You are in love with Italy and you are looking for a good course to learn Italian online?
Your schedule is super busy, and so you prefer online classes to in person ones.
Maybe you would like to plan your appointments in advance and feel comfortable that they will fit easily into your work schedule, your yoga sessions and your reading time?
Well, whatever the reason is, the best way to learn Italian (for beginners especially!) is to choose the right teacher for you.
Let’s discover
- 3 advantages of learning Italian online
- how to learn effectively using a different method
- the qualities of a good teacher for making the best choice.
First of all, I will tell you why Italian classes online are such a valuable option, even if you don’t meet your teacher in person.
Learning Italian online
Learning Italian online is possible and it can be very useful and effective according to your needs.
Until some years ago, attending classes online was unusual. In the last years, instead, any kind of activity has been available online.
Whether you are a bit of a tech nerd or not very confident with technology yet, let’s explore 3 reasons why attending Italian classes online from the comfort of your sofa can be so effective.
They are:
- significant effort reduction
- better time management
- the opportunity to practise Italian in the same way you would with an app, but with a real native speaker.
First of all, perhaps the nearest school offering beginner Italian classes isn’t very close to where you live, and you prefer to go straight home on those rainy afternoons after work.
So it’s not a matter of being lazy, it is a worthwhile management of energy.
As human beings, we have a limited amount of energy to spend in everyday activities. Managing it well lets you use it to your advantage.
As well as joining an Italian language class in an Italian original place is not so easy (as flying to Italy once a week could be a bit hard!), doing it from your home can significantly increase your learning power.
How to learn effectively
Did you know that learning a new language goes through a four stages cognitive process?
During the third one, (the Conscious competence stage, you can find more reading my post about how to learn effectively) it is very important to focus on what you have learnt in the last few days.
So, at home you will be able to review materials before joining the call and after it.
However, you might be thinking that you could achieve the same results by doing Italian exercises online — and yes, you can do those right from your couch too.
Yes, maybe you could, however a native expert teacher can be your tutor, letting you speak Italian as if you were in Rome!
On the other hand, if you hesitate to sign up for an Italian language course because you would like to attend the best one, I agree you should be aware of the qualities of a good teacher.
I love learning (anything!) and as an expert educator I am quite exigent.
In order to be sure you will follow the best way to learn Italian it is very important the course you buy is
- based on an innovative and effective method
- run by a teacher perfectly suited to you.
What does “innovative and effective method” mean?
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST TEACHER FOR YOU
Best way to learn Italian online by an effective method
In order to be the best way to learn Italian online, your course and your teacher should offer you a full experience.
Many of my students often ask my opinion about courses or applications to learn Italian online, as well as Italian classes with a native speaker.
Well, all of them can allow you to be able to learn some terms or do some exercises. Moreover, the web offers several opportunities for speaking foreign languages with people from all over the world… for free!
For example, if you are interested in doing just a bit of conversation with an Italian native speaker, you can take advantage of this very cool platform: Conversation Exchance.
I studied Russian by myself and I used this tool to chat with a Russian girl who wanted to learn Italian. It was amazing and we met in Moscow when I visited it.
However, if you are looking for the best way to learn Italian online, maybe you are looking for something more.
Maybe you would like to be able
- to speak fluently
- to learn the language for improving your personal skills
- to attend a well-planned course that meets your goals and fits your personal schedule.
Great, so you should look for a course with the following features:
- hosted by a high quality and user friendly video-conferencing platform
- provided by appropriate tools to support your learning, such as
- virtual whiteboards
- teaching materials designed with a graphic layout that facilitates on-screen reading (which is known to be more tiring than reading on paper)
- digital resources to support interactive activities even in the absence of tangible materials
- including a training component for your on the mindful and effective use of digital tools and learning strategies.
I love technology and I am always looking for innovative resources to improve my Italian language course, in order to provide an extremely user-friendly experience, as if my students and I were in the same room.
However, effective tools and materials can be useless if the teacher you meet is not the best for you.
How to choose the best teacher to accelerate your learning
How to choose the best teacher to learn Italian online?
Many people move abroad to learn a new language, because it allows them to join the cultural context and absorb the native tongue.
So another fundamental requirement an online course should have is to
move you into the cultural universe of the language you are learning.
How can it happen?
It exclusively depends on the teacher.
Learning Italian online can be easy and successful, only if the teacher is
- extremely empathetic
- able to guide you in emotional regulation.
Emotions and learning
Learning a new language behind the screen of a computer minimises some communication aspects, such as proxemics, consequently affecting the perception of energy that is very important for human beings.
During my lessons, I place special emphasis on fostering human warmth and positive energy, to create the sense of well-being you experience in the presence of an engaging and pleasant person.
My studies of language pragmatics (the branch of linguistics that examines language as action and analyzes the relationships between language and speakers) have allowed me to deepen my understanding of interaction dynamics, which are even more delicate online.
You know how, during a video call, some people raise their voices or end up talking over each other?
Obstacles like these should never arise in an Italian lesson online, and it is extremely important to me to prevent them, so that I can give you 100% of what you’ve invested in.
Being aware of these aspects allows me to establish a true rapport with my students, and the most amazing part of my work is that with each of them, a genuine and valuable friendship has developed. Needless to say, this relationship not only brings me great joy but also generates outstanding learning results.
Furthermore, when my student enters my virtual classroom, they completely leave behind their home, the family members arguing in the next room, and work-related worries, stepping into an ultra-sensory world with me.
This happens because I guide them in managing their mental state through the techniques I teach them and to the activities I choose.
Now that you’re aware of everything to consider when choosing an online Italian course, keep in mind that the best way to experience these qualities is simply by trying it yourself.
Only by participating can you truly feel the difference and see the results.