This contribution offers a historical overview of foreign language policies in the Italian school system in the last five decades through the analysis of its main school reforms, of most used course-books and of specific foreign language teaching terminology as used in language teacher education programs and in teaching materials.
This contribution is aimed at offering a historical overview of foreign language policies in the Italian school system in the last five decades through the analysis of its main school reforms, of most used course-books and of specific foreign language teaching terminology as used in pre- and in-service language teacher education programs. Innovations introduced through official school foreign language curriculum renewals, pre- and in-service education, European policies implementation, language teacher education as well as through unofficial paths represented by publishers’ editorial choices, foreign language teachers’ professional associations, international exchange programs, will be explored and discussed, with particular attention to the main stakeholders: teachers, learners and parents. The overview will use as a point of reference the interface between theoretical assumptions and classroom practice in order to highlight main trends and most significant changes in foreign language teaching and to unveil main features of the language education discourse. The contribution will specifically present an analysis of how language teaching and learning has been represented in the most successful English textbooks used in Italy from the 1950s to the most recent ones.
