Meet Luca, one of my favorite people.  He’s a great teacher and a very kind person.  After my move to Italy, I started taking online group classes with him.  The classes really helped me to progress and more importantly, to start speaking in a friendly group setting.  Whenever my expat friends ask me how I am learning Italian, I always refer them to Luca. He teaches about 14 expats here in Guardia which is a big testament to his teaching skills.

1.  Where do you teach and how? Regular classes, online classes… 

My company is called Luca Lupo Italian School and I have around 110 students from around the world. I love teaching Italian! Some of my courses take place in real life in the Swedish city I live in, Jönköping, and some of them take place online via Skype. Some students study mostly for fun and some are Swedish companies that need Italian for work. I can proudly say that I have students from all different parts of the world: the USA, England, Australia, Austria, and Scandinavia. 

2. What is your style of teaching and why do you think it works? 

My motto when teaching Italian is “Parla Italiano!” which means “Speak Italian!” where the main focus is on learning to speak the language. I noticed early that people want to be able to get by when visiting Italy rather than spending time translating texts or doing grammar exercises. They want to understand and speak to Italians. So, in my classes, we always practice conversation from the very first lesson, and that is key! I teach them not to be afraid of making mistakes. In addition, it’s very important to make the lessons fun, make everybody in the class feel comfortable, and make them feel they are in a safe zone. After 2-3 lessons, they get to know each other and can start focusing on learning.

3. Do you find it difficult to teach through Skype and in groups? 

I really don’t see so many differences between teaching Italian on Skype and in real life. To make things work, the classes on Skype should consist of 5-6 people. That way everybody gets their chance to speak. One advantage of teaching through Skype is the cultural exchange. We can discuss different matters from different points of view. For example in Susan’s group, we have a person from Australia, one American (Susan), and two Swedes. So much fun! And even better, sometimes these people meet in real life!

4. What are some of your top tips on learning to speak Italian?  

It’s important to be daring, not be afraid of making mistakes knowing that sometimes you will be wrong (for example your blog post “Always Fico, Never Fic*”) but that’s the only way for you to build up confidence. Studying languages is like studying an instrument, you need to practice.  Just doing a little every day, even for only 10 minutes or every 2 or 3 days, makes a big difference. I assign homework for this reason. It’s really important to revise, many times. Try to study the language in different ways according to what you like to do and what your interests are. For example, you can watch a movie 2 - 3 times at different speeds to improve your listening skills, read a book and take notes of new words, read recipes in Italian if you love to cook, etc. The internet is so helpful in many different aspects like reading local newspapers, watching documentaries, or taking online classes!

Read Part 2 of the interview here and Part 3 here

I’d love to hear your stories and what has helped you. Leave your comments below. If you’d like to reach Luca, please contact him here: http://www.facebook.com/luca.lupo.52