Unterrichtspraxis-Teaching German最新文献

The lack of consensus about gender-inclusive language (GIL) in German poses growing challenges for English-speaking German as a foreign language (L2 German) students and instructors. Whereas students often struggle to convey the same gender sensitivity that is generally available in English into their second language (L2), instructors are equally under-resourced about how to instruct students about various GIL discourses. This article provides a praxis-oriented solution to begin to remedy the growing disparity in North American L2 German classrooms. It first highlights general issues surrounding GIL in the L2 German classroom, such as the generic masculine form and the lack of consensus about gender stars, colons, and pair forms among native speakers. It then suggests three guidelines for the instructor to support GIL in the classroom: (i) to rely on authentic materials, (ii) to design the class as a “language problem” that students solve, and (iii) to provide the learner with scaffolded, inductive support. Last, it provides a sample lesson that applies the three guidelines, which can serve as a basis for other German lessons that aim to teach GIL, as well as to provide support for other inclusive lessons for L2 classrooms that work within the framework of highly gendered languages.

In the United States, numerous world language programs face criticism by being labeled as useless and inferior, resulting in curriculum and funding cuts. Despite defending their practicality, showing how vital skills are acquired through participation in these courses, many programs’ efforts often fall short in conveying the essential role of world language education to students. Similarly, transgender and non-binary students are under attack as seen with anti-LGBTQ+ curriculum laws. Studies show that emphasizing student-driven curriculum, which prioritizes student interests and needs, allows students to interact with and utilize materials on topics that matter to them. German courses can establish a safe and inclusive environment for transgender and non-binary students by showing how supporting gender identity manifests linguistically and culturally in German-speaking countries. This approach illustrates the connection between the language and culture as well as to a crucial aspect of their identity, resulting in a reciprocal investment between students and the world language. Just as world language programs strive to justify their societal worth, recognizing and supporting trans and non-binary students in the classroom is integral, not only for justifying world language's importance and improving enrollment but for creating an inclusive and comprehensive learning environment for all students.

This article focuses on the multimodal support of L2 education when learners visit extracurricular learning sites. As part of a design-based research project, a team of students, cooperative partners, and the researcher developed an educational game using Actionbound to enhance on-site cultural and language education. The aim of this paper is to document and analyze the multimodal interplay between the context and the behavior of B1-level L2 German language learners, as guided by digital stimuli during a scavenger hunt. The analysis of the multimodal interplay offers insight into the potential for culturally and linguistically adapted learning support. A corpus of video, photo, and audio recordings is utilized to analyze the multimodal interaction of L2 learners (n = 7; July 2024) as they engaged with the application. The case study of one learning group (n = 3; aged 15, 16, and 17 years) at the secondary school level illustrates how the context of the combined virtual and physical sites is perceived by the learners and to what extent the tasks within this context contribute to linguistic and cultural learning.

Second language acquisition (SLA) research emphasizes the role of imagination in language learning, with learners often envisioning themselves engaging with native speakers. However, learners’ language preferences may differ from those of native-speaker communities. For example, while regional language is used in native-speaker communities to express identity and group affiliation, L2 learners may overlook its social importance. This exploratory study examined how sojourning L2 learners (n = 8) perceived the use of so-called “standard language” when directed at them by their German native-speaker peers at three timepoints during their sojourn. Results from Wilcoxon signed-rank tests showed no significant differences in sojourners’ preference toward standard language. To deepen the interpretation of results, qualitative data explored a shift in the directionality of sojourners’ average perception under the dimension related to their L2 German proficiency. Taken together, these findings suggest learners’ preferences may challenge conventions present in native-speaker communities as well as the goal of speaking “like a native speaker.” Implications emphasize the need for learners to critically reflect on classroom language versus real-world use, which in turn, also encourages students to develop realistic expectations, value diverse linguistic identities, and ultimately reduces pressure to conform to native-speaker norms.

This article explores how soccer can be used as a lens to teach about German history, culture, and society. I outline three sample modules for an advanced German course at the high school or college level: The first module focuses on soccer in German history, the second on sexism and LGBTQ-related topics in soccer, and the third on soccer and racism. I present a variety of authentic materials for the German classroom, ranging from songs and short articles to documentaries, feature films, and books. This article is theoretically motivated by the interaction approach, which emphasizes the importance of input, interaction, and output for successful second language acquisition. I discuss how educators can create a language-rich environment through authentic soccer-related materials, and I demonstrate how these materials can be used to design class activities and assessments that promote interaction, discussion, and output in the German classroom.