The University of Illinois at Chicago in collaboration with Italidea-Midwest present: The Art and Science of Teaching Italian Art and Science. Presenter: Professor Diane Musumeci

When: Friday, September 25, 3.30 PM,
Where: Daley Library, I-470, University of Illinois at Chicago

The optimal condition for learning a second language requires that learners make connections between language forms and their meanings. One of the best ways to create this condition in the formal instructional context is through content-based instruction that balances a focus on meaning with attention to form.

In this three-hour workshop, we will review some basic principles surrounding content-based instruction and how form-meaning connections are best fostered. We will then analyze multiple activities to determine how well they adhere to those principles. Finally, we will work in teams to modify or create additional activities that promote good language learning strategies. Teams will present their activities to the
whole group, so that everyone will leave with a portfolio of exemplars to use in their own classrooms.

The specific content areas of the sample activities will be Italian art history and/or Italian regional geography, but the team activities may cover any appropriate content area of choice.

Dr. Diane Musumeci is recently emerita at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she enjoyed a long and satisfying career in teaching, research, and administration. She has taught Italian language and linguistics at all levels, in addition to teacher education across languages at the undergraduate level and at the doctoral level in the program in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education."