PAULA CAVADA CUBERO

BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN ITALY

INDEX

Introduction

Sociodemographic context

Linguistic Policy

Bilingual programmes

Lizeo Internazionale Franchese

Assessment and results of bilingual programmes

Conclusions

Introduction

Brief introduction to the Sociodemographic context of Italy

Development of the linguistic policy

Principal Bilingual programmes of the country.

Introduction

Linguistic situation quite

complex:

Minority languages

Italian dialects

Sociodemographic context

Sociodemographic context

Capital: Rome

Political system: Parliamentary republic

Year of membership to the Council of Europe: 5 May

1949

Population: 60 820 696 (2012)

Population density: 200.7 inhabitants/km²

Official language(s): Italian

Non-nationals of total population: 7.5 % (2011)

Sociodemographic context

Located in the South of Europe.

North: richest area of the country.

Centre: great historical and cultural center and a large influx of tourism.

South: poorest and less developed area.

Sociodemographic context

- • Parliamentary

republic

- • Dominant religion:

Roman Catholicism

Plurilingual enviroment

Italian used as the main

language by 90% of italian

population

Linguistic Policy

Linguistic Policy

Variety Linguistics

• Unification of Italy in 1861

• Italian became a living national language

• Nowadays almost all italians understand the national language.

Answer in political history:

Linguistic Policy

National language, foreign languages and RM languages.

The learning and teaching of national language (co-)funded in more than 30 countries in

Europe and abroad.

The European Charter for Regional or Minority

Languages

Linguistic Policy

12 R/M languages recognized, protected and/or promoted in official

country documents or legislation: Albanian, Catalan, Croatian,

Franco-Provençal, French, Friulian, German, Greek, Ladin, Occitan,

Sardinian and Slovene.

Official provision in education.

Linguistic Policy

2010 • Italian test for immigrants requiring

long term residency

2011

• Competence in Italian language became one of the key issues for the integration agreement between an immigrant and the State .

Bilingual programmes

Bilingual programmes

• Is responsible for the structure and definition of the basic curriculum of the educational system for each level and type of centre.

The Central Government

• Italy among member countries less advanced in language learning.

Statistics of education in

the European

Union

Bilingual programmes

Summary of the type of

pre-primary education

primary education

secondary education

higher and further

education

Bilingual programmes

• Lack of attention to other languages.

• Lack of competence in foreign languages.

• Only RM languages offered.

PRE-PRIMARY

EDUCATION

• Language offered: English.

• There are other languages introduced in schools because pupils with an immigrant background.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Bilingual programmes: primary

education

In terms of foreign languages and teaching organization,

Italy is lower than many other countries due to the lack of a

coherent and explicit requirements on the level of

competence that should be achieved.

lack of training for teachers of primary

school in foreign languages.

Particular case: tradition of bilingual teaching in

the border regions of the North of the country.

Bilingual programmes

Then arises as an example a Ladino

Programme:

6-7 years old: German (75%),

Italian (25%)

7-11 years old: German (50%), Italian (45%), ladino (5%)

Bilingual programmes: secondary

education

• Growing wealth of the language

• English is continuing been dominant.

• Some languages such as French, German or Spanish available.

Relatively better:

It is this school stage there has been significant progress in reference to bilingual programs, which

will be exposed in the next item of research.

Bilingual programmes: higher and

further education

English stressing, once again, above the other languages.

At the universities of Rome, Milan and Trieste, range of languages relatively wide

In Further education highlights the Italian since it is the only way within public education for adults to learn the language of the society in which they live and work.

The Ministerial Decree of June 04, 2010, decreed the obligation to pass a test at level A2 of the Italian in order to obtain a residence in the long run.

Competition from Italian: requirement for living and working in Italy.

Bilingual programmes

Last decade of the 20th century: the Italian Government began to bet on the development of a bilingual initiatives

italian-french in secondary schools.

Lizeo Internazionale Franchese.

bilingual programmes from Italian Liceos teach non-linguistic subjects in

French and offer the possibility of acquiring a valid official high school degree both in Italy and in France.

Lizeo Internazionale

Franchese.

Objectives of the programme

• Development of an intercultural mentality.

• Facilitate access to European higher education institutions.

• bilingual education as a tool to promote better learning of the mother tongue.

• Collaboration with Italian and French teachers in the same class.

Beginning of the programme:

First French international

section introduced in 1994.

In the academic year 2003-2004, the bilingual sections gave access to about

2,800 students.

• 6 in international schools with option of French

• 13 in European classical lyceums (specialized in modern and ancient languages)

• 2 in private centers

• 1 in a municipal high school.

Currently there are 22 bilingual sections:

Characteristics of the programme:

Official curriculum adapted to the official French curriculum and Italian from an intercultural perspective.

Since 2009, title of high school: "Esabac“ valid in both countries

• Subjects taught in French:

• French language and literature.

• non-linguistic subject.

Native teachers and in two languages.

The Ministero dell'Istruzione Universitá e Recerca supports the programme.

Lizeo Internazionale Franchese.

Recipients of the program

• Potentially, all centers of secondary education in the country.

Requirements to participate

• For students.

• For institutions.

Lizeo Internazionale Franchese.

• The Italian Ministry of education and the Embassy of France in Rome.

• The participant institutes.

Organ of decision

• One of the obstacles: the shortage of qualified teachers.

Formation of access

Lizeo Internazionale Franchese

Lifelong learning

• Exchange between professors Italian and French

• Exchange of good practices and teaching resources

• Organization of seminars on bilingualism

Evaluation of the

programme

• Standard test to students statewide.

The introduction of CLIL methodology: could potentially be promising initiatives, but it is not yet

possible to assess the effects.

• Important initiative for the promotion of multilingualism and language RM recognition and immigrant communities.

Recent introduction of

training courses for new

teachers in high school grade

CONCLUSIONS

It needs to be more advanced to rating both possitive and negative results.

Much work pending in

the development of bilingual

programmes.

Lack of teacher training.

Thank you for

your attention

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