Clare McIlhatton - Parliamo Italiano Ayrshire

03/02/2025

Sorry the page has not been very active - for all those enquiring we are still running and look forward to welcoming any new learners at all levels of our Italian classes. Please get in touch via my website to find out more details

04/09/2021

🇮🇹 New semester starting this month for all levels at Prestwick Community Centre and online via zoom. Get in touch via the website for more details 🇮🇹

Clare McIlhatton | Italian language classes for Adults in Ayrshire and online. English tuition for secondary school students (including preparation for National 5 and Higher exams) in Ayrshire and online.

26/02/2021

APPS – Day 4

Duolingo

“Duolingo is a great example of a straightforward language app. It’s really simple to use. You set up a profile, choose your target language, set your weekly goals and off you go!

Each course in Duolingo is made up of modules (eg basic phrases, food, animals etc) which are grouped to form skills.”

Duolingo is free and there is also a premium version for around £5/month
This app is good for beginners and has a fun, game like approach, similar to our day 2 recommendation Memrise.

https://youtu.be/SUz6oBiRlxk

Find out why Duolingo is the #1 way to learn Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese. Download now from the App Store and Google Play: hype...

25/02/2021

APPS – Day 3

Following on from my previous recommendation on “comprehensible input” I want to share one of the most exciting language learning systems on the internet - LingQ.

“LingQ is not your average language learning tool. It is designed to mimic the way we acquired our native language. There are no tests or memorization drills, and if used correctly, students retain what they learn more deeply than when forced to memorize vocabulary lists. Students absorb the knowledge they need through reading and listening to content.

LingQ is a canvas for students' language-learning experience, equipped with statistics and flashcards to supplement reading and listening and track individual progress.
Students learn from the following sources:
• The Library: A large Library of content is provided in most languages. There are single lessons and Guided Courses, which are bundles of lessons. Some is provided by LingQ, some is user-generated. As there is a vast quantity of high-quality content available across the web in various languages and skill levels, users are encouraged to upload and share what they find.
• Importing their own content: Students can import articles from the News Feed in one click. They can also import articles, eBooks, songs, Netflix, and YouTube videos that they find on their own. Our import extension makes that simple and instant. This is where it gets exciting -- learning from content that is genuinely enjoyable for the student makes learning fun. Students are encouraged to find content that is interesting for them, and they should abandon a lesson to find something they like if it's not engaging.
When an episode of Netflix or a YouTube video is imported, the closed captioning becomes a transcript in the LingQ Reader. This way, students can read what they hear for a multidimensional experience.”

LingQ £7-12/month or £140 lifetime membership
As with all other apps there is a free version to try first before paying. I also recommend watching videos on YouTube of how to use LingQ.

https://youtu.be/P3xeyuy5aZU

24/02/2021

APPS – Day 2

Our second app recommendation based on SRS is Memrise. Memrise works both as a mobile and desktop app. Similar to MosaLingua (our day 1 recommendation), Memrise utilises flashcards to learn new vocabulary however it also has other features such as videos of native speakers to incorporate listening in Italian. The app uses game-like features to keep you motivated, like leader boards and points.

Memrise £70/year or £140 lifetime membership
Like all other apps there is a free version which I would recommend using first before buying any premium package.
https://www.memrise.com/

Learn a language with thousands of video clips of real native speakers, fun and effective games to practice your skills. Start learning on web or on our apps!

23/02/2021

APPS - Day 1

Our next series of helpful tips and advice to learn Italian outside of the classroom will be focused on Apps. There are many different apps available and each one offers something different for the learner. Most of our app recommendations can be used for free as a limited version however the paid premium versions enable the user to access more content and features.

My first app recommendation is MosaLingua.

MosaLingua is based on SRS (spaced repetition system) using flashcards with audio and images. Spaced repetition systems are extremely effective for learning new vocabulary and storing it in your long-term memory. Learn more about SRS here https://www.mosalingua.com/en/the-spaced-repetition-system-srs-memorization-for-life/

The premium version of MosaLingua (£35/year or £85/Lifetime access) offers additional material such as eBooks, audiobooks and videos. The app works well for all levels of learners and I would highly recommend you give it a try. Just 5 new cards a day will see you learn and store over 1800 new words in your long term memory per year and you'll be able to use them quickly and effectively when talking Italian.
https://www.mosalingua.com/en/our-apps/mosalingua-italian/

Our Learn Italian app is available for iPhone, iPad, Android smartphones and tablets, and will get you speaking the language in no time. Download it today!

22/02/2021

Italian Movie Recommendation via Ayrshire Flix Festival

Ayrshire Flix Festival is a collection of FREE online film screenings chosen by South Ayrshire's most exciting film exhibitors. One of the movies on show is “A Ciambra” (2017) which was Italy's submission to the Foreign Language Film Award of the 90th Annual Academy Awards.

In A CIAMBRA, a small Romani community in Calabria, Pio Amato is desperate to grow up fast. At 14, he drinks, smokes and is one of the few to easily slide between the region's factions - the local Italians, the African refugees and his fellow Romani. Pio follows his older brother Cosimo everywhere, learning the necessary skills for life on the streets of their hometown. When Cosimo disappears and things start to go wrong, Pio sets out to prove he's ready to step into his big brother's shoes but soon finds himself faced with an impossible decision that will show if he is truly ready to become a man.

https://www.southayrshirescreen.com/events/a-ciambra-ayrshire-flix

Ayr Film Society/Carrick Cinema Club Present A CIAMBRA In A CIAMBRA, a small Romani community in Calabria, Pio Amato is desperate to grow up fast. Pio sets out to prove he's ready to step into his big brother's shoes but soon finds himself faced with an impossible decision.

19/02/2021

Our next piece of advice for language learning outside the classroom is the theory of comprehensible input. Understanding this theory will help each student choose which material is best suited to them.

Comprehensible input (audio, video or written language) is good-quality, relevant and understandable input. What is deemed “comprehensible” will depend almost entirely on the individual learner.

For an input to be comprehensible, it needs to be just one level above that of the learner. Doing so ensures that the learner is able to understand the essence of the input and deduce its meaning and purpose base on other contextual cues. In other words, a successful comprehensible input provides enough known information for students to understand and interpret new linguistic cues. At the correct level students understand most — but not all — of the words.

This great video between two celebrities of the language learning world, Steve Kauffman & Stephen Krashen, explains more on comprehensible input and their own learning journeys.

** For our more senior learners it is worth noting that Steve Kauffman speaks 10 languages fluently, most of which he has learned after the age of 55**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lyNDbgqsB0

Visit LingQ: https://goo.gl/Y6kVoSMy Blog: http://blog.thelinguist.comMy page: https://www.facebook.com/lingosteveMy Twitter: https://twitter.com/li...

16/02/2021

Netflix

Suburra: Blood on Rome (2017 – 2020)

Our final Netflix recommendation is Suburra: Blood on Rome, an Italian crime drama web television series set in Rome. It is based on the 2015 film Suburra, in turn inspired by the novel of the same name by Giancarlo De Cataldo and Carlo Bonini. Suburra draws from the real-life events of the Mafia Capitale investigation and focuses on power clashes and corruption among organized crime, politicians and churchmen.

There are many more Italian language tv shows and films on Netflix, simply search "Italian Language" in the search bar to find more.

https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80081537

In 2008, a fight over land in a seaside town near Rome spirals into a deadly battle between organized crime, corrupt politicians and the Vatican.

15/02/2021

Netflix

Grillo vs Grillo (2017)

Our sixth Netflix recommendation is a live stand-up from Beppo Grillo. The Italian comedian-turned-politician, who is the founder of the country's Five Star Movement, reveals interesting truths about his country's government and his dual career so far.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80141788

Outspoken comedian Beppe Grillo reminisces about his long career, including the triumphs and controversies that fueled his rise in Italian politics.

14/02/2021

NETFLIX

Our fifth Netflix recommendation is the documentary Roberto Saviano: Writing Under Police Protection/ Uno scrittore sotto scorta (2016)

After receiving death threats in 2006 made by the Casalesi clan of the Camorra, a clan which he had denounced in his exposé and in the piazza of Casal di Principe during a demonstration in defence of legality, Saviano was put under a strict security protocol. Since October 13, 2006, he has lived under police protection. This great, funny, and poignant bio/interview hosted by Italian TV host Pif as he visits Roberto Saviano, discovering the authors life under protection since publishing "Gomorrah," his exposé on organized crime in Naples.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80245268?s=i&trkid=13747225

Italian TV host Pif revisits Roberto Saviano, who's been living under protection since publishing "Gomorrah," his exposé on organized crime in Naples.

13/02/2021

NETFLIX

Our fourth Netflix recommendation is a new movie called “La vita davanti a sé/ The Life Ahead” (2020). Madam Rosa (Sophia Loren) is a former pr******te and Holocaust survivor who provides childcare for the children of other "working women" in the port city of Bari, Italy. After Momo, a 12-year-old Senegalese street kid, robs her, she reluctantly agrees to take him in. They develop a deep bond and she tries to help him find his way in life.

La vita davanti a sé has been nominated for “Best Foreign Language Film” at the 2021 Golden Globes. The film is based on Romain Gary's novel, The Life Before Us, and also on Madame Rosa, the film version of the novel directed by Moshe Mizrahi in 1977 and featuring Simone Signoret.

https://www.netflix.com/title/81046378?s=i&trkid=13747225

Una sopravvissuta all'Olocausto che ospita bambini in difficoltà stringe un'amicizia inattesa con un ragazzino di strada che l'ha derubata.