The Art of Teaching Italian Through Italian Art in Italy

FAIN: ES-50244-08

Italian Cultural Society of Washington, DC (Bethesda, MD 20814-2752)
Roberto Severino (Project Director: March 2008 to September 2010)

This proposal seeks a grant for a four-week National Summer Institute from June 28 to July 24, 2009, for teachers of Italian K-12, whose knowledge of the humanities will be greatly enriched, by the study of Italian artists and their major works as available in museums and churches in Rome and the region of Tuscany, Italy. Primarily the participants will learn how to teach the Italian language via a content-based approach using Italian art and will be immersed in the Italian language and culture. The teachers will be provided ample time to study, reflect and have direct contact with scholars, experts on the field of Italian linguistics and Italian and Roman art. In addition the teachers will visit museums, churches and other sites in Tuscany and will meet with artisans living and working there who will demonstrate and will help them practice techniques, such as ceramic, mosaic and marble carving. Lead teachers will be identified to assist and guide the other participants.