italian clothing and accessories to practice the comparative. A reading on tattoos outside of class will lead to a class discussion on fashion trends in Italy and the influence of American culture. An Internet search for apartments in Bologna will lead to a writing assignment. In this way, I strive to integrate all communicative skills. An integrated curriculum, one that combines culture, meaningful material, grammar, and learning and language acquisition strategies, is the most effective way to develop students into sophisticated language learners.

Assessment and evaluation of student work is very important to me. I believe that a variety of assessment tools are necessary to evaluate the student's progress. I constantly look for new means of assessment. The elementary Italian exams that I use incorporate listening, reading and writing activities that are based around a central theme. This allows for a better understanding of students' language production. Oral exams are usually recorded so that the exam is dialogic in nature; students can review their work and my comments in order to learn from their mistakes.

I have found that teaching can open many doors, inspire new fields of inquiry, and allow for great collaborative work inside and outside of the classroom. I hope to continue to develop my skills as an educator in order to motivate students to appreciate Italian language and culture and language acquisition in general.

- Lorraine Denman



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