The UMass Amherst Bilingual Hub in the College of Education recently hosted an innovative professional development course on translanguaging in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) education for Italian language teachers. 

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Sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the Italian Consulate in Boston – and supported by Massachusetts Italian Teachers Association (MITA) and the American Association of Teachers of Italian (AATI) – the three‑part series combined theory, practice, and collaborative curriculum design.

The program featured guest scholars Carla Bagna of the Università per Stranieri di Siena, and Maria Grazia Sindoni of the Università di Messina. Two sessions were held online via Zoom, while a hands‑on workshop brought educators together in person at the UMass Amherst Charles River Campus in Newton. Participants explored how translanguaging can enrich STEAM learning in Italian language classrooms, culminating in the creation and presentation of multilingual curricular units.

More information about the Bilingual Hub can be found on the College of Education website.