Video is not visible, most likely your browser does not support HTML5 video About us Our Approach At ScuolaScuola, learning and doing go hand in hand: you will learn Italian by performing real-life, communicative tasks, just as if you were visiting or living in Italy. Instead of simply learning Italian, you will learn how to do things in Italian. We will teach you how to use Italian so you can perform the activities that you want to perform, whether it is buying a train ticket, talking to a relative, ordering food in a restaurant, or doing some fine Made in Italy shopping. You will learn how to communicate in Italian. You will be presented with a variety of real-life, meaningful situations and materials, and you will learn how to get your message across. Interactive Learning System Using Moodle as a learning management system, you will collaborate with other learners and communicate online, getting as close as possible to a fully immersive experience in Italy without actually travelling there! Mixing the best of online and bricks-and-mortar instruction, you can enjoy the flexibility to learn-on-the-go, but also to interact, to exchange ideas and to collaborate with fellow students – extending conversations beyond the classroom to wherever you are, and opening the door to a richer, social learning experience. Blending Language and Culture With the help of your instructor, you will explore customs, culture, and concepts that embody the essence of being Italian. Understanding what makes the Bel Paese one of the most contradictory and charismatic country in which to travel, you will learn how to get by in the local markets, you will discover lesser-known haunts and hidden gems away from Italy’s beaten paths, and you will experience Italy through the eyes of a local. Group and Private Classes To help you discover how you learn best, we offer a broad range of classes from tutoring sessions to drop-in workshops, from informal conversational group classes to more structured group courses. Offering integrated private and group classes, we help you create the blend of social interaction and individual attention that works best for you. During the private sessions, we tackle the areas of the language you struggle with the most and we create tailor-made materials and activities to meet your necessities and your interests. Keeping It Real Our courses go beyond the standard division of levels to create environments tailored to your specific needs. We don’t use academic labels to divide learners according to their language skills because we believe that in order to communicate, learners need competencies that go beyond those skills to include behaviours and abilities to be applied in real-life conversations. Named after famous urban Italian avenues, our corsi help learners maintain a perspective on what really matters while immersing themselves in the learning experience. Video is not visible, most likely your browser does not support HTML5 video Italian Language Instructors and Curriculum Developers Valentina Cioccari, BA (Hon), MA Born and raised in the province of Rome, Valentina Cioccari spent her twenties studying languages and traveling in Northern and Southern Europe, engaging in many and varied cultural experiences. Studying Languages, Literature and Culture at university in Rome, she discovered her passion for the many ways cultural norms, expectations and context affect the way we use a language. She continued exploring the relationship between foreign language proficiency and the use of audiovisual media during her studies in London, where she earned a Master of Arts in Audiovisual Translation. In London, she worked as a translator and subtitle editor from English into Italian, observing the cultural differences between the American, English and Italian languages. Having to navigate her way around cultural differences in order to render meaning into conversations enriched Valentina as a foreign language learner and as a perspective teacher. With a desire for continued exploration, she pursued her love for language and film to Toronto in 2008. There, she continued her career in translating Oscar-winning films and television series into Italian, while pursuing her interest in teaching Italian. In the past 11 years, she has taught and developed curricula for private language schools and schools of continuing education as well as for multinational companies. Bolstered by her studies in Adult Learning and Curriculum Development she founded ScuolaScuola, a ‘blended learning’ school that offers its students a personalized learning experience combining face-to-face instruction with online study, respecting individual learning styles and personal pace. Lorenzo Sclocco BA (HON), MA, DELTA It is no secret that Lorenzo is passionate about languages, translation and teaching. Born and raised in Pescara, he has been teaching languages since 2009. His educational background counts an Italian Bachelor's Degree in Translation and Interpreting as well as German Master's Degree in Linguistics, Cultural Studies and Translation. He also completed the DELTA Certificate. Being a language learner himself (he speaks English, Italian, German and Russian), he knows what is like to learn a new language. This is why he develops task-based lessons where the students are in the driver's seat! In 2018, he was the recipient of the “Excellence in Teaching Award” at the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies. He considers himself a life-long learner and he is passionate about anything that has to do with languages and pedagogy. In his downtime, he likes reading and going for long walks. He is very bad at cooking, but he doesn’t mind doing the dishes! Sebastiano Bazzichetto, BA (Hon), MA, PHD Born in spellbinding Venezia, raised in medieval enchanting Treviso, Sebastiano Bazzichetto is an Italian language instructor from Italy who has recently completed his PhD in Italian studies, with a focus on Italian Baroque poetry. Besides literature, being also a former violin student, he is passionate about Italian art history, music and theatre, elements that he always merges into his language classes. Arrived in Toronto in 2012, feeling more a cultural promoter rather than a teacher, he fast understood that a language is the key to unlock the secrets of a society and its culture, and of Italian culture specifically. Sebastiano has taught extensively at the University of Toronto, and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, where he also held several lectures about Italian opera, and art and architecture of Italian cities. Seeking a stimulating environment where to teach his mother tongue and to meaningfully interact with students, Sebastiano enthusiastically joined the team at ScuolaScuola in January 2017. Caterina Micci, BA (Hon) Born and raised in Sicily, Caterina has a degree in Archival and Librarian Sciences from “Università La Sapienza” in Rome. She taught Italian language and culture at Kappa Language School in Rome. As evidenced by her experience as an educator in summer camps in Italy, Caterina loves working with children and young adults. In Toronto, she worked as Italian Teacher and Tutor at Canadian College of Education. During her traineeship as a language instructor, she taught Italian to Chinese-speaking children. She likes to integrate her lessons using content from authentic material as Italian magazines, newspapers, movies, ads and songs. She is an art history, cinema and food enthusiast, and she always share her passions with students. Great music fan, she works as a translator for the Italian records label and publishing house Goodfellas. Daniele Laudadio, BA, MA, PHD candidate Coming from a lovely medieval town in the countryside of the beautiful Marche region of central Italy, Daniele is an Italian language, culture, and food enthusiast. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in the Department of Italian Studies in the University of Toronto, where he is researching how the representation of food in Italian postcolonial literature helps redefine what being Italian means. Daniele is also a course instructor at UofT, where he has taught Beginner and Intermediate Italian, and History of Italian Cinema. Daniele has extensive experience in teaching Italian to North American students since his university years in Rome, when he was an Italian language intern and tutor for the University of California Education Abroad Program and the University of Southern California. Daniele believes in the cultural exchange enabled by language learning and teaching. Since learning a new language opens windows onto new ways to imagine the world, studying Italian in multicultural, global Toronto offers countless possibilities for mutual cultural enrichment. Daniele is thrilled to be part of ScuolaScuola. Lucia Massacesi, BA, MA Born in Senigallia, a seatown with velvet-sand beaches in Marche region, since childhood she has experienced a number of family relocations both in Italy and abroad, so developing a keen nomadic sense. After studying English, Arabic and Spanish and graduating in Modern Languages and Literatures at La Sapienza Rome University, in her early twenties she spent three years in the Middle East. When back to Rome she started collaborating in international work environments - FAO Conference Division and later United Nations Information Centre. Her interest in writing and the publishing industry took her more North to Milan, where she got a master degree in publishing. Her keen interest in multicultural dialogue perfectly seemed to match with her acquired new skills in editing and translating, soon leading her to pursue a career in journalism. She successfully obtained her qualification as a professional journalist and soon started collaborating with a Milan-based nationwide TV cultural program. She traveled extensively first to Bucharest, Romania, then to Kyiv, Ukraine, and more recently to Toronto. Over her last twelve years she has been teaching Italian to private students and classes. By attending training courses organized by ANILS, Ca' Foscari University and Perugia University, she has developed her skills as a professional Italian language teacher. Since then she has collaborated with the Italian cultural institutes (IIC) in Bucharest and Kyiv and while in Bucharest she also taught Italian Language and Literature at a local school with an Italian syllabus. Her strong linguistics background and knowledge of many languages - Romanian, Ukrainian and Russian having also added up to the list - provide her with an empathic attitude to teaching. Cristina Tommasi, BA (Hon), MA Born and raised in the small town of Pero in Lombardy, Cristina Tommasi graduated with honors from the University of Milan with a degree in Philosophical Sciences, with a focus on North American culture. She’s been working in the field of education since 2013 and her passion for teaching has never stopped since. In the past three years, she has worked for private schools and taught Italian to immigrants for charity associations in Italy developing an interest in social and immigration movements. In parallel to her professional interests, she’s an active member of a non-profit organization supporting projects with social purposes and promoting Italian culture throughout the world. Her love for Canada started in 2016, when she moved to Calgary to attend an Esl course at the University of Calgary. Cristina firmly believes in the importance of promoting Italian heritage all over the world and loves to share her language and upbringing with new students. Virginia Quaranta, BA (Hon) Born and raised in Rome, Virginia Quaranta got a Bachelor’s degree in Languages and learned English, Spanish and French. She fell in love with languages after studying Latin and ancient Greek in high school and while travelling within Europe. She has been teaching Italian as well as the other languages since high school and she is very passionate about it as she really enjoys teaching grammar and helping people learn new languages and discover new cultures. She moved to Toronto 4 years ago and kept teaching Italian and English. She works with students of all ages, from kids to adults, with Virginia's help students explore the language and put their knowledge and learning into real-life practice. Video is not visible, most likely your browser does not support HTML5 video Work with us! Learn with us! Come to our downtown Toronto location! Classes are held on the ground floor of CSI Spadina which is fully accessible with a ramp connected to the south-east doors on Spadina Ave.Entry to the building is restricted to members and their guests There is metered parking all along Spadina and a Green P parking lot 2 blocks north of CSI Max 6 participants per classScuolaScuola Toronto
