Babylonia and the new generation of teachers

Babylonia e la nuova generazione di insegnanti

In order to find out what young teachers and student teachers think of Babylonia a small-scale survey was carried out among students, so-called abilitandi at the Istituto per l’abilitazione e aggiornamento dei docenti at Locarno.

The student teachers, teachers of English and German, received two copies of Babylonia during the last six months, the one on the European Year of Languages (1/2001) and the one on project work (3/2001).
The student teachers are mainly young people taking the one-year course at the institute to qualify as a scuola media teacher in the canton of Ticino, while teaching a few lessons per week at a scuola media.

They were asked if they knew Babylonia and if they had ever read an article in the journal. The ten student teachers who filled in the questionnaire had all heard about Babylonia and had read at least one article.
Another question was what student teachers expect to find in a multilingual quarterly like Babylonia. They could select items from a list, but there was also space for other suggestions.

The highest score was for announcements of conferences and courses relevant to language teachers. Examples of good practice, reviews of articles on language teaching methodology and practical suggestions for classroom activities also ranked very high. The interviewees do not expect to find either software reviews in Babylonia or reviews of literary issues. Half the respondents appreciate articles on language policy.
The feedback on plans to create a website were very positively received. Links to other sites relevant for language teachers, practical ideas for the classroom and projects for students (webquests) were also appreciated. A large majority would also welcome a discussion forum for teachers with the possibility to ask questions.

Finally, one respondent commented on the format of Babylonia. He would appreciate a more colourful magazine, less serious (formal).
Although the survey was carried out among a small number of student teachers, the student teachers seem to have a positive opinion about Babylonia. The suggestions will be taken into account when the next editions are planned. The answers concerning the website confirm the ideas of the editorial board. The Babylonia website will be operational soon.

Gé Stoks

Al fine di scoprire l’opinione dei giovani insegnanti in formazione, abbiamo svolto una piccola inchiesta tra gli studenti dell’Istituto di abilitazione e aggiornamento a Locarno.

Gli studenti, insegnanti di inglese e tedesco, avevano ricevuto due copie di Babylonia negli ultimi due mesi: un numero sull’anno europeo delle lingue (1/2001) e uno sulla pedagogia per progetti (3/2001).
Alla domanda, se conoscessero Babylonia e l’avessero letta, i 10 studenti hanno risposto positivamente affermando di aver letto almeno un articolo. Un’altra questione riguardava le loro possibili aspettative rispetto ad una rivista come Babylonia. Nelle preferenze prevale l’informazione relativa a conferenze e corsi per docenti di lingue, a cui fanno seguito la presentazione di esempi/modelli d’insegnamento e articoli sulla metodologia e la pratica dell’insegnamento delle lingue. Per contro non si aspettano la recensione di libri o di software. La metà apprezza articoli di politica linguistica.

Il progetto di creare un sito sul web è stato accolto positivamente assieme ai servizi che un tale sito potrebbe offrire ivi incluso un forum di discussione.
Qualcuno vorrebbe una rivista più colorata e meno seria (formale).
Al di là del numero ristretto degli studenti coinvolti, le opinioni sembrano essere positive e i suggerimenti verranno presi in considerazione per il miglioramento della rivista. Anche il sito sarà attivo a partire dalla pubblicazione del presente numero.

Gé Stoks