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La Dante2015-01-04 15:01:482021-04-29 19:42:14Coccinella – Italian mothers and toddlers group at La Dante
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La Dante2015-01-03 15:03:432021-04-29 19:42:16La Società Dante Alighieri e l’EUNIC
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La Dante2015-01-02 15:05:142021-04-29 19:41:12Radio Dante and the Fitzwilliam MuseumMore aticles below
Spanish for children: Learning through games and songs
SpanishInterviewing our Spanish teachers Cristina and Manuel
It’s interesting to see how many children have been interested in learning Spanish since La Dante started introducing it in January 2017 as part of the European languages offered.
There has been a noticeable increase in schools offering Spanish in the past 10 years overtaking from French and German. It’s not surprising as Spanish is spoken in 20 countries and there are 400 million Spanish speakers in the world. There are different strands of Spanish and it’s interesting to know that at La Dante you are offering Spanish with teachers from Spain as well as South American. I understand that there are a number of students who wish to go and travel or work in South America who need to get accustomed to this particular accent. There are some differences in pronouncing Spanish words or addressing people with ‘vos’ or ustedes’ or even ‘s’ that is not pronounced in some parts of South America. We wish to offer all this at La Dante and in fact our children are exposed to different accents as our teachers come from Spain as well as South America.
Do you teach Spanish to children as well as adults?
Cristina Navarrete Soria, Spanish teacher at La Dante:
Of course we do. Here at La Dante, we teach Spanish using a communicative method, combining realia (objects from real life) and lots of songs and games to make learning much more fun. Our ten-week programme for children is designed to cover main topics such as animals, food, colours, numbers, members of family, clothes, etc. where children learn vocabulary and small sentences in context. I encourage and give confidence, they earn special points when they do well and the topics are always relevant to their lives and their world.
So how would you structure a typical class?
Cristina: Say, for example, that we are learning about animals: first, we listen to a couple of Spanish songs about animals to help children learn and remember the main vocabulary of the lesson. For every song, we learn the lyrics and some moves so we can sing and dance all together, because linking words with movements makes learning much easier and way more exciting. They have to dance and follow the teacher’s instructions, like clapping, move their feet, or shout Spanish words. Then, once the children are acquainted with the new words, we start to use them and consolidate them by playing games with farm-related toys and farm bingo.
Our children are fully immersed in the Spanish language for the whole duration of the class, having a fun with other children of their age. The target language is spoken at all times.
What do the children love the most?
Cristina: We usually play the same song both at the beginning of the class and before saying goodbye, so that the children are able to remember the lyrics by the end of the lesson as well as the majority of the vocabulary learned that day.
Using realia means that we use real objects during the teaching sessions: children learn about clothes with actual clothes that the teacher shows in class.
So it’s a ludic approach?
Cristina: Yes indeed, for children who have beginners level of Spanish, the focus is on playing, especially with children as young as 5 who come to La Dante to learn Spanish. We play Spanish games like The Hopscotch to memorise colours and numbers: the teacher asks them to throw a ball into different squares drawn on the ground linked to different numbers and colours and the children have to jump onto the squares, saying colours and numbers out loud as they play.
One of the games we have noticed children enjoy the most is a role-play in which each of them plays a member of the family in a toy house.
Furthermore, among other activities we also do arts and crafts: for instance with like or dislike, I hand out a green paper (likes) and a red paper (dislikes). When I say Me gusta el tomate the children have to draw a tomato on the green paper.
Our children also enjoy our picnic time! We simulate a picnic where they have to list food they would like to eat, always in Spanish.
Do you also have a bilingual Spanish group?
Manuel Orta Simón (Spanish teacher): we certainly do and in fact, I am the main teacher. In the current bilingual class, the parents expect the children to improve their fluency level so when their cousins come and visit from Mexico, they can have a wider range of vocabulary, a better way of expressing themselves with grammatically correct sentences. In general, they wish their children to achieve confidence in speaking Spanish as here of course, going to an English school, they have fewer occasions to use their second language.
What kind of topics and activities do you do with bilinguals?
Manuel: we certainly focus more on grammar for the older ones, we watch sketches on Harry Potter the children love as well as their favourite sport. At the moment they love Nadal at Wimbledon and we introduced specific tennis vocabulary so they can talk about this with their cousins. We also go to Museums and talk about a variety of topics: we went to the Polar Museum where they wore a special polar suit so it was great for them to develop a variety of new vocabulary. They are motivated and great to teach, they come along with pleasure.
What is the main message for parents who wish their children to be fluent in another language?
Giulia Portuese-Williams (Director and founder at La Dante): We encourage parents to speak their own language at home and inspire their sons and daughters from day one. It’s a gift for life and their children will be thankful forever. When they are young, before turning 5, if exposed to another language, children learn with no effort. Research shows that bilingual children offer a wider variety of solutions related to problem-solving, a lot more than the one solution given by a monolingual child of the same age (in set experiments).
Of course, there is no age limit to learn a language and any age is as good. We encourage parents and children to join the Spanish community so the children are aware that it’s a language that is spoken within the family and among friends. The secret of success is to get the children involved in a school with the right language approach to teaching, join the community with other bilingual parents, read books in Spanish, watch a few videos in Spanish and of course travel to Spain to visit friends and families.
My boys certainly loved their visits to their nonna in the South of Italy by the sea and Lorenzo had a special experience in an Italian school for a week for two years as they are bilinguals in English and Italian. I certainly encourage parents to give their children an equal experience in a Spanish school for a short or long period as making friends is special and language, at last, means a lot to them.
News: In September we are introducing Singing in Spanish for children with an Argentinian teacher Lorena Garcia who has a Performing Music degree specialised in singing from the Univesity of Buenos Aires in Argentina. We certainly encourage parents to offer this special skills to their children should they show a talent for singing.
At La Dante, we thrive in creating a great experience where children get to love the Spanish language and learning becomes a real passion, a drive that comes naturally over the years.
Pinocchio Project at La Dante – Overcoming the challenges of raising bilingual children
ItalianWhen it comes to learning a foreign language, every child is different and each of them needs a specifically tailored programme throughout their language learning process in order to be able to improve.
When parents speak different languages, there will always be a majority language – the one that is also spoken at school and by the community that surrounds the child. The parents who speak the minority language might have encouraged and supported the learning of their own native language from an early age. Unfortunately, they often find that at the age of 5, when children start going to school, they stop using the minority language.
Why does that happen? It’s because children are practical and they quickly understand which language is more useful in their everyday life – and that makes it easy for them to decide to neglect the minority language. To prevent this from happening, the parents have to be able to show them the importance of their second language, and they can do it by surrounding them with other children who speak the same language, creating an oasis where speaking the minority language is necessary – and fun!
What’s special about children’s courses at La Dante?
At La Dante, we made it our primary objective to create a sense of community. We want children and parents who come here to feel we are an enlarged Italian family in the heart of Cambridge, where learning comes naturally and where they can borrow Italian books or Italian movies and enjoy their time with other children who share their background. La Dante has been supporting families in this way since 2008 when the school was founded for this exact same reason. We have seen an incredible number of young learners studying for and successfully passing GCSE’s and A-Levels or IB exams with exceptional results… but remember it all started when they were kids and just enjoyed playing in Italian with their friends.
Raising a child bilingually is not easy – and that’s something our Director and Founder, Giulia Portuese-Williams, knows very well. Her sons, now at university, have gone through two different paths in their learning: one, Lorenzo, has always been enthusiastic about his mother’s language and thought it was “really cool to be Italian” once he discovered – at secondary school – that “girls love it”. While for the younger one, Luca, he didn’t see the point in speaking any language other than English, as “none of his friends at school spoke any Italian”. When he was 10, he completely dropped it. Giulia gave him the space he wanted, but she never stopped talking to him in Italian, until he started showing more interest and spontaneously chose to start learning it again when he was 14 years old. Giulia often took them on trips to Italy to visit friends, family, and certainly, their Italian nonna had a major role in keeping them attached to their Italian roots. She was the one who truly inspired them with her octopus salad and delicious food from Southern Italy. Luca and Lorenzo both came at La Dante to join our Italian classes to consolidate both written and spoken skills. They both managed to acquire a good level of Italian and confidence in speaking Italian and now they are both fluent.
How do you develop your communication skills with children?
We know that children are only capable of brief attention spans. Our Italian teachers are trained to vary the topics of their class often enough to keep their interest high while developing all four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) at different levels.
In small classes, children thrive and develop the Italian language from a very young age. Joseph, for instance, was just 4 when he first joined one of our classes – he is now 5 and has an incredible control of language: he loves making hot chocolate with the teacher when he starts his lessons and he speaks with a perfect Italian accent.
Our teachers take into account the age and needs of every young student and their personal and linguistic skills in order to develop a programme that gives them the confidence necessary to communicate in the language.
What children classes is La Dante currently offering?
We currently run two beginners’ courses, which are aimed at two different types of learners. The first group includes children from 4 to 5 years old and the second group is intended for children from 6 to 8 years old. Both these courses focus on the communicative approach and place particular emphasis on developing their speaking skills.
All children have the possibility to learn Italian while having fun with their friends through games and creative activities, under the supervision and the guidance of our native Italian teachers. They get to know every child and give constant feedback to parents.
Who is the Pinocchio bilingual project aimed at?
Our brand-new Pinocchio bilingual project is aimed at children who have already achieved some level of fluency in Italian skills but need to practice their writing skills and to develop their knowledge of Italian culture, as they would if they were living in Italy. In September 2018, the new classes will start following a programme based on consolidating Italian grammar, becoming acquainted with Italian traditions, and learning the basics of History, Arts and Geography.
La Dante is currently the only school that is providing this important educational service to the Anglo-Italian bilingual community in Cambridge, UK.
What happens in the classrooms?
In our children’s courses, children are exposed to basic Italian vocabulary and learn some simple sentences: they learn how to describe their daily routines, how to talk about their favourite food, to ask for their favourite pizza or pasta, how to talk about what they like to do in their free time, how to ask for directions, how to speak about their family and so on. Our Italian teachers make an extensive use of realia (real objects, photographs, games, role play, rhymes, songs, creative media tools, online resources and textbooks) to enhance the children’s skills.
As for the bilingual classes, the programme is different: we use a textbook to give the course a better structure and to enhance their knowledge of Italian culture, History, Geography, and Arts, as well as introducing elements of grammar in a structured way. Italian teachers use a wealth of textbooks used in Italy which will consolidate grammatical skills over time. Parents’ support and encouragement are extremely important in inspiring children and in helping them with homework at home. But don’t forget: at La Dante, we believe “learning through play” is the best and most effective way to learn.
The warm and welcoming environment at La Dante is where children make friends and have fun on Saturdays while learning one of the most beautiful languages in the world!
Come along to find out more – it is never too early nor too late for your children to learn another language! Give them the gift of fluency, they’ll be thanking you for life once they grow up.
The mayor George Pippas unveiled a commemoration plaque for the 10th anniversary of La Dante in Cambridge
English, Italian, SpanishThe event marked the significant contribution the European Cultural Centre La Dante in Cambridge has had in the community promoting and disseminating language learning and culture
Cambridge – On 24th April 2018 a commemorative plaque was unveiled outside the European Cultural Centre La Dante in Cambridge during a ceremony that took place at the centre in the heart of the city to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The Mayor of Cambridge, Councellor George Pippas, to mark this milestone said: ‘Cambridge is a great city made up of unique people. We have a strong community of Chinese, Italians, Greeks, Bangladeshis, and Europeans. So it is like a patchwork in which everyone contributes to the success of the city of Cambridge. I am the first European Mayor elected here in Cambridge and I understand the importance of teaching first of all our children how to communicate, but also the adult people. I fully support what the European Cultural Centre is doing and I am fully impressed. I am also impressed to see so many adults. In Cambridge the Educational establishment is well known in the world and we endeavour in working hard to keep these standards very high. I am pleased that La Dante is developing not only a remarkable language experience where people learn Italian and Spanish and English, but has a weight in the cultural impact they have in our community’.
The main aim of the European Cultural Centre La Dante in Cambridge is to promote knowledge and enjoyment of Italian, Spanish, and English language and culture. Since 2008 when the Director Giulia Portuese-Williams founded it, La Dante in Cambridge has played a major role in language learning through its unique communication approach, and combining language and cultural traditions. Over the years, it has established partnerships with the most important cultural educational establishments in Cambridge, such as the University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, Art Language Location, UKTI, Italian Chamber of Commerce, Italian Consulate and Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce to support the community in language learning provisions.
The Director Giulia Portuese-Williams said: ‘When I thought of La Dante, back in 2008, I dreamed of a European Cultural Centre where people of any background came to enjoy language and culture in Italian and Spanish as well as offering English to European students. “We all know how important it is to communicate in a language and how this facilitates understanding and integration in Europe thus improving mutual respect. At La Dante we have young and adult students who are passionate about learning Italian or Spanish and come to our regular film clubs, seminars to keep up their language and discuss modern issues with us. We also run for them a trilingual radio show, Radio Dante, thanks to the help of Cambridge 105 Radio and its facilities. Our oldest student, Margaret, at the age of 90, still enjoys reading in Italian and joins our classes as well as our youngest little student Joseph at the age of 4 playing with every day toys, singing songs in Italian. After all, that dream, back in 2008 became a reality with the support of our wonderful team, students and trustees to whom all my thanks go with all my heart.”
La Dante in Cambridge celebrates its 10th anniversary on February 24th and on April 24th
English, Italian, SpanishAs part of the international organisation La Società Dante Alighieri, which has 500 offices worldwide, La Dante in Cambridge is one of the most prestigious centres in Europe. Its main aim is to promote knowledge and enjoyment of Italian, Spanish, and English language and culture. Since 2008 when the Director Giulia Portuese-Williams founded it, La Dante in Cambridge has played a major role in language learning through its unique communication approach and combining language and cultural traditions. Over the years, it has established partnerships with the most important cultural educational establishments in Cambridge, such as the University of Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum, Art Language Location, UKTI, Italian Chamber of Commerce, Italian Consulate and Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce to support the community in language learning provisions.
When Giulia Portuese-Williams thought of La Dante back in 2008, she dreamed of a European Cultural Centre where people of any background could come to enjoy language and culture in Italian and Spanish as well as offering English to European students. “We all know how important it is to communicate in a language and how this facilitates understanding and integration in Europe thus improving mutual respect,” said the Director, Portuese-Williams, “We have young and adult students who are passionate about learning Italian or Spanish and come to our regular film clubs, seminars to keep up their language and discuss modern issues with us. Our oldest student, Margaret, at the age of 90, still enjoys reading in Italian and joins our classes as well as our youngest little student Joseph, 4yo, who likes to play with everyday toys and sing songs in Italian. After all, that dream came true back in 2008 with the support of our wonderful team, students and trustees to whom all my thanks go with all my heart.”
The benefits of learning English and tennis
EnglishWhen learning becomes a great language experience deepening yourself in tennis, friendship and enjoyment of the language
There is something special about having a group of talented and keen teenagers from Imperia who enjoy a special English experience in Cambridge. A unique one indeed as this summer 2017, they were learning English in the morning and have tennis coaching in the afternoon with other British teenagers. Filippo Rapone, already a keen tennis player from Pisa had a ‘great experience with British coaches from the Cambridge Tennis Academy’ his mum says. The teacher also introduced tennis vocabulary and sport techniques in their lessons, they talked about volley, serves and deuce to say just a few. The energy that tennis gave the teenagers inspired them in discussing matches and comment on short championships with their heros from British Andy Murray to Spanish Rafael Nadal.
English and tennis, language and sport gave our teenagers great confidence in their body language and expressivity, enhanced their skills and strategies that will also serve them well in life off the court. Tennis is mostly a singular game and because teenagers are out on their own and competing, they learn to
Tennis also develops: a good work ethic discipline
skills to accept responsibilities, a way to cope with stress, physical and mental plans and strategies on how to beat an opponent problems solving skills.
Tennis also teaches sportsmanship at an early age, it teaches teenagers to cope and understand defeat as well as how to deal with success. It builds teamwork in the case of doubles and skills to communicate effectively with a partner.
Double and single games were played with local teenagers from a secondary school as well as Rounders. Sophie Stamford and Isabella Pellegrini both studying at Hills Road College in Cambridge gave seminars on the British Education system, meals at the school, the school curriculum. Sophie and Isabella (both bilingual Anglo-Italian students) organised cultural outings with the students at the Fitzwilliam Museum and Archaeological Museum, the funny thing was that only at the end of their stay, our Italian students found out they were bilingual at a game of Rounders, it was truly hilarious.
So learning a language at La Dante is not just about studying in a classroom but it’s a continuous, creative, evolving development: through friendship, games and tennis.
This year was such a success that we’ll be running more English and tennis summer camps at La Dante next year in 2018 from July 23rd to the 17th June.
Find out more: english@ladante-in-cambridge.org
Imparare l’italiano alla Dante e’…un gioco da ragazzi!
ItalianMolti genitori, pensando al futuro dei propri figli in una societa’ sempre piu’ globalizzata, decidono di fare loro un enorme regalo: l’apprendimento di una lingua straniera. Il bilinguismo è innegabilmente una grande ricchezza, in quanto permette di confrontarsi con lingue e culture diverse dalla propria, aprendo la mente non solo a un nuovo codice comunicativo, ma anche a una maggiore comprensione e tolleranza nei confronti degli altri. Parlare piu’ lingue, insomma, è una delle abilità più importanti che i vostri figli possano acquisire, fin da piccolissimi.
L’apprendimento linguistico durante la prima infanzia è un processo naturale e privo di sforzo, in quanto i bambini sono dotati di una predisposizione innata per l’acquisizione del linguaggio. Infatti, come dimostrano moltissime ricerche di neuro e psicolinguistica, per i bambini e’ piu’ semplice imparare una nuova lingua rispetto agli adulti, poiché hanno una maggiore elasticita’ cerebrale, oltre a una grande capacità d’imitazione e una memoria eccellente. Dal punto di vista cognitivo, questo processo aiuta i bambini a migliorare le loro capacita’ di analisi nelle attività di problem-solving, rafforza le loro competenze decisionali e influisce positivamente anche sul loro sviluppo emotivo, in particolar modo quando l’apprendimento e’ accompagnato da attivita’ ludiche con gli insegnanti e il gruppo dei pari. Inoltre, imparare una seconda lingua da piccoli allena l’elasticita’ cerebrale necessaria per apprenderne di nuove in futuro. E’, insomma, un piccolo grande passo verso molti altri traguardi.
In particolare, la lingua italiana e’, per alcuni dei nostri piccoli alunni, la lingua di un genitore o dei nonni, come nel caso di Matilda, che ci ha raccontato orgogliosa che la sua grandma le diceva sempre “ciao bella!” quando la salutava. Insomma, l’italiano come lingua delle origini, ma anche dei bei ricordi delle vacanze al mare, di piatti gustosi e di paesaggi incantevoli. Non finisce qui: imparare l’italiano, infatti, e’ un ottimo investimento, in quanto la nostra lingua e’ da sempre riconosciuta come uno strumento di comunicazione d’eccellenza in moltissimi ambiti: dalla letteratura alla gastronomia, dall’arte alla moda e alla musica, e cosi’ via.
I corsi di italiano per bambini alla Dante sono tenuti da esperti insegnanti madrelingua. Negli ultimi mesi, Lucia Vasapollo, Laura Guerrieri e Lucia Casiraghi hanno tenuto corsi individuali e di gruppo, utilizzando un approccio che si e’ rivelato vincente: l’apprendimento linguistico basato sul gioco, in particolare su tecniche di role-play e make-believe. Tutti i nostri corsi hanno avuto risultati decisamente positivi e gratificanti. Con grande attenzione e soddisfazione abbiamo seguito passo passo il processo di apprendimento dei bambini, osservando i progressi di ciascuno e le dinamiche che si sono create tra loro: vedere i nostri piccoli alunni giocare insieme in italiano e assimilare ad ogni lezione moltissime parole, a volte anche apparentemente difficili, per poi riutilizzarle anche a distanza di settimane, e’ stata un’immensa gioia, che ci ricorda come sia per loro facile e naturale abituarsi all’ascolto di suoni diversi da quelli della propria lingua materna e imitarli senza la paura di sbagliare che spesso blocca noi adulti quando impariamo una lingua straniera.
Abbiamo iniziato dalle piccole cose, come imparare i numeri da 1 a 10 contando i gradini nel percorso verso la classe. Un’abitudine semplice che pero’ ha creato grande coinvolgimento nei bambini, che ben presto hanno iniziato a ripetere i numeri senza l’aiuto dell’insegnante. Una volta in classe, poi, largo alla fantasia! Le lezioni si sono sviluppate tra giochi di ogni genere, storie, canzoni e attivita’ creative. Le bambole, per esempio, ci sono servite per presentare ai bambini il lessico legato alla famiglia, cosi’ come il cibo giocattolo e il registratore di cassa sono stati utilizzati nella simulazione dell’attivita’ di fare la spesa in italiano. “Gelato”, “mela”, “pane”, “torta”…in pochi giorni queste e tante altre parole parole sono diventate familiari, e tutto questo tramite il gioco. Le attivita’ sono state personalizzate seguendo i gusti personali dei bambini, per far si’ che le lezioni fossero ancora piu’ divertenti e coinvolgenti. Matilda e Florence, per esempio, amano gli animali, il mare e le fate. Proprio questi sono stati i protagonisti dei nostri giochi, insieme alle canzoni italiane per bambini legate di volta in volta all’argomento della lezione. Sentirle canticchiare “La pappa al pomodoro” o “Ci vuole un fiore” mentre giocavano e’ stata una bellissima sorpresa.
Tra i giochi piu’ amati, vanno citate le piccole sfide del “chi mi sa dire come si chiama…?”. Con grande tenerezza, abbiamo visto i bambini suggerirsi l’un l’altro le parole italiane per guadagnarsi lo stemma della vittoria. Un personaggio molto amato e’ il pupazzo-marionetta Ippopotamo, che, come i nostri piccoli studenti sanno bene, parla solo italiano e non capisce una parola di inglese. Questo piccolo stratagemma ha fatto si’ che i bambini si impegnassero a rivolgerglisi nella nuova lingua, l’unico mezzo per poter comunicare con questo simpatico amico.
L’italiano come una nuova lingua, insomma, ma, come dicevamo, per qualcuno di loro e’ allo stesso tempo una lingua antica, legata alle proprie radici. Cio’ che e’ certo e’ che per tutti i nostri alunni e’ una lingua divertente e impararla e’…un gioco da ragazzi!