Teaching Italian language online. (Technologies and linguistic strategies for English-speaking people)

8 Chapte r I: T he impor tanc e of the didac tic s: the fir st str ate gy of a suc c e ssful online te ac he r . In the present chapter, we are going to discuss all the didactics questions used in Italy concerning Italian as second language. It encompasses everything from the methodologies used in class to the political aspects that a teacher has to know in order to face the daily reality. All the methods can be applied both in presential classes, in online classes, and also for online social networks used as learning platforms. Another answer to the question “Why is didactics important for a teacher?” is that if the professor knows at least the basis of this relevant subject, there is a higher chance of a successful lesson. In Italy are held lots of studies began in the seventies, concerning the didactics of Italian as second language. Those studies refer to the basis and deepening of language didactics subject. The branch of study that has a role in this field is called “linguistic education”. 1.1) The politic al aspe c t that c an he lp le arning a language . Firstly, as mentioned before, it’s important to underline a political aspect that involves all European languages: CEFR (The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). This “framework” was created by the Council of Europe, between 1966 and 1989. The aim of CEFR is to help both teachers and students. The benefits of a teacher are to classify their students with a clear method, in order to give them the best input to help the comprehension and learning of a language. Meanwhile, the benefit of a student is to be classified and put in the correct level, as I am going to describe in the “degrees of interaction in L2 classes” section. As it was discussed before, CEFR’s method is to establish a language level, basing on four abilities or competences: speaking, writing, listening, and reading. The first ability, spe ak ing, has the objective to test the fluency of a student while he is speaking with a mother tongue or people who know the language in question. The present competence comprehends the ability to test the grammar features and the words the student has learned. There are some examples, depending on the level. The alum that possesses a lower level, as an A1, can express himself with few and simple sentences, such as “subject+verb+object”. The only conjunctions that an A1 student may use are “and” to link two sentences, like “io ho 30 anni e abito a Pisa” (I am 30 years old, and I live in Pisa). Those are the first sentences that I have taught during my volunteering activity for this level. Another conjunction for an A1 level is “or” and it’s used to make a comparison: “questo colore è rosso o rosa?” (this colour is red or pink?). The second ability in question is w riting. With this ability, the student can prove the fluency that it possesses, especially if the alum has a different writing system. In the first interview, as I am going to show in the next paragraph with more details, the interviewed is due to copy some words, and depending on the speediness the student has, the teacher can understand the level of alphabetization. Another ability useful to live in a country and answer in the right way is liste ning. The student, in order to answer in the right way, and so to prove its speaking skills, needs to