Teaching

English Language Teaching Didactics – Considerations for an Agenda 2020

1. The Lower Saxony strategic plan to abolish the difference in study time between future grammar school teachers of English and teachers for Realschule, Hauptschule, Gesamtschule, Oberschule and Grundschule (i.e. to create a 2 year Master of Education for the latter) will hopefully lead to their deepened insight into teaching and learning processes. More diagnostic skills can be acquired. Teachers need such skills to develop learning plans for heterogeneous classes. Students will have more time to observe and actively intervene in particular learning situation.
2. In German as well as European foreign language teaching didactics there has been a marked focus on structural thinking and assessment. Competence levels and standards have been developed and described, types of assessment been researched and analysed (Portfolios, DESI, Vergleichsaufgaben, CEFR, Bildungsstandards for the end of the secondary I level and recently for the Abitur level). One keyword in this context is “output orientation”. Regular formative and summative assessment based on transparent and comparable competence level descriptions will hopefully lead to better achievements.
3. However: Considering the overarching educational principles of English language teaching in the 21^st century (i.e. education for peace and education for sustainable living) a renewed look at topics (Inhaltsorientierung) and explanation formats seems to be necessary.
4. The subject  English and the didactics of teaching English as a foreign language can play a special part as regards Umweltbildung/ecoliteracy/renewable energies.  It is a language of international communication, it is the medium of much music listened to by teenagers, it is the top international language of science. Communicating, simplifying, transfer processes, hermeneutic interpretation of comprehension processes of laymen, the role of word and text vis a vis infographics and direct contact with the phenomena can be studied.
5. As far as teaching English/ a foreign language to children is concerned, the following dimensions are important in training:

• knowledge about language acquisition, insight into selected recent research and an interest in research methods
• making use of autobiographical experiences with languages, travelling, interculturality in class, e.g. via storytelling
• a political attitude, i.e. interest in future-oriented topics, topics of sustainability, and how to transfer them into various program types of English teaching (regular, CLIL, immersion-type)
• knowledge of, and active attempts at trying out diagnostic activities
• appreciation of learners with a multilingual background
• higher expectations as regards the possible learning achievements of foreign language teaching in primary school
• a more structural  teaching approach, especially to benefit slow learners, more explicit instruction and language awareness than has been the case since the early 1990s.

• Approaching the Third World.  (mit/with Hans Hunfeld und/and Ben Mwaura). München: BSV 1998.
• Dokumentations-Video Faszination Sprachenlernen. [Documentary about intensified early foreign language learning in Saxony]. Radebeul 2002. (Konzeption des Videos und Begleitbroschüre, camera and cutter: Harald Schluttig]
• “Faszination Sprachenlernen.” Ein Multimedia Kurs für Aus- und Fortbildung im Bereich Fremdsprachen-Frühbeginn. [The fascination of learning a foreign language. A multi-media training course for university training and in-service training] 2003/2004. Team members: Karin Bothe, Dipl.Päd. Heidemarie Bothe, Dr. Isabel Kobus, Ursula Bader, M.Ed., Dipl.-Des. Gabi Schluttig, Ulrich Wolf (Programming).
• Internet-Unterrichtseinheiten für Klasse 4-6 auf der Website des Westermann Verlags [internet teaching units]
   
  1. Tea-bags;
  2. The story behind Santa Claus;
  3. Europa nostra - Comenius;
  4. Aspects of Ghana;
  5. Language detectives: walking in the city, looking into kitchen cupboards.
  6. Polar Regions (mit Ursula Bader). Braunschweig 2002, 2003.
• I am learning English. Ich lerne Niederländisch. Ik leer duits. Dreisprachiges Lernheft. 2005. Mit P. Trapp und T. Becker. Design: A.-L. Janssen. Braunschweig 2005
• www.interkulturelleslernen.eu  (webportal, R & D ELAN 2 Teilprojekt, Mittel des Wissenschaftsministeriums Niedersachsen ). 2005 ff.
• Wortschatztest. Englisch in der Grundschule. Teil 1: Klasse 3. Langenscheidt: München. Mit P. Edelenbos. 2008
• Wortschatztest. Englisch in der Grundschule. Teil 2: Klasse 4. Langenscheidt: München. Mit P. Edelenbos. 2008
• Englisch. Klasse 3. Schülerbuch. München: Langenscheidt 2008 (mit Adelheid Kierepka, Paulene Grabenkamp-Frayne & Werner Kieweg).
• Englisch. Klasse 4. Schülerbuch. München: Langenscheidt 2008. (mit Adelheid Kierepka, Paulene Grabenkamp-Frayne & Werner Kieweg).
• Englisch. Klasse 3. Lehrerband – Einführung. München: Langenscheidt, 2008.

2012: Guidance: Material development project: Multilingual language and culture brochures for adult absolute beginners of German, created by groups of students in the seminar Intercultural Learning and Intercultural Communication.

• In-Service Training:
  For teachers in Lower Saxony, other regions of Germany, and international (e.g. France, Brazil, Belorus, Turkey, Netherlands, Greece)
• the study written for the European Commission 2006 was a key document which reached educational institutions across the EU
• publications for parents

Consultancy

Schools, Ministries of Education