Supporting subject-related language interaction in multilingual classrooms via role play: the opinion of primary education teachers in Verona

Abstract

According to a collaborative vision of teaching practice, the construction of school contents is based on interaction as the ideal place of learning, thanks to which the learner can negotiate his own personal contribution. Despite its importance, oral interaction in education can be difficult to cultivate without adequate support. This type of task involves the mastery of pragmatic rules and of disciplinary language, two aspects that are as difficult as they are often overlooked. As part of a training intervention aimed at primary school teachers conducted by the research group dedicated to language teaching methodologies of the University of Verona during the school year 2020/2021, the role play linked to disciplinary contents was proposed as a tool to support the development of language skills useful for school subjects in pupils with a migrant background. Firstly, the current article analyses the teachers’ attitudes, gathered during a focus group carried out remotely once the intervention was completed and, secondly, the contribution focuses on a proposal for its practical implementation applied to the study of geography.

Keywords

• oral interaction
• learning skills
• migrant background students
• teachers training
• focus group