The school has divided us into several groups of varying levels. The beginner and low-intermediate students are receiving instruction in a variety of formats that are fairly typical for what you might expect in a language class: lectures, written exercises, and verbal. Homework level varies but is not too great for the tour group.
Individuals in our class specifically asked for practice speaking and hearing Italian so very little classroom time is devoted to actual lecture. Occasionally we might go lightly into something technical such as prepositions–which are still eating my lunch, btw.
The morning starts with the instructor asking us what we did the previous afternoon/evening (or on Mondays, what we did over the weekend) and we take turns answering. Some of us read answers that they have written and others are more off the cuff (which I try to be). This becomes a back and forth between the student and the instructor or between the student and the other students. It’s a lot of fun.
The instructor might then move on to exercises of a verbal nature where we listen to a recorded dialog (multiple times) and then answer questions about what we just heard. Sometimes it’s a game that stretches our language skills. A few times, we’ve taken “field trips” such as to a local department store and discuss what we find there or we have a “scavenger hunt” where we try to find shops or landmarks based on a written description. Also, great fun.
At noon, we’ll change instructors. This one will take us in an entirely new direction but all verbal.
I usually start the morning a little apprehensive but by the end of the school day at 1PM, I’m left wondering where exactly the time went. As for homework, we need look no further than all of Verona.
