Francesco La Gioia

È di Bologna (Bologna)

Registrato il 05-11-2021

CONTATTARE CON Francesco La

è gratis e senza alcun impegno

Così è Francesco La Gioia

My teaching philosophy is the result of my experience as a language student, as a student in
Courses focused on second language acquisition and, finally, as an instructor of language courses.
At the beginning of each semester, i encourage my students to think about their expectations of
The course as well as what they expect to “do with the language” by and after the end of the semester.
By posing those questions, my first aim is to encourage them to think that the purpose of learning a
Language goes beyond the classroom context, that a language course is different from a course in any
Other subject because i want to make them aware that language is the main tool of communication that
Can be used in a wide variety of meaningful contexts, in and out of the classroom.
I am interested in grasping their personal interests in order to provide them with a series of
Activities where their interests and their personalities can emerge during in-Class activities. The
Relevance of the topic of the activities in students’ lives and in the real world is one of the main
Goals for each class. My belief is that if students can relate to a certain topic, both their motivation
And dedication in the target language are more likely to increase. For example, when discussing a
Certain topic, i show true interest in their thoughts and their previous experiences in that topic, and i
Spur them to include their life experiences in the activities rather than using sentences “to please
Me”. It is important for me to be a positive figure for my students, i make sure that they know that i
Am in the classroom to help them achieve their goal of learning and/or advancing in a foreign
Language through activities where input, output and interaction are central. Interaction is encouraged
Through peer collaboration in class: for most of the activities, students are asked to work in pairs or
In small groups. Individual activities are usually given with the aim of creating content to share with
Other students. It is important that students feel comfortable and connect with their classmates
Because i believe that a relaxed environment helps students use the target language more
Successfully, without the fear of feeling judged by their peers for making an error. I prioritize
Fluency over accuracy, because i think that a good thought, as long as understandable, is better than
An utterance that shows good knowledge of grammar rules but no meaningful content. I make
Students aware of my view, so that they know that errors produced during the class time do not
Penalize their scores for class participation. I foster their effort of expressing their thoughts in the
Target language by giving them positive feedbacks. Negative feedbacks are mostly implicit in the
Form of recast and usually focused only on the target structure of that specific lesson.
I give priority to quality over quantity: if i notice that a certain activity keeps students
Motivated and engaged, i would not ask them to move to another activity, as long as all the students
Are successfully interacting with each other. Conversely, when i notice that a given task is not
Successful in generating discussion or does not catch their attention, i make sure to limit the time for
That activity and i propose something that might be more appealing for them. I consider important to
Understand students’ reactions to the activities, so that i can create new material that accommodates
Their needs.
Also, i believe that every activity can be an opportunity to share cultural aspects related to the
Target language not only by creating activities where culture is embedded, but also through short
Considerations that refer to the target culture and that might be relevant in that context. I think that long
Reading texts about specific cultural elements are not effective and do not catch students’ attention,
Especially novice learners.