Workshops and Seminars

MaFLA Conference 2023
Building Global Perspectives Through the Power of Language

October 26-28, 2023
Sheraton Springfield
Monarch Place Hotel

REGISTRATION TO ATTEND MAFLA 2023 IS NOW OPEN!

MAFLA is very happy that we will once again be back together in person at the MAFLA 2023 Conference. The Conference will offer engaging sessions and workshops, networking opportunities, an exhibition hall with numerous vendors, and the chance to forge meaningful connections with other educators of Italian.
MAFLA is committed to making this conference an unforgettable experience that will bring our community together once again. Don't miss this opportunity!  See you in Springfield!

ITALIAN SESSIONS AT MAFLA

Join us for a diverse lineup of Italian sessions at MAFLA, featuring engaging topics led by expert educators and colleagues:
  • Andiamo al museo: Exploring Art in the Language Classroom, Melina Masterson, UMass Amherst.
 
  • From Andiamo to Bravo: Connecting, Building, and Celebrating Italian Programming in Massachusetts, Ivana Marroncelli, Italian Consulate, Boston.
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  • Increasing global citizenship through cross-cultural connections and proficiency buildup abroad, Silvia Dupont & Justin Evans, Newton North High School.
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  • Teaching Italian Cuisine and Culture Through an Interdisciplinary Lens, Maria Succi-Hempstead, Smith College; Morena Svaldi, Mount Holyoke College.
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  • Italiano Inclusivo - Guidelines for Expressing Gender Identity in the Italian Classroom? Nicole Chalifoux, Medford High School.
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  • "AATI-MA Chapter Member Meeting,",  Morena Svaldi, Mount Holyoke College.

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MaFLA 2023 Keynote Speaker
Fred Kudjo Kuwornu 
Filmmaker Producer Activist Scholar Educator Author of: "Documentary for Social Change," "Diversity Digital Culture in Italy," "Black Italy"

WORKSHOP
In addition to the regular conference, please, consider attending a 3-hour workshop on Friday morning. 

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Mediation and Linguistic Diversity in the Language Classroom
Gina Maiellaro, Northeastern University


October 27, 2023
8:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Mediation, as outlined by the CEFR, involves learners acting as social agents to bridge communication and facilitate the construction of meaning using various languages or modes. Mediation is a strategic process that encompasses emotional, cognitive, social, and cultural intelligence, all of which are essential for language use in diverse real-world contexts. Finally, mediation plays a pivotal role in facilitating successful plurilingual/pluricultural interactions.
Join our workshop to acquire essential knowledge of mediation in language learning and its practical classroom applications.
  • Explore the role of mediation in the language acquisition process
  • Revisit the importance of mediation in plurilingual education
  • Survey the CEFR mediation scales and how they apply to the ACTFL Intercultural Competence benchmarks
  • Discover diverse approaches for implementing mediation techniques and strategies in your classroom
  • Explore language ideologies and stereotyping in Italian and how linguistic diversity contributes to the broader notion of social justice
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Teaching materials are provided in both Italian and English and can be adapted for other languages.
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ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview
Learn all about OPI in a virtual setting…in Italian!

The workshop runs from Friday, January 13, 2023 to Friday, February 17, 2023.
The registration deadline is Friday, January 6, 2023, and Italian cohorts are filling fast! Don't wait! Register today!

No matter if you know a little about the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and want to learn more, or if you're brand new to the concept and want to dive in to see how OPI can help your learners in their world language journey, ACTFL has you covered, and in your preferred language, Italian!

ACTFL's Virtual OPI Assessment Workshop will include:
  • All live instruction and interviews conducted in Italian (be sure to choose the Italian cohort when registering)*
  • An introduction the ACTFL rating scale
  • The outline of the structure of OPI
  • Techniques for administering and rating the OPI, including its applications in the language classroom
  • Practice interviews with feedback and discussion from the facilitator and other participants

Best of all, the online format lets you work asynchronously on six modules at your own pace. Then, you will receive feedback from facilitators during two 1.5-hour discussion sessions and through responses on a discussion board.

And don't forget, these workshops can serve as your first step toward OPI Tester Certification—a potential career-booster that lets you conduct advisory, unofficial OPIs at your academic institution for a variety of educational purposes!

BONUS!
Looking for PD hours? You're in luck! Participants will receive a certificate verifying 30 hours of professional development. There's no better way to get your PD!.

Presenter: Sara Galli
(University of Toronto)

Today, it is more than ever important also to focus our attention on creating courses as inclusive as possible to make all students feel welcome and safe. Furthermore, the materials inside of some textbooks are not reflecting the Italian contemporary society both in language exercises (i.e., not allowing answers like "voi vi siete sposate") and in cultural readings (i.e., la donna si occupa della famiglia).

La neutralità di genere nell'italiano di oggi

February 11, 2022

4:00pm EST

Join us on Zoom:
https://northeastern.zoom.us/j/93772512418
Meeting ID: 937 7251 2418

This workshop focuses on providing suggestions on ways to degender an Italian language syllabus, and to promote gender equity. Moreover, a part of this seminar will be focused on which resources and activities can be proposed in class to help students understand the Italian contemporary society and reflect on the use of the Italian language in the LGBTQIA+ Italian community.
Corsi online per insegnanti di Italiano
Sessione informativa
Giovedì 16 Dicembre 2021 15:30 (Eastern Time)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/92120913024

Meeting ID: 921 2091 3024
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Dec 3, 2021
05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Free and open to the public.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://northeastern.zoom.us/j/97637876267

Meeting ID: 976 3787 6267

Presentazione Italian News Clicks

Dec 3, 2021
05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Elvira Di Fabio, Isa Orvieto

Join us for a presentation of ITALIAN NEWS CLICKS: a valuable resource for the Italian classes to see firsthand what
“VIVERE ALL’ITALIANA” really means. Italian News Clicks is a unique instrument to remain constantly in touch with a changing Italy, and to be informed about the most recent cultural initiatives that deal with it.
We invite you to a conversation with two of the authors, who will guide you in the navigation of the site and will suggest how to best take advantage of its resources for your classes.
Mita Professional Development Series 2020-2021
presents

La competenza interculturale: le abilità di osservazione ed Analisi critica

La Northeastern Unviersity, la MITA e il Consolato Generale d'Italia a Boston vi invitano a partecipare ad un webinar formativo dedicato alla competenza interculturale nella classe di italiano per stranieri. Il webinar si concentrerà in particolare sulle abilità di osservazione ed analisi critica ed illustrerà una serie di strategie e tecniche adattabili a diversi contesti pedagogici. Ulteriori dettagli saranno aggiunti nelle prossime settimane.
Il webinar è gratuito ed aperto ai docenti delle scuole superiori e delle università. I docenti che lo richiederanno, potranno acquisire un totale di 2 crediti formativi (1 PDP per ora).
Il programma, i dettagli del webinar, così come il link e le istruzioni per la partecipazione sulla piattaforma Zoom, verranno comunicati ai docenti registrati.
June 5th, 10:00- 12:00
sabato, 5 giugno alle 10:00
La registrazione è gratuita ma obbligatoria


Ciclo di webinar formativi dedicati all'insegnamento dell’italiano LS

Relatrice: Gina Maiellaro, Teaching Professor, World Languages Center, Northeastern University.

Join us for our last workshop of the Professional Development Series 2020-2021.
The series is organized by Northeastern University in collaboration with MITA and with the support of the Consulate General of Italy in Boston and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Free and open to high school and college level instructors.
PDPs available for teachers.

MITA meetings - rising teachers

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Join us for our monthly meetings dedicated to rising Italian educators.
Free and open to the public.
Join Zoom Meeting

https://bentley.zoom.us/j/95129995351

Meeting ID: 951 2999 5351
Passcode: CIAO

The Italian Heritage Leaner: definition and teaching strategies

May 7th,  3:30pm

Emily Nerici, UMass Amherst

This presentation explores the broad definition of a Heritage Language Learner and discusses how a Heritage Language learner may differ from the typical language learner in the language classroom. The session will also present a series of pedagogic strategies that instructors can use approach this particular student type.

Italian Teachers Professional Licensure Orientation Session

May 24, 2021 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)On Zoom

vi invitiamo alla presentazione di un progetto di formazione per insegnanti di italiano, frutto della collaborazione tra UMass-Amherst e il Consolato Generale d'Italia a Boston, e con il supporto esterno della MITA. Questo progetto ha come finalità principale quella di offrire un percorso formativo costituito da 4 corsi online corredati da crediti universitari che consentiranno ai partecipanti di acquisire l’abilitazione all’insegnamento, nonché strumenti pedagogici adatti ai corsi AP di lingua e cultura italiana.

Il progetto interesserà in particolare i docenti di Italiano del Massachusetts (o di altri stati) che sono già in possesso di una provisional license o di una initial license, ma che hanno bisogno di ulteriori crediti formativi per poter ottenere l'abilitazione definitiva, anche detta professional license.
Durante il webinar saranno date informazioni sui corsi e sulle modalità di partecipazione ed iscrizione. ​Il primo corso comincerà il 6 luglio e si concluderà il 13 agosto. Sarà svolto interamente online e secondo la modalità di apprendimento autogestito (self-paced) e con sessioni e moduli asincroni. All'incontro parteciperanno i docenti dei 4 corsi magistrali (graduates).

Per chi non fosse riuscito a collegarsi all'incontro, è possibile accedere alla presentazione e al video usando questi link:
  • Progetto: Percorso formativo costituito da 4 corsi online corredati da 12 crediti universitari per adempiere ai requisiti della professional license in Massachusetts

  • Audience: docenti di Italiano del Massachusetts già in possesso di una initial license o aspiranti docenti di Italiano che programmano un percorso formativo a lungo termine
   
  • Scadenza: iscrizioni al primo corso aperte fino al 22 giugno 2021  (il primo corso comincerà il 6 luglio e si concluderà il 13 agosto in modalità asincrona)
 
  • Per maggiori informazioni: accedi alla registrazione dell'evento e alle diapositive disponibili su Google Drive. 
 

MITA cooperative learning webinars

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During the webinar, we will share, analyze and pilot rubrics to assess language performance and respond to some of these questions:
  • What instructions are needed to clearly describe the tasks and the required elements for the tasks?
  • What criteria will be used to evaluate the tasks and the quality of the performance?
  • How well does the rubric relate to the outcome(s) being measured?
  • Is the rubric feasible, manageable, and practical for use in my course?
  • Can the rubric be applied across different kinds of assignments?
  • What type of changes are necessary to adapt the rubric to a specific assignment, course typology, students’ age, etc.
Join us for our first first cooperative learning webinar! Each meeting will have a specific focus and each of us will cooperate, reflect, and share teaching materials or tools.
In our first meeting we will work on assessment tools, and specifically on the evaluation of rubrics for various levels of proficiency and communication modes. More information will be distributed to registered participants.


Using Rubrics to assess Performance Tasks

April 24th,  10:00am
Registration is necessary to participate. Registration closes on April 19th

With this webinar, MITA will offer 2 PDPs to participating teachers.

Past events

XX SETTIMANA DELLA LINGUA ITALIANA NEL MONDO, 2020
This year MITA and the Consulate General of Italy in Boston celebrated the 20th Week of the Italian Language in the World: Italian Between Word and Image: Graffiti, Illustrations, Comic Books (October 19-25, 2020) with two fascinating webinars:
  • Social Emotional Learning: lo svilutto delle competenze socio-emotive nelle classi di italiano
  • The original influencers: Italian Comics and Youth Culture as Shapers of History
You can access the recordings and resources here.