The Accademia Culturale Linguistica Educational Foundation was established in 2015 with the mission of operating in the educational field, with a particular emphasis on language learning as an instrument of personal, professional, and intercultural growth. The Foundation provides study grants to Anglophone students who follow the Teaching English as a Foreign Language through Theatre and Play Course (TEFL -TP) organised in collaboration with ACLE, an association accredited by the Italian Ministry of Education.

Founded over 37 years ago, Associazione Culturale Linguistica Educational (ACLE) promotes humanistic student-centred education through creative, motivating projects. ACLE is the first association in Italy to have provided Theatre in Education projects in Italian schools and is accredited by the Italian Ministry of Education.

ACLE’s approach to teaching is based on the principles of its REAL© Approach: Rational Emotional Affective Learning. Born out of a mission to revolutionise the way that Italians are taught in schools, ACLE annually provides training to hundreds of Italian school teachers and workshops to thousands of school students. In addition, it offers a study programme to mother-tongue English speakers that gives them the opportunity to learn, teach, and share their language and cultural experiences throughout Italy at our summer camps.

According to international assessments such as PISA, the Italian education system continues to under-perform in key areas, with many of its practises and methodologies having long been discredited throughout much of the Western world. Theoretical learning and memorisation are still widely expected of students, whereas practical application, and opportunities for critical thinking, discussion, and debate remain few and far between. Mainstays of progressive education, such as Total Physical Response (TPR), group work, and peer feedback, have gained little ground within the Italian educational system. Students rarely leave their desks, and many educators tend to prefer quietness and passivity in the classroom.

Since its inception, ACLE has sought to counter these discouraging trends. Learner enthusiasm and their progress in language learning have demonstrated the success of the REAL© Approach, which has been validated by decades of research in the neurosciences, humanistic psychology, and educational theory. While ACLE has made significant progress in bringing positive changes to the Italian education system, there is still much work to accomplish.

“Motivate and inspire” is what we ask of our trainee tutors and teachers. If you think you can meet this challenge and help us change the learning experience of Italian students and teachers, then we’d love to recruit you.

Emotions generate learning!