Oberstudienrätin Inga Dwenger

In this course, we will explore what it takes to be an effective English teacher in the diverse landscape of the German school system. On one hand, this journey is deeply personal, as you discover your unique teaching style. On the other hand, it’s guided by a clear framework of proven methods and techniques that will help you navigate the classroom with confidence. Becoming the teacher you aspire to be is not an overnight transformation—it’s a process that unfolds over the course of your Bachelor’s and Master’s studies, and continues as you gain experience beyond university. This is one of the key long-term goals of your academic journey: to develop the most effective way for you to teach English. The starting point of this journey is your portfolio—a tool for self-reflection that you will build on throughout this course, helping you think critically about your identity as a teacher.

Studying ‘Second Language Acquisition’ (SLA) is essential in understanding the fascinating process of how students learn a second language. In the lecture, you will gain an overview of both the established facts and ongoing debates within the field of SLA. The undisputed facts form the foundation of modern English teaching, while the debates in both the lecture and this seminar will encourage you to ask the most important question during your studies: Why? Why do certain methods work, and why do others not? Asking 'why' will guide you in developing your personal approach to teaching.

Since the publication of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment and its adaptation to the Bildungsstandards, language teachers have started to reconsider task orientated approaches and the role of the four skills as well as of mediation in the EFL classroom. In this seminar we will look at definitions of communicative and linguistic competence (competence models like the CEF) and then focus on assessment procedures as used in VERA 8 (Vergleichsarbeiten 8. Klasse) and other standardised tests of proficiency. The focus will be on both receptive and productive skills. We will also look at educational and political consequences of standard setting and centralised testing and portfolio assessment. Students will be introduced to methods of competence-oriented language teaching.

Sessions deal with didactic and methodological issues of teaching English in schools according to the curricula of Lower Saxony. We will especially focus on the teaching matter - lexic/pronunciation and the four skills listening/viewing, reading, speaking and writing - and look at current approaches of planning lessons around that matter.
Da dieses Seminar auf die zweite Ausbildungsphase - den Vorbereitungsdienst - vorbereitet, wird teilweise Deutsch als Unterrichtssprache verwendet.