The development of student autonomy in classes of Italian as an additional language

Abstract

According to Freire (1996), Mezzadri (2003), and Kumaravadivelu (2006), one of the most important goals of teaching and learning process is to promote learners’autonomy. Therefore, this paper aims to present theoretical and practical reflections on the importance of the development of students’autonomy in Italian classes (Italian as an additional language). Regarding the theoretical aspects, some definitions of autonomy in didactic-pedagogical context will be addressed. After that, the notions of foreign language, second language, and additional language will be addressed, and we will explain why, in this text, the last term was chosen. Regarding the practical aspects, we will show some data from a case study carried out during the first semester of 2015 at “Italian on Campus”, a university extension course offered by the Faculty of Philosophy, Languages and Human Sciences of the University of São Paulo. The analysis of the data collected, which was based on the theoretical postulates discussed in this paper, seems to indicate that, during the classes, students could construct knowledge in Italian and about this language, and, at the same time, they could reflect on their own process of linguistic learning. That has probably helped students to become more autonomous.