Is it a 'fact of life' in Italy that schools (public and commercially-geared) turn a blind eye, or even openly encourage as much Italian usage in class as the students want ( need )? I want to stay on in Italy and am worried about this point. I spent several years studying instead of going partying in the Caribbean. I put in a lot of slog into my first few years of tefling to get on top of lesson prep and up my game to do the job properly. When I arrived in Italy over a year ago, I soon realised that people want to learn English but are slow on the uptake in class and that it is expected that almost everything will be translated from English to Italian, or that the lesson will be conducted in Italian with only classic textbook and chalkboard references to English. A teacher I met at a social event laughed to my colleague and I, saying how ( they/he/she/it) had learnt
'all my Italian in English class'
and their Italian sounded as if it was a strong intermediate! I am thinking about how to manage this situation or how to ask the right questions in my interviews because I do not want to end up playing Mr Monkey for 9 months, I actually DO want the people I am paid to teach, to become empowered and speak English. All input will be welcomed by those in the know.
All input will be welcomed by those in the know.
