Club di Conversazione in Italiano: a podcast channel with multimedia content
The Club di Conversazione is a channel with multimedia content designed for Italian learners and tailored to their needs. The channel includes a Podcast (with transcription), the Video lessons, Infographics and Texts which are organised according to levels A1, A2 and B1+. The organisation by language level is so important because pupils work best with reading and listening texts that are appropriate to their level. Language level B1+ includes texts at levels B1, B2 and C1.
The podcast runs via the Patreon platform and can be used via a monthly subscription. We offer two options:
- a basic package with access to all content and transcriptions and
- the premium package with the functions of the basic package plus participation in the events of the club di conversazione.
In collaborazione con Italian workshop.
The conversation club
For many students, the conversation club offers the first or only opportunity to hold a conversation in Italian in a relaxed environment. At the same time, the conversation club is also suitable for those who already have a good level of Italian but rarely have the opportunity to actively practise their language skills.
The Conversation club offers two to three events per week. These are free of charge for members of the Premium package. Participants can decide for themselves how many and which events they would like to attend.
Information on participation:
When: The current calendar of events is published in the Patreon channel https://www.patreon.com/c/Clubitaliano or published in the "Calendari". The events usually take place three times a week in the evening and once in the morning and last 60 minutes each.
Where and how: The events take place online in a Zoom meeting. Participants receive the link to the meeting as soon as they subscribe to the premium package. The link remains the same for each event and can be easily saved.
For whom: We offer courses for learners of levels A1, A2, B1, B2, C1. All participants are divided into different groups by the course instructor depending on their level.
Contents: The instructor brings a new topic of conversation to each meeting and divides the class into small groups, each of which holds two conversation sessions of 15 to 20 minutes maximum. At the end of the conversation session, the instructor opens a group discussion with all participants to discuss questions or considerations that arose during the previous exercise.
Have we piqued your curiosity? Listen to our podcast sample on Spotify and join our club!
Why we founded the Club di Conversazione
The Italian workshop started offering online courses in 2020. This presented us with unfamiliar challenges on a daily basis, prompting us to continuously improve and perfect our teaching methods. Our students' desire for more efficient teaching units and the utilisation of the growing potential of digital media are at the centre of our efforts.
With the foundation of the Club di Conversazione we set ourselves the goal of meeting the needs and wishes of most Italian learners, which we have been able to identify through our many years of experience:
- work with "authentic" material i.e. with "real" texts that have not been created specifically for learners. Pupils prefer texts corresponding to their level of knowledge that do not cause frustration on the one hand and are realistic and interesting on the other.
- listen to up-to-date texts in Italian and be able to read them at the same time. In other words: to learn with audio material of a suitable language level that is also available via transcriptions.
- to converse in Italian in a relaxed and familiar “space” with other students of the same language level. Meeting other learners allows participants to take their first, cautious steps without inhibitions under the supervision of the conversation leader. In the same way, intermediate and advanced learners can also find the club di conversazione an ideal place to practise conversation without pressure.