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Article published In: Flourishing in Italian: Positive Psychology approaches to the teaching and learning of Italian in Australia
Edited by Antonia Rubino, Antonella Strambi and Vincenza Tudini
[Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 40:2] 2017
► pp. 140–158

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Lingua e comunità in coro

A community choir as a space for language learning, social interaction, and wellbeing

 | Griffith University, Brisbane
 | Griffith University, Brisbane
Published online: 1 December 2017
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https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.40.2.04ken
Abstract
This article concerns a special learning space populated by Italians and Italian learners: the choir formed in Brisbane as a joint initiative between a community association and the Italian teaching staff at Griffith University. Our aim, in involving our students in the choir, was to bring them together with L1 speakers in an environment that would be stimulating but supportive, given the collective, creative goal. We envisaged that interaction in this space would help develop the students’ language proficiency, intercultural competence, and cultural knowledge, while also bringing the psychosocial benefits of choral singing identified by recent research. These benefits include positive emotions, social support and friendship, an antidote to anxiety and stress, and a shared sense of commitment. Evaluation of findings from the project suggest that the choir did foster students’ learning together with wellbeing.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Rationale for the project
  • 3.Integrating choir participation into Italian courses
  • 4.The participants
  • 5.Evaluation of the students’ experience
  • 6.Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (26)
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Bouvet, Eric, Javier Díaz-Martínez, Daniela Cosmini, Maria Palaktsoglou, Lynn Vanzo & Rosslyn von der Borch
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Bouvet, Eric, Daniela Cosmini, Maria Palaktsoglou & Lynn Vanzo
2017. ‘Doing good’ in Italian through student community engagement. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics 40:2 ► pp. 159 ff. DOI logo

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