Silvia Giorgini-Althoen

Warriors Safe!!!!

Salt tasting experiment via Zoom and in ‘few’ persons at the time of COVID 19.

Same enthusiasm and surprises and making the best of it, always!

Very proud of this ITA/NFS3300 students with their positive attitude and flexibility.

First step in getting ready for a safe return to campus!

A heartfelt shout-out to our students for their amazing achievements in our Italian courses!

On April 30, 2020 we recognized our best students not only for their performance in class, but also for their fantastic ability to quickly and successfully adjust to the emergency remote delivery of our classes!

Congratulations to all of you! Keep up your great work, keep smiling and Stay Safe!

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ITA 3030

Incredibile come anche questo semestre sia volato… Ma che gioia vedere i fantastici traguardi raggiunti dai nostri ragazzi in soltanto 14 settimane! L’orgoglio e la passione che questi ragazzi hanno dimostrato nel preparare i loro poster ha superato ogni aspettativa!

Nella classe “Viaggio in Italia”, i ragazzi hanno scelto argomenti a loro cari e li hanno ricercati con attenzione e così ieri orgogliosamente hanno illustrato e presentato i loro progetti finali.

ITA 1010

Sempre un po’ malinconico l’ultimo giorno di classe, specialmente quando si trova un gruppo di studenti così speciale… La classe di ITA 1010 questo semestre è stata una delle più gratificanti e stimolanti! Questi studenti ogni giorno hanno portato energia, entusiasmo e tanta passione per la lingua e stare con loro mi ha energizzato e mi aspetto tante bellissime cose da loro…

ITA/NFS 3300

Dolce-amaro anche concludere la classe di Storia e cultura della cucina italiana (ITA/NFS 3300)! Tante interessantissime degustazioni che hanno permesso a questi ragazzi di avvicinarsi e apprezzare la nostra cultura attraverso la nostra storia culinaria…

The American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) held its national conference from Nov. 21 through Nov. 24 in Washington DC this year.

This is one of the best professional development opportunities for language educators due to its high volume of sessions and workshops with high-profile presenters and world-renowned researchers in the field of Second Language Acquisition, Pedagogy, Applied Linguistics and Technology, etc.

It is exciting and gratifying to present and demonstrate Wayne State University’s strong research commitment and achievements in these fields.

With my  esteemed colleague and friend from Michigan State,  Carmen De Lorenzo, we presented our research and results on the meaningful and pedagogical value of integrating technology in our language and culture classrooms.

Our presentation “Engaging Students with Meaningful Integration of Technology” was well received, and the audience seemed to appreciate the strong pedagogical approach on how learning objectives motivated the choice of technology applied and how, according to data collected, the students perceived their learning experience.

On Friday, November 8 Wayne State University recognized all First Generation College Students. I was proud to wear my “First-Gen Proud” pin and share my story, and relive the strong emotions still visible in pictures and carved in my heart. The memories of my father who “pushed” me to go to college, and telling me how he wished he could have continued to learn, if the war hadn’t ruined his hopes of studying and keep learning… All these emotions came back last Friday, along with the memories of  the excruciating waits by the professors’ doors the day of the oral exams, the defense, the unwavering and steadfast support of my mother and my whole family, who allowed me to fulfill my dream to become a teacher!

Another successful joint presentation with Michigan State University’s professor Carmen De Lorenzo @MIWLA 2019

What a frantic and exciting month October always is! Not only we get back in the swing of class activities, it is a month of celebrations and important conferences.

This month our program hosted the XIX Week of the Italian Language in the World.

The Week of the Italian Language in the World is an event promoted yearly by the cultural and diplomatic network in the third week of October. It focuses on a theme that acts as the leitmotif of a vast cultural program to promote the diffusion of the Italian language.

The initiative was launched in 2001 through the joint action of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Accademia della Crusca, which was subsequently joined by the Swiss Confederation, where Italian is one of the country’s official languages. During these past eighteen years, the Week of the Italian Language in the World has ended up representing the Foreign Ministry’s privileged Italian promotion channel in terms of the number of activities simultaneously organized all over the world.

This success story is due to the growing engagement of the Italian and Italian-speaking communities abroad, along with local cultural institutions and a host of writers, poets, artists, teachers and academics who have passionately enlivened all the past editions by taking part in hundreds of conferences, meetings, lectures, refresher courses, thus opening a cultural and intercultural dialogue with other writers, artists, intellectuals and representatives of civil society in a large number of Countries.

Since 2013, the theme of the Week has dealt with the world of business and culture, highlighting the link between language and creativity.

The 19th edition of the Week of the Italian Language in the World, at Wayne was held on October 16th and 17th 2019, and it was dedicated to “Italian and the stage”.

The Consul of Italy in Detroit inaugurated the celebrations and professors and community leaders engaged our students with their fascinating presentations.

Here a link to our program and participants:  XIX Settimana della lingua