Online Interaction in Teaching and Learning a Foreign Language: an Italian Pilot Project on the Companion Volume to the CEFR

Abstract

The contribution focuses on online interaction as a new important dimension in the linguistic competence and repertoire of a learner, as highlighted by the Companion Volume to the CEFR. Starting from a quick overview on the theoretical framework related to the main features of the linguistic variety used in digital and multimodal environments and social networks, the paper will focus on the descriptors of online interaction presented in the Companion, referring to the initial consultation process and then to a pilot project carried out by the Italian Ministry of Education in cooperation with INDIRE, involving a school network all over Italy. Some comments from the teachers involved in the projects will be reported and discussed and in particular, an example of project carried out in one of the schools will be highlighted. As a general conclusion, experimenting the descriptors of online interaction turned out to be a very effective way to reflect and become aware of the importance of digital literacy and online communication and interaction in a foreign language, for both teachers and students.