| Aggiornamento didattico
|
| A skills development
module “That something extra...!” |
| Cecilia Perillo* |
Introduction
Extra lessons dedicating to developing and strengthening language skills or rather potenziamento, are becoming a very important reality within the Italian State School system. So much that teachers are required to plan and cater for the activities that were once deemed as “extracurricular” and are now an integral part of many teachers initial syllabus planning at the start of the school year.
In order to do this teachers should be able to anticipate what their students needs will be and work out a programme that will satisfy these.
So, how exactly can teachers pinpoint what our students needs are, what and how should we go about strengthening and developing? What is that “something extra” we can offer to students as an added value to their basic language studies? How can we create a link between the “curricular lessons” and the “development” lessons?
Creating a team of teachers and designing the project together makes the experience very positive and motivating for teachers and students alike. The student’s needs should be placed at the centre of the project and areas of experience, which involve them, should be created around their needs. The idea being, to create an independent potenziamento project.
Designing a development project
The following factors can be taken into consideration as general guidelines
for designing the project and how to proceed in the initial planning and
preparatory phase.
Step 1 - Establishing team involved in the project
Step 2 - Clearing common ground
Step 4 - Levels to be reached with reference to the framework
Step 6 - External certification (for those
taking the exam)
* Cecilia Perillo is also a member of our TSN (Teacher Support Network) for Scuola Primaria, Secondaria di Primo Grado and Superiore.