Teachers might need to improve their Italian skills for many reasons, like teaching students, communicating with migrant children who stopped in Italy, or implementing a partnership with Italian schools. In addition, in a world so multicultural and connected, the knowledge of different languages is always a helpful strength.
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The latest edition of “Intensive Italian Language Course for Education Staff” took place in Palermo from 03/10/2024 to 09/10/2024. The participants, who came from France, Germany, and Ireland, were in an elementary level of Italian, with Annika from Daniel Theysohn IGS Waldfischbach, Anne from Lycée Sainte-Solange, and last but not least Natasha and Lorraine from Summerhill College. 
The course was an immersive experience in Italian language and culture through dynamic and practical lessons and also cultural activities in Palermo, a multiethnic city so rich in culture and history filled with traditional food and historical buildings. During this week, the group had the chance to meet with a variety of topics in Italian, as a result practising the language and gradually feeling more comfortable. With different assignments, they improved all aspects of the language, including comprehension and expression in writing and speaking.

Through the study of grammar topics such as articles, tenses, prepositions, adverbs and vocabulary lessons, the participants immersed themselves in activities about work, culture, travel, hobbies, and dreams. All the activities were very practical and based on life experiences and necessities. This practice-oriented learning method was very useful for the participants to understand in an easier way and use what they learned.
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They started the first day of the course by presenting themselves and the other participants through a job interview exercise. Then, working in pairs, they simulated a planned trip, also preparing luggage, to diverse locations from Northern to Southern Italy. They got familiarised with the different Italian dialects and increased their oral comprehension through listening practices.

ICT can be an important ally for language learning, so for this reason the group got to learn vocabulary and make creative presentations about their hobbies and places where they live and work using online tools. They also got into the subject of food and cooking through recipes and recognising the names of ingredients needed for it. Last but not least, since it is fundamental in society, time was also part of the programme and gave a chance to talk about desires, past events, plans and dreams, which the participants turned into a nice weekly chart in Italian.
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Overall, participants had a fun and productive time while making significant progress in Italian! At the end of the course, they acquired not only a richer vocabulary but also beautiful memories and relationships through this experience.
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Discover more about this course here.