Italian studies
Dora Bonaventura, MA
In person, online, for credits
In person, online, for credits
Testimonials
Comments from our students. We appreciate your feedback!
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12 Comments
Dora makes learning Italian fun in a comfortable and accepting environment. She is a native Italian so not only do you learn Italian grammar but also the current vernacular and idioms. Because Dora has enthusiasm for her native language, culture and teaching, each lesson is entertaining as well as informative. One class was even devoted to Italian gestures; we managed to understand each other without saying a word.
I was a beginning student with Dora only a few years ago and recently had the opportunity to put my conversational skills to the test during a two-week vacation in Italy. Thanks to Dora?s tutelage, I managed shopping, hotels and restaurants with a minimum amount of help from my trusty dictionary.
Now I?m hoping to improve my conversational skills, with fellow students, during our weekly Skype sessions with Dora.
Learning Italian was on my bucket list. I was scared to go 'back to school' but I made myself sign up. I'm so happy I did. Dora is amazing; funny, entertaining and I can actually read and speak a little Italian. She creates a nonjudgmental environment where it's ok to try and ok to mess up. I think I've enjoyed my awkward moments the most! You'll get a well-rounded experience with games, memorization, videos, music and conversation. And, because she's from Italy, she brings that wonderful culture into the classroom. I highly recommend Dora's class for anyone who is even just a little interested in learning the language.
Professoressa Dora has a very supportive and encouraging style. Each class has varied activities with plenty of repetition and opportunities to use what we've learned in conversation. Because she has lived in Italy, her knowledge of the culture and language usage enrich the course. Her love for teaching is evident by the joy she brings to each class. It has been fun and a wonderful way to learn!
My husband and I are taking the beginning conversation class and we have just two classes left. We are hoping to continue in January, as it's been a really nice experience. Our teacher makes the demanding task of learning a new language FUN. She keeps it moving along and challenging and at the same time filled with feelings of success and progress. If our dream of going to Italy comes true, we'll be much better able to communicate!
I began to study Italian because I planned a trip to Italy/Sicily to visit my Italian relatives. My relatives in Sicily live in a tiny hill town about 40 miles west of Mount Etna. Needless to say they and almost everyone else in the town speak little or no English. My other relatives live in the north about 30 miles from Venice and still others live near Bergamo, Italy. They also spoke very little to no English.
I tried going to a community group, self study books, tapes, and computer programs including The Rosetta Stone.
They helped a little but to both speak and understand Italian I needed the structure and discipline that only having a professional teacher can bring. I began with Dora at BCC and have continued with her Monday night group. This April I traveled to Aidone, Sicily and spent a month, during the Easter celebrations, and then to Portograuro, Italy for another month before moving on to Bergamo. I successfully talked with and understood my relatives, their friends and friends that I made on the trip, shopped and traveled by car without difficulty. If you are serious about learning Italian, Dora's class is absolutely, positively, 100 percent the way to go.
This January I am completing one year of studying with Dora at BCC on Thursday evenings and I can honestly say that I feel very confident in my abilities to understand, read and recognize most of what I hear and read. These classes have been most enlightening, enjoyable and I have really come a long way. Dora is an excellent teacher and she amazes me with what we are all learning from her-we are all constantly surprised by what we are getting out of these classes. She is able to teach us, sometimes in spite of ourselves! And even when we think we are not getting it and have troppo domandi, she is ever patient and kind. Thanks for making my learning experience so informative and always so much fun, I will continue to drive from Titusville every week to attend your classes-grazie, bella!
Dora's class is very enjoyable, and interactive. It is not just sitting in a classroom and listen.She makes great efforts for you to loose your fear of talking in a foreing language, and give you the confidence that you need to be able to communicate with people of that language native speakers. It is a great way to learn.Thank you Dora , your classes have help me tremendously on my travels to Italy.
Ciao
I have been taking classes with Dora for about 2 years now. I started at BCC and now take evening lessons with a small group of students. I had tried Rosetta Stone, Italian for Dummies and Pimsleur's 30 lesson CD set. Rosetta Stone was very frustrating for me since there is no translation. The CDs worked well, but they only taught me the words and sentences that they asked me to repeat! I wasn't able to create sentences, learn the different verb tenses or even learn new vocabulary and how to use it. Dora's classes changed all that. Dora's teaching method employs many different tools (CDs, conversation, workbooks, etc) so that what I learned was repeated in different ways. That enabled me to really understand what I was saying and why I was saying it, rather than just imitating what I heard. The homework is equally diverse so that I can apply what I have learned to accomplish a variety of tasks. I am a bit shy, but Dora encourages me to speak only in Italian during class which has boosted my confidence a great deal! I was able to communicate in Italian when I visited Italy after just 9 months, but I am really looking forward to next year when I can the skills I have now!
I started out with Dora's classes at BCC and continued with the evening classes. Last year I also took her review class at BCC. First of all, she is a very gifted teacher- always interesting, well-organized, and full of ideas to get people to talk. I have improved a great deal and the last time I was in Italy I was able to not only order, take the bus, ask for directions but most importantly to engage in conversations. I feel that I am very lucky to have her as a teacher because she is a real Italian! . Brava! Carole Paul
Dora's Italian classes helped to improve my confidence and understanding in speaking Italian. My wife and I went to Italy this summer, and it was so enjoyable to be able to speak and communicate effectively in Italian. Dora's teaching style provides the right mix of Italian grammar, history, geography, and student interaction that makes you want to return to her class each week! Grazie Dora!
I can’t say enough about Dora and her Italian classes! I was frustrated trying to learn Italian using CDs, so I was very excited to try the classroom environment. Dora didn’t disappoint! Her method of reading, writing, listening, speaking, interaction, repetition, and constant review really works, and I’m amazed at how much progress I’ve made in so short a time. The textbook, workbook, handouts, visual and audio aids—even games!—keep the classes fun and challenging. And Dora’s patience and encouragement are the reason I keep coming back for every class! I can’t wait to put my new language skills to the test on my Italian vacation!
Actually, Dora, I should write a testimonial. I went to Italy in July, having attended Dora's classes for only a few months. I was amazed (as where my companions - and thankful) at the level at which I was able to speak. I was able to order for everyone in restaurants that had no written menus; navigate the markets and talk to the vendors; and ask for directions (tutto diritto - just like Dora said!). It was very exciting and liberating to communicate with people. I'm really looking forward to next year's trip now that we've learned to speak in the past (and maybe we'll know the imperfect and future by next July - there'll be no stopping me!) and expanded our grammar further. Thanks, Dora, for making my trip to Italy extra special!:D
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