Francesca Follone-Montgomery

Francesca Follone-Montgomery is a Lecturer in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Tennessee. Born in Firenze, Italy, and naturalized as an American citizen in 2005, she has taught Italian language and culture in the U.S. since 1999, transitioning from part-time to full-time faculty in 2018. Her work integrates performance-based pedagogy, including directing student plays inspired by Commedia dell’Arte, co-organizing interdepartmental events, and designing bilingual educational materials.

• Education: Master of Social Work (Catholic University of America, 2005); Master of Arts in Italian Language and Literature with double honors (Università degli Studi di Firenze, 1996); Certificates in Artistic Education (1997) and TEFL (2022).

Francesca's research and teaching emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to language education, blending performing arts, cultural immersion, and bilingual literacy. She has written and directed student performances, including Arlecchino a UT (2014) and A.M.I.C.I. (2019), and led community-building initiatives like the MFLL Soccer Tournament victory (2018). Her publications include a bilingual essay on George Gershwin's opera Blue Monday (1997) and a series of English-Italian children’s books: The Journey, The Plan, and The Song. She is currently drafting an online course for Italian pronunciation and reading skills.