UF Faculty Department College
Alessia Colarossi Languages, Literatures and Cultures College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Partner Faculty Department Partner Institution
Angela M. T. Zucchi Department of Modern Languages (Dept. de Letras Modernas)
Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas		 Universidade de São Paulo
Title:
Authentic Communication & Language Practice
Project Description:

This project connects learners of Italian in Brazil and the US to collaborate on a project using the target language. The project focuses on the culture and geography of three Italian regions: Lazio, Trentino Alto Adige, and Valle d’Aosta. Students research the regions in groups, participate in discussions with faculty members, and produce a presentation about the region with the resources the groups have shared and discussed. Students in both countries also engage in whole class discussion during synchronous meetings. A final assignment asks the students to plan a trip to one of the regions with their group.

Learning Outcomes:
  • Intercultural awareness
  • Collaboration and exchange of new information related to geography and culture
  • Enhancement and focus on oral production amongst diverse foreign language learners of Italian
Participating Countries:
Brazil
Number of Participants:
Discipline:
World Languages
UF Course Code & Name:
ITA 1131 - Beginning Italian II
Project Duration:
5 weeks
Activity Type(s):
Student-to-Student Dialogue
Student-to-Student Project
Virtual Guest Speaker
Other
Time allotted to each activity:
Synchronous Activities: 3 hours
Asynchronous Activities: 5 hours
Individual Work: 3 hours
Technology Tools:
Videoconference: Zoom
Messaging Applications: WhatsApp or similar tools chosen by the students
Collaborative Authoring Platforms: Google Drive/Docs
Sequence of Activities:
  1. Offline Readings: familiarization with partner school and country and resources about the scope of the virtual exchange.
  2. Introduction and Ice-breaker: Whole group synchronous meeting with students and professors.
  3. Italian Language Practice: small group student-to-student interactions and post meeting individual reflection.
  4. Collaborative Project
    • Part 1: Trentino Alto Adige or Valle d’Aosta
      • Online asynchronous or synchronous (preferable when possible) resource sharing in groups.
      • Whole group synchronous meeting: reporting on progress. Students from different groups volunteer to present and share their resources. Cultural aspects emphasized by faculty during whole group discussion.
    • Part 2: Lazio
      • Online asynchronous resource sharing in groups
      • Whole group synchronous meeting: reporting on progress. Students from different groups volunteer to present and share their resources. Cultural aspects emphasized by faculty during whole group discussion.
    • Final Assignment: Students will imagine and write about a virtual trip taken to one of the regions (with their group).

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