UK Tel: 01209 211 800
Intl Tel: +44 1209 211 800
CESA House
Pennance Road
Lanner
Cornwall
TR16 5TQ
Great Britain
t: 01209 211 800
Intl t: +44 1209 211 800
f: 01209 211 830
Founder member of the Year Out Group and the International Association of Language Travel Agents.
Methodology
The college's key concern is to get you to speak!
Only Italian will be spoken from the first day of classes in Siena. Throughout all the courses offered, emphasis is placed on the spoken, living language. By continually stressing the use of verbal communication, students are able to learn Italian "naturally" to unite theory and practice easily and to increase knowledge quickly and with confidence.
More advanced levels also include written language practice. Much of the teaching materials has been developed by the schools in house and is well suited to the needs and requirements of students. In order to enable students to gain an insight into the Italian way of living and thinking a whole range of extra curricular activities are provided, aside from the core language course The work of each group is tailored to each class's ability level in Italian.
The college divides students into six theoretical levels of ability. A student of average linguistic ability should allow four weeks to complete any one of the given Levels.
The Italian school in Siena will work with a range of different methods, chosen according to the level of the students (students are always streamed according to their language ability). The overall goal of the language school is to provide students with the best possible training in the Italian language, allowing for the duration of the programme on offer and the time the student has allocated.
Techniques are a mixture of traditional (teacher led) and communicative (student based) methods. All aspects of the language are explored; oral comprehension and expression and written comprehension and expression. Much is dependent on the make up of the class concerned and their specific linguistic requirements as a group.
The teaching programme clearly varies according to student level however the following aspects of study will play a part in the curriculum:-
• Intensive grammar study
• Phonetics
• Development of vocabulary
• Syntax and application
• Listening and comprehension
• Dialogue and communication
• Situation method
• Idiomatic language
• Written and oral expression
• Lecture and analysis
• Live guided discussion and synthesis
• Free conversation
A selection of material are used in addition to the Italian grammar and exercise books are available for the teacher’s use and these can be supplemented as needed (according to the group’s linguistic capability) i.e. films, newspapers, advertisements, texts on current affairs and topical issues etc.
In reality a student chooses to attend a short course or a longer "Languages for Life" course according to their linguistic goals, personal wishes and time constraints.
Return to: Learn Italian in Siena
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