Supporting the Italian Studies Curriculum: The Holistic Approach of Manchester

1. Caroline Foster Charlie Pybus Dr. Elena Polisca Supporting the Italian Studies Curriculum: The Holistic Approach of Manchester Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference

2. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference Overview • Introduction to talk (EP) • Lesser taught languages at UM (CP) • Italian numbers / recruitment issues (CP) • The Italian Studies curriculum: between tradition and innovation (EP) • Italian Studies lingua-cultural projects within discipline and outside discipline (EP) • Italian Studies language projects within the community (CF) • The student experience: student survey data & conclusion (EP) • Bibliography & contact details

3. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference Lesser-taught languages at UM • Large portfolio of language provision • Importance of languages in creating a vibrant, cosmopolitan atmosphere at the University • Mixed success with recruitment to lesser-taught languages • Reflect different perceptions of employability for different languages

4. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference Italian numbers / recruitment issues • Low number of applications for Italian • Concentration of applicants in the South-East • Some success in improving conversion from offer to accept for Italian • Lack of Italian provision at secondary/FE level and problems with uneven nature of provision • Particular difficulty in recruiting A-level Italian students

5. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference Italian Studies: between tradition and innovation • Cater for a varied cohort of students (complete beginners, false beginners, post-A level qualifications) • Most students reach near-native competence when they graduate (C1 / C2 of Common European Framework for Languages) • Variety of ‘content’ courses on offer ranging from Medieval literature to Post-Modernism • Link between language and culture • Importance of student experience “Community language learners are, typically, committed and highly competent linguists” (Routes report, 2008)

6. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference Lingua-cultural projects within Discipline… • MentorIT • CAMILLE • e-learning • V-Pal • EBL • e-books … and projects outside of Discipline • Palaver • PLIDA, Dante Alighieri Society in Manchester “To achieve high levels of competence […] there is a pressing need to review formal opportunities to study community languages in all educational sectors” (Routes report, 2008)

7. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference MentorIT: Peer Mentoring Scheme

8. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference CAMILLE: Cultural Awareness Modules to Improve the Language Learning Experience

9. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference CAMILLE: the opera

10. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference Lingua-cultural projects within Discipline… (continued) • e-learning across curriculum: language and content courses • V-Pal: an innovative language project Manchester / Cagliari • e-books and Medieval literature: engaging the students with ‘real books’ • EBL approach: making students responsible for their own learning … and projects outside of Discipline • Palaver: students of Italian at work and play! • PLIDA, Dante Alighieri Society in Manchester

11. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference Language projects within Community • FLAGS – 5 week taster course in lesser taught languages and Linguistics, run via Blackboard (VLE) with the guidance of a mentor • MentorE – new project which uses our Italian finalists as mentors to supplement AS and A2 level Italian pupils at Greenhead College, Huddersfield

12. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference FLAGS: Foreign Language Awareness Group for Schools

13. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference FLAGS

14. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference MentorE

15. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference The student experience: facts and figures • The holistic approach of Italian Studies at Manchester is proving to be successful in terms of student satisfaction:

16. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference Conclusions • Continuous curriculum review to achieve high levels of competence for our students • Enhanced student experience • Importance of language / culture integration • Wide range of courses • Active outreach agenda: Italian Studies and the language community • Improved recruitment rate; successful retainers

17. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference Bibliography • CILT, 2007. Languages in Secondary Schools. Language Trends. London. • Conole, G. & M. Oliver (2007). Contemporary Perspectives in E-Learning Research. Themes, Methods and Impact on Practice. London: Routledge. • Crawshaw, R. (2005). “Intercultural Awareness as a Component of HE Modern Language Courses in the UK” [online]. In Guide to Good Practice for Learning and Teaching in Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies. Available from http://www.lang.ltsn.ac.uk/resources/goodpractice.aspx?resourceid=2303 [Accessed 16/11/2009]. • Fay, M. AND Ferney, D., 2000. Current Trends in Modern Languages Provision for Non-Specialist Linguists. London: CILT. • Head, D., Kelly, M., Jones, E., AND Tinsley, T., eds, 2003. Setting the agenda for languages in Higher Education. London: CILT. • Kelly, M., 2002. State of the Subjects: Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies in the UK Today [online]. Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies. Available fromhttp://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/goodpractice.aspx?resourceid=1242 [Accessed 16/11/2009]. • Marshall, K., 2003. General Introduction to Modern Languages in Today's UK Universities [online]. Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies. Available from http://www.llas.ac.uk/resources/goodpractice.aspx?resourceid=1392 [Accessed 16/11/2009]. • Routes into Languages, 2008. Community Languages in Higher Education. Research analysis and recommendation on language provision in education [online]. Available from http://www.routesintolanguages.ac.uk/community [accessed 15/09/2009]

18. Community and Lesser Taught Languages Conference Contact details • Caroline Foster (SLLC Outreach officer) • Caroline.foster@manchester.ac.uk • Charlie Pybus (SLLC Undergraduate Admissions manager) • Charlie.pybus@manchester.ac.uk • Elena Polisca (Italian Studies, Senior language tutor) • Elena.polisca@manchester.ac.uk