Abstract:

Language learning is central to the social inclusion pathways of adult migrants. In particular, the composition of the foreign population in Italy and its educational needs introduce important challenges for language education, such as adult literacy and education, which go hand in hand with the learning of communicative competence. In this context, a conversational agent, on mobile devices, can play a significant role of integration between formal and informal learning, leveraging interactivity and flexibility of use. In the contribution, we will illustrate how methodological approaches tailored to the needs of low literate adults have been translated into the functional specifications of a chatbot (CPIAbot) supporting classroom and out-of-class teaching, within the CPIA[1]. The interweaving of specific needs, didactic-methodological approaches and bot architecture will be analysed, highlighting its strengths and critical points in view of a forthcoming experimentation aimed at verifying the effectiveness of CPIAbot in supporting poorly educated migrants in learning Italian L2.   [1] http://www.retecpialiguria.it/

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