Italian Teaching Symposium 2026 - II edition

“Creative Pathways in Italian Language and Culture Teaching”

September 25-26, 2026

St. Jerome’s University (University of Waterloo) & online

Inspired by the theme chosen for the XXVI Week of the Italian Language in the World, “Lingua geniale: ideare, progettare, creare con l’italiano”, we are pleased to announce the second edition of the Italian Teaching Symposium, once again endorsed by the Canadian Association for Italian Studies (CAIS). Building on the success of its inaugural 2025 edition, which welcomed more than fifty participants – including presenters, chairs, and attendees from both academia and cultural institutions – this year’s symposium will take place on September 25-26, 2026, at St. Jerome’s University, federated with the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada). While primarily designed as an in-person event, limited opportunities for remote participation may be available. The second edition of the Italian Teaching Symposium, Creative Pathways in Italian Language and Culture Teaching, aims to bring together scholars, researchers, language educators, teacher trainers, graduate students, and practitioners interested in exploring three interconnected dimensions of Italian language education: imagine, design, and create.

         As Marcel Danesi (2025) observes, “the study of creativity crosses all disciplinary boundaries”, making creativity a particularly productive lens through which to examine the teaching and learning of Italian language and culture. This resonates well with the theme of the XXVI Week of the Italian Language in the World, inspired by the newly established Directorate General for Growth and Export Promotion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which highlights the creative potential of Italian as a language capable of fostering ideas, innovation, and intercultural dialogue. In this sense, teaching Italian extends beyond the transmission of grammar and pronunciation to encompass cultural mediation, collaboration, and engagement with diverse forms of expression. In this context, we invite proposals that reflect on how this perspective inspires – or challenges – instructors to adopt creative and unconventional approaches to course design, including content, activities, teaching methods, and assessment.

In addition to traditional paper presentations, the 2026 edition of the Italian Teaching Symposium will introduce a new hands-on session format designed to foster practical exchange, experimentation, and collaborative learning. These interactive sessions will give participants the opportunity to showcase classroom activities, digital tools and apps, pedagogical resources, multimodal projects, creative assignments, community-engaged initiatives, assessment tools, or other innovative practices implemented in Italian language and culture courses. This format is intended to encourage active engagement and discussion, allowing attendees to learn directly from colleagues’ experiences and to leave the symposium with practical ideas and materials that can be adapted to their own teaching contexts.

Suggested topics:   

Imagine  

Exploring how Italian language and culture can be reimagined as spaces for creativity, identity formation, intercultural dialogue, and social engagement 

-new perspectives on Italian language, culture, and identity  

-intercultural competence and global citizenship through Italian studies  

-new imaginaries of Italy, Italianness, and Italian-speaking communities  

-heritage learners, multilingualism, and transnational Italian identities 

-the future of Italian studies and language programs in changing educational landscapes 

-reimagining the role of Italian language education in contemporary society  

Design  

Examining the pedagogical, technological, and curricular frameworks that shape innovative Italian language education 

-curriculum development and innovative pedagogical models  

-project-based learning in Italian language education  

-multilingual and intercultural learning environments  

-educational technologies, AI, and digital course design  

-assessment design and innovative evaluation practices 

-Italian for specific purposes (LSP) and professional communication  

-international collaborations and virtual exchange projects  

Create  

Investigating creative practices, cultural production, and multimodal forms of expression in Italian language and culture teaching. 

-creative writing and storytelling in Italian language pedagogy  

-language learning through music, performance, theatre, cinema, and visual arts   

-literature in the Italian classroom as a tool for language acquisition and cultural awareness  

-student-generated content and multimodal literacy  

-digital creativity and media production 

-community-engaged learning, public humanities projects, digital creativity, and collaborations beyond the classroom  

Submission Guidelines  

We invite proposals for individual papers (15 minutes), thematic panels (90 minutes), and hands-on workshops (approximately 30 minutes) designed to engage participants in innovative pedagogical practices, classroom activities, digital tools and apps, teaching resources, and creative approaches to Italian language and culture education.  

Submissions should include the presentation title, author name(s) and affiliation(s), an abstract in English or Italian of no more than 300 words, and a contact e-mail address. Proposals should be submitted via this form by July 18, 2026. Notification of acceptance will be sent by July 24, 2026. Questions may be addressed to the symposium organizers, Gianmarco Bocchi (gbocchi@uwaterloo.ca) and Alessia Ursella (aursella@uoguelph.ca).