Participants will be welcomed by Lillo Guarneri from the Italian Cultural Institute in Sydney and Thomas Camporeale, the general manager of CO.AS.IT Sydney.
Ambassador of Italy to Australia Francesca Tardioli will give the opening address.
Held during the 21st Week of the Italian Language in the World, the conference’s presentations focus on a central theme: Dante Alighieri.
The conference will also host the launch of a new publication edited by Antonia Rubino, Anna Rita Tamponi and John Hajek, called L’italiano in Australia: lingua e cultura nell’attuale insegnamento della lingua.
The anthology consists of a collection of essays written by experts in the sector, with reflections, ideas and contributions collected during the numerous events organised at a national and state level by universities and associations that teach and promote Italian language and culture in Australia.
Divided into two sections, the anthology begins with a brief socio-linguistic profile of the Italo-Australian community and a history of the teaching of Italian in Australia, focusing in particular on the expansion of Italian classes in Australian schools, which started in the 1980s.
The editors will also present an overview of the Italian government’s continuous support in promoting the Italian language and culture in Australia.
Tamponi recalled returning to Italy after seven years in the role of director at the Italian Embassy’s education office.
She highlighted the enthusiasm and passion of teachers, students and associations who promote Italian in Australian schools.
She also acknowledged the high number of initiatives aimed at cultivating Italian language and culture, like the StudItaliA Prize, content and language integrated learning (CLIL) programs, the presence of language assistants and the commitment of managing bodies.
Through their research, the editors have recognised that the teaching of Italian in Australian schools has seen an increase in both quality and quantity, due to the professional development of teachers on a national level as well as the initiatives of Italian teacher associations present in various states.
Over the years, the type of student who has elected to study Italian has changed, as Rubino, an associate professor at the University of Sydney explained.
“The type of student has changed because the motivations for studying Italian have expanded over time, in conjunction with a different perception of Italy as a modern European country,” she said.
“Thus, not only students with an Italian background have approached the language, but also students interested for academic and professional reasons, for example, because they’re interested in Italian architecture or design.
“As for students of Italian origin, in addition to a limited number of first- or second-generation students who arrive at university with a high level of Italian, in today’s classroom we mostly have third- or fourth-generation Italo-Australians, who have generally studied Italian as a second language, and start at a beginner level, since Italian or dialect is no longer spoken in the family.”
Rubino has witnessed another big change over the course of her career in academic research and teaching.
She noted that universities today are more utilitarian in their approach to education than in the past.
“Today, university courses are conceived more and more purely as preparation for professions,” she said.
“This disadvantages languages, which are often seen as ‘useless’ subjects for the purpose of a career, so students are not encouraged to continue studying them.
“University programs have also changed and been diluted, so that students who study Italian at university only do so for a few hours a week.”
Professor Joseph Lo Bianco’s essay within the anthology confirms that the brief history of Italian studies in Australia, along with the qualitative data, indicate weaknesses such as a lack of continuity which progressively loses the so-called holding power over time.
The first section of the anthology contains a general view of language policy in an Australian context, while Angela Scarino from the University of South Australia retraces the steps that led to the drafting of the national curriculum for languages.
Sara Villella from CO.AS.IT Sydney and Sharon Brissoni from Catholic Education Services elaborate on bilingualism at a primary school level, while university teaching is covered by Vincenza Tudini from the University of South Australia, Marinella Caruso from the University of Western Australia and Joshua Brown from the Australian National University.
The second section of the anthology focuses on “the interconnectedness of language and culture, presenting models of educational activities that are inspired by the Week of the Italian language in the World.”
To register or for more information, follow the link.
Registrations close October 8.
