Joe Alvaro

Joe’s parents were born in Italy and migrated to Australia in the 1960s. He is not only fluent in standard Italian but also speaks Calabrese – the dialect spoken in the fascinating Italian region, Calabria.  

Joe's formal studies of the Italian language were undertaken at school and then at The University of Sydney’s Department of Italian as part of his Bachelor of Education degree. He has also completed the Refresher Course for Teachers of Italian Abroad at the Università Per Stranieri, Perugia in Italy. 

This is Joe’s 28th year as a professional educator, so he has a deep well of experience to draw on. Joe began teaching Italian to adults at the Sydney Community College in 1997 and has also taught Certificate courses in Italian to adults at TAFE, NSW. He thoroughly enjoys sharing with his students the intellectual, social and personal benefits of learning a foreign language that is dear to his heart. Joe has family members who live in Italy and has travelled to the country on a number of occasions. He was a Language Specialist – Interpreter (Italian) at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. 

Joe uses a communicative approach to language teaching and learning, one that goes beyond staged drills and exercises and actually encourages the use of the language in realistic situations. He takes advantage of a variety of teaching and learning strategies that cater for different learning styles. Language mistakes are seen as normal; in fact, they form an important learning tool. Joe encourages his students to enjoy their language-learning journey and to celebrate each small step forward. He believes that “packing” some Italian language skills before a trip to Italy will make the experience more rewarding and interesting.