Next Meeting: November 8, 2024, 6 pm
What is English to You? University students’ attitudes to English
For young people in Europe today, English is no longer a foreign language in the traditional sense, but rather an additional language with which they come into contact while still learning their first language and one they interact with daily, especially if they choose to study English at the university level. This talk will engage the audience in thinking about their rapport with English and will report the results of an extensive online survey among students at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. This is part of a developing project to investigate when and to what extent young people use English and what their attitudes towards English and their first language(s) are, with Italy being one of the countries included in the SPEAKEng project.
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What is TESOL Italy
What is TESOL Italy?
TESOL Italy (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) is a grass roots organization, run by teachers and for teachers. It is a non-profit Italian organization founded in 1975 by Mary Finocchiaro and Renzo Titone along with other foreign language teaching experts and pioneers. It has many members in Italy and abroad and is an affiliate of TESOL International Association, based in Virginia, USA, with over 11,000 members worldwide. TESOL Italy is also accredited by the Italian Ministry of Education (MIUR) Direttiva 170/2016
What is TESOL Italy’s mission?
Its mission is to develop the expertise of those involved in teaching English to speakers of other languages and to foster professional growth and active participation in language teaching. This includes promoting community understanding of the role of language in a progressively changing environment while respecting individual language rights.
Who does TESOL Italy collaborate with?
TESOL Italy collaborates with people and organizations involved in English Language Teaching including:
Italian Ministry of Education (MIUR)
The U.S. Embassy – Public Affairs Section
The British Council
INDIRE
Other Professional Language Associations:
ANILS, LEND, AISPI, ADILT, etc.
The Fulbright Commission
Italian universities
Regional educational authorities
What kind of professional development activities does it offer teachers?
- Language improvement courses
- CLIL language improvement and methodology courses
- Pre-service and in-service training
- Self-development opportunities
- Training of teacher trainers
- All-day seminars
- After-school workshops
- Annual National Convention
- Local Group Activities
Besides being able to take part in all professional development activities, members receive publications:
The Newsletter (five times a year) and the academic journal, Perspectives (twice a year). Members can
also start or join a local group anywhere in Italy.
What exactly are local groups?
Local groups are made up of at least five TESOL Italy members. These groups organize and hold
professional development activities in their areas. Existing groups are located in Benevento, Bologna, Formia, L’Aquila, Marche, Messina, Napoli, Palermo, Roma, TRIESTE, Val d’Adige, and Venezia.
TESOL Trieste Local Group The TESOL Trieste Local Group was officially recognized by TESOL Italy on January 1, 2018. Janine Sprague Zolle is the TESOL Trieste Local Group Coordinator.
A local group does many different things but basically it is a group of enthusiastic teachers who share a common goal – to engage in developing personally and professionally as EFL educators. The idea that “we are our own best resource” is empowering; it is the foundation of all grassroots organizations and what guides all local group activities.
Please remember that TESOL Italy is also accredited by the Italian Ministry of Education (MIUR) Direttiva 170/2016
For more information about becoming a member of TESOL Italy, go to this LINK. The TESOL Membership Year is from January 1st until December 31st.
If you are a Teacher and have the Carta del Docente, you can use your funds to participate in TESOL initiatives.
