Teaching activities

I have been a teacher of Italian as a second language at the University of Amsterdam since 1999 and I give courses for all levels from beginners up to academic level. For several years I was involved in various academic projects concerned with the use of the internet for foreign language learning and teaching. I have specialized in  L2 writing and speaking for academic purposes and the focus of my interest is the use of stylistic devices in speaking and writing tasks in L2 and the integration of academic skills and L2 learning.  

Courses

Inleiding Italianistiek
Taalverwerving Italiaans I - Receptieve vaardigheden
Taalverwerving  Italiaans II - Receptieve vaardigheden en vocabulaire
Taalverwerving Italiaans III - Productieve vaardigheden
Taalverwerving Italiaans IV - Grammatica voor gevorderden
Taalverwerving Italiaans VI - Redigeren van teksten
Taalverwerving Italiaans VIII - Essay schrijven, presentaties houden
Taalverwerving Italiaans IX - Academisch schrijven en presenteren (from 2005 to 2011)

Research

I started my Ph.D. at the Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication (ACLC) in January 2012 under the supervision of  Prof. Dr. Jan H. Hulstijn and Prof. Dr. Olga Fischer. I am a member of the CASLA research group and connected to the research group on Iconicity.
Project title : Metaphor in academic discourse: a study of metaphoric language and L2 learning.
Summary:   Metaphors are pervasive in both spoken and written language and in both literary and non-literary genres and registers; they can fulfill different functions, for example to inform, to persuade, or to elucidate. The goal of the project is to uncover how advanced L2 speakers learn to process and use metaphoric language in academic discourse. The research is both empirical ( with a corpus-based study of metaphorical language in argumentative and academic discourse in Dutch and Italian and  an evidence-based study of the processing and learning of metaphorical language in L2)  and  theoretical (with linguistic analysis of the data on the basis of theoretical models)The results of a quantitative corpus analysis and classification of linguistic metaphors - integrated with findings from cognitive linguistic research - will be the starting point of an evidence-based study of howL2 learners process and memorize metaphorical language. This evidence-based study will include suggestions for the practice of second language learning and teaching for advanced learners and for academic purposes.

Publications (academic)

Boas,  A.M., Materassi, E.  T2: recursiviteit en taakgerichtheid. Uitgangspunten voor de programmering van schrijfvaardigheidsonderwijs. In Kijk op schrijven in T1 en T2 , Toegepaste Taalwetenschap in artikelen, 72, nummer 2, 47-53, 2004
 
Boas A.M., Materassi, E., Scrittura e interazione nella classe di italiano L2. In Bart van den Bossche, Michel Bastiaensen, Corinna Salvadori Lonergan & Stanislaw Widlek (Eds.), Italia e Europa: Dalla cultura nazionale all'interculturalismo , Atti del XVI Congresso dell'AIPI, Cracovia 26-29 agosto 2004, Civiltà italiana, Nuova serie 4-2006, volume primo (pp. 241-248). Firenze: Franco Cesati Editore.

Publications (professional)

A. Blok-Boas, Elisabetta Materassi,  Ineke Vedder, Letture in corso 1 ,  Bonacci, Roma, 2004
A. Blok-Boas, Elisabetta Materassi,  Ineke Vedder, Letture in corso 2 , Bonacci, Roma, 2005

ICT projects

Parola (online material: Italian vocabulary)
In Ascolto (online material for listening to academic language)
Grammatica Italiaans (online material for learning Italian grammar)
Eurotandem Trieste- Amsterdam (tandem learning exchange with students of the University of Trieste)
Humoz Italiaans
Webclass light Italiaans

Other activities

Tutor for 1st year Italian students
Contact person internationalisation for Italian students