O ambiente intergeracional no ensino de italiano LE: o caso do italiano no campus / The intergenerational environment in teaching Italian as a foreign language: the case of Italian on campus

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2011

RESUMO

Overall, the global population is aging and, according to IBGE estimates, Brazil will have the sixth largest elderly population by 2025. The increase in life expectancy, together with the amount of free time available in retirement, has meant more time for sporting, recreational and educational activities, among other things, for this segment of the population. The quest for personal fulfillment has led many elderly to finally participate in activities that they had previously postponed, largely due to more pressing work and family commitments. Included among these activities, there is now great interest in foreign language courses. Thus, opportunities for intergenerational contact among participants of language courses arise, which in turn bring benefits for all those involved. Our starting point for the development of this study was the discussion around identity covered by various Cultural Studies (particularly, those by Stuart Hall and Tomaz Tadeu da Silva), as well as studies about stereotypes and prejudice in the realm of Social Psychology and general research into the area of Gerontology. Despite not being created specifically for the purpose of being an Intergenerational Program, the Italian on Campus (IC) course has groups that span considerable age ranges, from 16 to 78 years. These groups can thus be considered intergenerational environments in which participants have a common objective: learning the Italian language. Accordingly, the IC has constructed a space for important exchanges and with great potential for breaking down stereotypes and prejudices about the elderly and the aging process itself. This type of environment also promotes increased respect for others and greater opportunities for the generations to find out more about each other, as well as getting rid of the negative stereotypes pertaining to the elderly, with regards to the process of acquiring and learning a foreign language. Therefore, the role of the teacher becomes fundamental in this context, because it can determine the success or failure of these intergenerational environments and the relationships that occur within them. Our study involved IC students and monitors and comprised of a fact-finding mission in three stages, with questionnaires applied to students and monitors, as well as interviews with the monitors themselves. With this data, we were able to define the profile of the students participating in the Italian on Campus course, where a quarter of participants are now defined as seniors, and to record experiences about intergenerational relationships, both from the standpoint of the monitors as well as from that of the students themselves. The results show us that most of the students prefer the intergenerational groups and both students and monitors believe that broad age range enriches the course. Even though it was not conceived for this purpose, the IC course has the potential of becoming a true Intergenerational Program, further aiding in the social re-inclusion of the elderly.

ASSUNTO(S)

ensino de língua estrangeira estereótipos foreign language teaching intergenerational intergeracional italian as a foreign language italiano le old age stereotypes terceira idade

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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