Learnership in learning communities

Teachers evolve alongside communities. It is important to understand the ever-changing needs and structure of societies in which one lives in. The capacity to learn from change and work/ deal with change is critical, I have experienced this first hand as I have taught Italian Saturday virtually through Teams.

The conditions under which teachers learn to respond to a changing society and uncertainty is an important spot towards building flexibility skills, especially in times like these. Applying a Constructivist approach over a a transmission – oriented model, is an important aspect when trying to make sure students are building on their critical thinking, learning effective leadership skills and having a say within classroom projects.

As a teacher, it is important to communicate with students and their families on different activities that they think their children would benefit from. It is crucial to take the time to understand and evaluate the aspects that create a vibrant learning community. It is making sure all students share the love and passion for learning a new language and continuing to foster an insightful studying environment. http://uwindsor.icampus21.com/wordpress/silansortino/wp-content/uploads/sites/4855/2020/12/Italian-2-1024×768.jpg

I have been able to teach at the Italian Language School of London, Ontario. This has been such a rewarding and positive experience as I transmit my passion for language acquisition and learning to my students. My class is composed of seven students at the moment. This has been a fruitful experience, it has provided me with the skills to teach a small group of second language learners. The students speak three languages, as some attend French Immersion or Core schools, as well as English and another native language. It is by learning about the different experiences students hold, that has helped me gain a clearer understanding of the ways in which to teach a second language, by adding visuals, gestures, role play activities that aim to help students become active participants, engaged in the acquisition process of the language. The other aspect that I’ve learned, is the advantage of including all of the vocabulary and topics studied that help create a unique assignment. I’ve learned, particularly, that when I make connections and refer to three different languages, such as English, French, and Italian, students gain a better understanding of the language studied. Referring to grammatical similarities, especially between these ones and reflecting on the root of the word, have had a significant impact, I’ve noticed, on student comprehension and learning.

Guillaume Apollinaire . I presented the students the Poet who created the concept of Calligram.
I assigned students the creation of their own Calligramma, by encouraging creativity and using the adjectives and names as examples. They were free to add on more examples of terms and objects by inserting different adjectives
A students’ Calligramma from Italian Class. Depicting her ‘Sole’, a Sun, with different adjectives to describe their picture.
Sentences created by a student, depicting full sentences with Qualitative Adjectives and Demonstrative Adjectives in Italian.