Our Approach To Second Language Acquisition

The study of a second language has many benefits. It provides insights, sensitivity, and understanding to our own language and to the languages around the world. Language is the moving version of culture. It is people interacting with one another. Interaction takes place through communication, and it is communication that is the key element to our teaching philosophy. It is our belief that learning occurs through meaningful, communicative contexts that carry significance for the student. A new language is also best learned when instruction is consistently conducted in the target language with minimal use of the native language. It is our policy to conduct all our classes in Italian and to keep English distinctly separate.

For the young learner Italian is taught in a full immersion environment through play, games, songs, rhymes, stories and experiences with arts & crafts, and sports. The use of visuals, props, realia, and hands-on activities are integral components of our instruction.

According to research, some of the immediate and long-range benefits of foreign language study are:

• Attaining greater academic achievement in reading, social studies, and math
• Earning higher SAT and ACT scores, especially in verbal areas
• Developing a global attitude
• Facilitating the learning of additional foreign languages
• Developing a sensitivity to the cultures around the world

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La Piazza di Carolina
116 Alta Vista Drive
Crestwood
Yonkers, NY 10710
(914) 793-2629
cgengo@optonline.net