Intercomprehension and Inclusive Teaching in Primary School

Abstract

A teaching experience aimed at spreading an inclusive-oriented approach to intercomprehension (or IC) in primary schools is described and discussed in this article. In detail, its goal is to monitor listening comprehension and meaning recognition of Italian-speaking students (68 pupils) in two foreign Romance languages, while testing accessible learning materials, adapted for the needs of dyslexic children. In order to accomplish this goal, the story Tommaso e l’anguria by Mauro Scarpa (2019) is presented in Spanish and French, supported by images in kamishibai format, and children are asked to express their metacognitive knowledge about listening in L2. Data analysis is based on two post-listening monitoring activities and is primarily quantitative. Results show that the young learners understood the global meaning of the story; moreover, they recognised the meaning of more than 50% of the words in Spanish, while in French the percentage was lower. Although the young learner with dyslexia successfully completed all pedagogical tasks, results show that some graphic changes in the paper lexical recognition test are required. The analysis thus confirms the inclusive potential of the intercomprehension-based approach based on the development of L2 oral skills in primary school.