Lesson planning and the structure of learning units

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- Note-taking: this is the production of short linguistic messages through the ability to scan and listen for information, aimed at the learner’s autonomy.

- Summarizing: this is a cognitively complex process that implies deep comprehension of the source text in order to produce a shorter one. The learner must recognize and preserve the noteworthy elements.

- Paraphrasing: this skill refers to the creation of a target text that is similar to a source text in meaning and structure but not lexically or morpho-syntactically. Developing paraphrasing skills is considered essential when producing linguistic messages in a second or foreign language.

- Translating: it is the production of a new text that should include the same words as the source, but in another language. What is fundamental is that the learner should keep account of not only the linguistic elements but also the contextual and cultural references, reflecting on the language itself and on the distance between different cultural worlds.

To sum up, language education is characterized by the development of various skills, all of which play a fundamental role in the learning process. However, regarding the self- narration process and all related activities aimed at the expression of oneself, the facilitator should mainly focus on productive skills and the language produced by the learners. It is mostly by developing speaking and writing skills, and perhaps even more through interaction skills, that the subjects can succeed in narrating their own stories and expressing their feelings.

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The teaching module is “a procedure that deals to determine certain sections that are autonomous, complete within themselves, certifiable, able to be accredited” (Balboni, 2010, 45). It cannot be universally applied, especially when dealing with teaching a new language, as it interrupts a uniform process (Balboni, in Serragiotto, 2009, 88). However, it is often necessary in contexts where the participation of learners is constantly evolving, as in the temporary classes of learners within refugee shelters, where new arrivals and unexpected leavings occur often. Regarding the activities proposed in the following chapters, I consider the whole process of self-narration as the result of different modules.

I discuss this aspect in the last chapter. In this way, every theme of interest is covered and each section is complete within itself and autonomous. At the same time, it can be linearly linked to the other sections, following a temporary logical thread.

Furthermore, the same didactic activities constitute only a part of the teaching unit, as they mostly correspond to the synthesis phase of the acquisition unit. To discuss and analyse their function, I briefly explain the theories and considerations that lie behind such definitions. Among the most influential theoretical sciences, Gestalt psychology⁴ considers perception as a sequence of three consequential phases: globality, analysis and synthesis.

These three stages are exhaustively discussed by Balboni (2010, 44), who states that

“acquisition occurs through a global perception at first, followed by a phase of analysis, and it ends with a synthesis, where the mind fixes what it has observed and analysed”.

The above-mentioned phases represent the cornerstone of the teaching unit. This complex linguistic-communicative unit is usually structured in the following phases: 1) motivation, 2) sequence of acquisition units (globality – analysis – synthesis), 3) testing and evaluation, and 4) potential supplementary activities (Balboni, 2013, 19). They are briefly described below.

- Motivation: it is the basis of acquisition. Through techniques of elicitation, through brainstorming a topic at the beginning of a lesson and activating the expectancy grammar to put forward their hypotheses, learners find a personal reason to start the process of language acquisition (Balboni, 2015, 155-156).

4 Encyclopaedia Britannica (https://www.britannica.com/science/Gestalt-psychology, consulted on 10/03/2019) defines “Gestalt psychology” as the “school of psychology founded in the 20th century that provided the foundation for the modern study of perception”.

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- Globality: it refers to the first contact with the text. In this initial phase, “engaging a text (a dialogue, a poem, an advertisement, etc.) the didactic activities must be directed initially towards its global comprehension” (Balboni, 2010, 44). Here, the the learner is mainly driven by the right hemisphere of the brain, focusing on the overall meaning of the input.

- Analysis: the comprehension becomes increasingly more detailed; the left side of the brain drives the learner towards the formulation and analysis of their hypotheses. It also deals with pragmatic, morphological, lexical and cultural aspects of the text and its context (Balboni, 2010, 44).

- Synthesis and reflection: the learners autonomously synthetize and systematise the objectives of the unit. They are driven by guided reflection with the aim of turning the language into language acquisition and actively reusing the acquired material (Balboni, in Dolci, Celentin, 2000, 20). In this way, learners identify the applicability of the material to daily life, conscious that acquisition is not an end in itself (Serragiotto, in Serragiotto, 2004, 76) but is rather directed to effective use in communicative events.

- Testing and evaluation: the linguistic, pragmatic and cultural objectives are tested, as is the progress of every learner (Balboni, 2015, 156).

- Supplementary activities: different texts might be proposed to prove the authenticity of what has been learnt (Balboni, 2015, 157).

The syllabus and topics to be covered can be split in different ways, considering the different sections as a part of the whole teaching process or as complete and autonomous modules. In my dissertation, I focus on activities that belong to the synthesis phase, where learners are invited to reflect on and systematise the objectives of the unit. They reuse the language and newly acquired elements to produce additional authentic texts. The whole learning process is thus structured into autonomous thematic modules, which are further organized in a several teaching units based on the sequence of acquisition units (Balboni, 2015, 158).

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3.4.1. The use of technology

Starting in the 1960s, with the introduction of video resources, record players and language laboratories, language teaching has been strongly affected by the use of technology. It is seen as a facilitator or even as a necessary tool to provide a reaction between the learner’s mind and the language itself (Freddi in Balboni, 2015, 26-27).

Nowadays, technological devices have surpassed their initial accessory role in the learning process and have assumed an essential role, especially when people learn a second or foreign language. They have changed learning styles and teaching methodologies as well as interactions among students and the relationship between teachers and learners (Caruso, in Lamarra, Diadori, Caruso (eds.), 2015, 100).

Furthermore, I deem the main difference from the first use and introduction of technological tools to be the fact that many separate functions proper of different devices are currently fused together within a single instrument, mainly a computer (Balboni, 2015, 58). Therefore, the concept of “multimedia” assumes a new interpretation, implying the use of a “combination of moving and still pictures, sound, music, and words, especially in

computers or entertainment”

(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/multimedia, consulted on 20/08/2019). Thus, the educators are able to bring real language into the classroom through effective communicative situations. In this way, they provide not only linguistic elements but also cultural and extralinguistic references. This strengthens the relationship between the learner and the target language and culture, and the learner’s understanding of social and ethical values pertinent to the host country (Caruso, in Lamarra, Diadori, Caruso (eds.), 2015, 101). For example, audio-visual aids allow deep comprehension and memorization of the input through different channels and development of language skills and socio-pragmatic competence. At the same time, they transmit vast cultural and intercultural elements (Cardona, in Serragiotto, 2009, 103-104). What matters is that the various inputs, whether written texts or audio files, or iconographic stills and video sequences, are authentic and related to different topics of public interest, in tune with daily reality (Ambroso, Tamponi, in Caon, 2010, 115).

In general, computers – especially the World Wide Web – are considered not only excellent tools for developing receptive skills and intercultural knowledge but actual

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windows on the world. They allow students to actively participate and communicate with other people through e-mails, videos, video-letters or forums (Celentin, in Dolci, Celentin, 212-213). The web creates a suitable environment for communication between learners, whether a one-to-one relationship or interaction between several participants (Caruso, in Lamarra, Diadori, Caruso (eds.), 2015, 102). In both cases, the focus is on learners and their ability to communicate and express themselves to other people.

Ultimately, it is essential to highlight the role of teachers in choosing the most appropriate technological devices and the kind of inputs they want to present to their learners. On one hand, the use of multimedia implies autonomy for the learners, who are invited to act and cooperate in a borderless world, sharing their thoughts and feelings not only with those close to them but also with distant and perhaps unknown people. On the other hand, the learning process must be guided and facilitated by the teachers. They must select comprehension texts and related tasks and activities that are linguistically and culturally suitable for the class, as well as being exciting and motivating. They need to respect the learners’ needs and interests and pay specific attention to the involvement of affective factors (Caruso, in Lamarra, Diadori, Caruso (eds.), 2015, 116).

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