My course with Antonio has been a great adventure! We don’t know my exam results yet, but I am very happy with my achievements. Today, thanks to my language knowledge, I can listen to programmes, read various books not written for language learners, participate in events, and converse with local people in different parts of Italy—and I am grateful for it!
Also, because I have rediscovered my writer’s voice and am reconnecting to writing after a long break—and I can do it in Italian!
I have always had a sweet spot for writing and literature, but English didn’t fit me even if I had all the tools. Now, I can express my thoughts more poetically in Italian.
As an Italian language learner and English language teacher, I am immensely grateful to my teacher, who provides me with a various language diet. I am learning Italian in the target language environment. I thought I would list some meals on the diet that I found beneficial. This experience and reflection on the lessons place me in the student role but also let me explore teaching with a different view and then give me food for thought regarding my own teaching (that might be the cherry on the cake) as there is so much to learn from Antonio!
Some meals, bits and bites:
– authentic materials and building on the encountered language – often as a starter to generate food for thought
– not adapted texts in the context of my interest, e.g. webinars for Italian teachers and stories – often as suggested homework tasks
– slightly challenging input – in compelling, relevant contexts that generate endless conversations
– simplified input – to address grammatical structures and patterns in an easily digestible context adapted to my own discoveries
– grammar as it ranges but gets simplified with some tricks
– the medicine—to cure different ails, e.g., fossilised errors, but with a twist if necessary-
– finally, the dessert: applying Antonio’s secrets to language learning as essential strategies for learning more successfully.
Correction is the last serving as we must explicitly address mistakes for exam purposes, but communication and fluency come first with personalised explanations. Therefore, early on in this course, I started feeling some ownership of the language, which also motivated me. I felt everything was possible, and progress only depended on my dedication.
After each lesson, I got the same motivational phrase (Ricorda sempre di avere fiducia in te e nella tua capacità di parlare l’italiano sempre meglio, giorno dopo giorno) as a reminder to trust me and hold the vision – which oftentimes is the hardest. As simple as it is, it is still challenging to put it into practice, and sometimes, I wonder whether there is real progress. Yet, believe it or not, it’s just like a magic trick, and I’m truly learning Italian magically!
Kata Ujvarosi
CELTA, DELTA, BA, IH TT, IH CAM
ELT Enthusiast | Teacher Trainer
