Task Based Language Teaching and the grammar-discourse interface: Teaching passives and left dislocation in L2 Italian

The present work illustrates an applied example of task-based teaching intervention for L2 Italian, presenting an experimentation conducted among a group of six learners at the advanced level. The pedagogical intervention is realised as a grammar module focused on passives and left-dislocation. It was designed after systematic observation of the learners’ language competence. The paper shows how even certain complex aspects of Italian grammar may be taught using TBLT: the advantage here is that the focus on grammatical form is presented to students after they have attempted to use the linguistic resources at their disposal to achieve an extralinguistic goal, thus enhancing a more effective learning.