Usare la pubblicità per insegnare italiano a Malta

Abstract

In my dissertation I used publicity from the media in order to teach Italian as a foreign language. These adverts were used in lessons in order to teach various aspects of the language, including communicative features and cultural notions as included in the syllabus of Italian and as investigated by Spiteri (1996). I carried out my research in two state schools and focussed on four Form 3 classes in which I carried out a series of twelve lessons (three per class). In this dissertation lesson plans and resources based on publicity/adverts taken from different means of communication are provided. Prior to the lessons, questionnaires were distributed to the students in order to obtain information on their competence in Italian and their exposure to the language via the media and at school. The lessons carried out, as well as the resources used, were evaluated by means of an interview with the class teacher who observed the lessons and also by the students themselves, through another questionnaire. Results were analysed and discussed also in relation to previous works and indicate that adverts from the Italian media are a source of motivation for students and the means to present the language in a stimulating communicative context. The teachers interviewed confirm this and claim to have used adverts occasionally in order to teach Italian.