Canadian Association for Italian Studies Annual Conference
at the University of British Columbia, Canada, May 4-7, 2026
SESSION ORGANIZER
First Name: Giuliana
Last Name: Salvato
Academic Affiliation: University of Windsor, ON, Canada
Phone number: 519 253 3000 ext. 2064
Email: gsalvato@uwindsor.ca
Educational experiences and proposals promoting plurilingualism, multilingualism and multimodality
University educational settings are increasingly multicultural and multilingual counting a diverse population of students and instructors. The complexity of the language scenario at these institutions has triggered a surge of studies focused on the understanding of the linguistic dynamics at play in university. English is often the main language of communication, where it accompanies both local languages and the variety of students’ first languages. This situation makes the boundaries between languages soft and flexible because, as the literature on plurilingualism and translanguaging advocates, communication between people with different backgrounds is typically not linear and can include a variety of languages.
To accomplish their educational mission, universities require knowledge, skills and attitudes that can enable successful communication with their multilingual and multicultural participants. It is commonly believed that good teachers make use of multiple resources and modalities to create meaning and to help students learn. Scholars argue, for example, that there is a value in raising awareness of the visual channel of communication and in physical embodiments because they contribute to the creation of meaning and they can help succeed more effectively in the pedagogical aims.
This session aims to create a space for critical reflection and exchange among scholars who would like to reformulate language education through interpretations of theories that promote plurilingualism, multilingualism and multimodality in teaching and learning practices, where Italian is the target language or is one of the languages being considered.
Please submit a 200-300 word abstract and include the following information:
University educational settings are increasingly multicultural and multilingual counting a diverse population of students and instructors. The complexity of the language scenario at these institutions has triggered a surge of studies focused on the understanding of the linguistic dynamics at play in university. English is often the main language of communication, where it accompanies both local languages and the variety of students’ first languages. This situation makes the boundaries between languages soft and flexible because, as the literature on plurilingualism and translanguaging advocates, communication between people with different backgrounds is typically not linear and can include a variety of languages.
To accomplish their educational mission, universities require knowledge, skills and attitudes that can enable successful communication with their multilingual and multicultural participants. It is commonly believed that good teachers make use of multiple resources and modalities to create meaning and to help students learn. Scholars argue, for example, that there is a value in raising awareness of the visual channel of communication and in physical embodiments because they contribute to the creation of meaning and they can help succeed more effectively in the pedagogical aims.
This session aims to create a space for critical reflection and exchange among scholars who would like to reformulate language education through interpretations of theories that promote plurilingualism, multilingualism and multimodality in teaching and learning practices, where Italian is the target language or is one of the languages being considered.
Please submit a 200-300 word abstract and include the following information:
- Title of the presentation
- Description of the topic and its relevance to the theme (200 words maximum)
-
Brief biography of the presenter(s) which includes your full name, current affiliation and email address
Closing Date for Receiving Proposals for this Session: January 31st 2026