Intercultural Communication Course Blog
Authors: Bryan Quick (UMass), Emma Stewart (UConn), Nikki Zammiello (Quinnipiac University)
It is hard to believe that we have already been in Florence for four weeks. We have experienced and learned so much already. At first, it was a bit of a culture shock moving to a new country. We had to, and are still, learning about customs, values and how to live everyday in Florence. One of the biggest differences that we have noticed is how Italians and thus Europeans use a different teaching method from those of our home universities in the US.
A site visit to San Miniato al Monte with the course “Florence: The Story of the City”.
Touring a beautiful church with an even better view.
Our Italian professors at ISI Florence use a relaxed teaching style, which creates a very calm classroom environment and makes it easier to learn. We find this very helpful, as it makes schoolwork more efficient and fun! Classroom participation here is not only accepted but widely recommended! This is a great way to learn about the subject from our fellow students as well!
Teaching and learning is also done outside of the classroom through field trips and site visits. In our Intercultural Communication course, we took a trip to the local supermarket to watch and understand the behavior of locals in a real life situation. Trips and courses like these help to improve the learning process by applying a theoretical concept to real life.
Life in Italy is different, and so are the teaching methods. At first, we were all a little surprised to be in a different learning environment. But, after being in school for almost a month, not only we accept it but in fact really enjoy it now. The relaxed environment makes learning fun and easier! Also, traveling on field trips and visiting local sites helps us understand what we learned in the classroom. Although Italy has a different classroom environment, we have quickly adapted to it and are now enjoying this new and unique experience!
A trip to a local supermarket in Intercultural Communications. Learning about Italian culture through real life situations.