Seminars and Workshops for German teachers

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Upcoming Events

Stay tuned for new seminar and workshop dates!

Past events

GEMs Workshop "Teaching Culture"

Date: Saturday, 01/21/2023
Time: 9:00am - 2:30pm
Location: Goethe-Institut Chicago

Speaker: Jasmin Root-Joswig (German Educational Multiplier)
Cost: $20.00

This interactive workshop focuses on holidays celebrated in German-speaking regions and their deep connections to culture. In addition to well-known holidays, you will learn about other festivals and customs that are unfortunately not included in traditional teaching materials. A special focus will be on how festivals and customs originated, how they are celebrated in different German-speaking regions, and how they have changed over the years!

During the all-day event, teaching ideas on "Teaching Culture" will be discussed and created. A special focus will be on developing innovative teaching ideas and activities for competency-based foreign language instruction. At the end of the day, you will not only take home newly acquired knowledge about festivals and holidays, but also a collection of materials and creative teaching ideas for creating a "culture curriculum"!

The event is part of the GEMs (German Educational Multipliers) Network of Excellence, established by the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and the Goethe-Institut.
 

TEACHER WORKSHOP ON GENDER

A Review of the DAAD Professional Development training 2022

Keynote Speech by Sophie Salvo, Ph.D. (University of Chicago) on the topic: Heterosexual Nouns: The Masculinist Dreams of Nineteenth-Centrury Linguistics

Workshop by Dr. Claire Scott (Vanderbilt University) on the topic: Gendergerechtigkeit und sexuelle Vielfalt im Klassenzimmer: Warum? Und Wie?


Friday, 12/09/2022, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
Saturday, 12/10/2022 9:00am – 3:00pm
Location: Goethe-Institut Chicago (in cooperation with the DAAD)


The training, organised in cooperation with the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), will begin with an opening lecture on the historical theories of grammatical gender in German linguistics. The workshop that follows will then transfer and deepen these insights to the present and to teachers' practical experiences.

We will discuss concrete language variants for representing gender and sexual diversity, and develop strategies for incorporating them into language courses. First, we will approach gender-neutral or non-binary types of language by learning more about linguistic developments, such as (neo-)pronouns and the German concept of "Gendern". Building on this, we look at the relevance of using that language in the classroom itself to make gender equity and sexual diversity visible, acknowledged and promoted.

The goal is for participants to reflect on their institutions and their own roles as teachers, and finally to make diversity-sensitive practices part of their curricula.
 

Saturday, 4. December 2021, 5:30-7:00 PM CT
Racism. Structural Problems Need Structural Solutions - With speaker Natasha A. Kelly

On December 4th speaker Natasha Kelly will give a presentation about rasicm. The Presentation will be streamt via Webinar. You can find more information here.

Fortbildung des Goethe-Instituts Chicago für Deutschlehrkräfte zum Thema: Gendersensibler Deutschunterricht

Referent*innen: Franziska Trepke, Lena Braun
Samstag, 24.09.2022, 9:30 – 14:00 Uhr
Goethe House Milwaukee


In diesem Workshop für Deutschlehrkräfte beschäftigen wir uns mit dem Thema Gendersensibler Deutschunterricht. Angefangen bei der aktuellen Relevanz und einem Überblick über die verschiedenen Varianten einer gendersensiblen Sprache, besprechen wir die Dringlichkeit von inklusiver Sprache im Deutschunterricht als Spiegel derzeitiger Diskurse in Deutschland. Hauptaugenmerk der Fortbildung liegt auf der tiefergehenden Auseinandersetzung und Aufbereitung von Unterrichtsmaterial, welches wir auf kritische Formulierungen und Darstellungen untersuchen und für das wir gendersensible Alternativen erarbeiten. Im Plenum sprechen wir über die Herausforderungen und Chancen, denen Sie in der Umsetzung eines gendersensiblen Deutschunterrichts begegnen, diskutieren offene Fragen und verweisen auf hilfreiches Unterrichtsmaterial.
Bringen Sie gerne Ihr eigenes Unterrichtsmaterial mit, um es gemeinsam zu sichten.
 

Thursday, 10. March 2022, 4:00-5:30 PM CT
Visit PASCHtopia

Experience an adventure while learning German?
Then join us when the Goethe-Institut Chicago invites German teachers to a virtual trip to PASCHtopia, an uninhabited island, on March 10 from 4PM-5:30PM CT. You will get to know the virtual game for your German class and face the challenges of the game with other German teachers during a test round.

Saturday, December 4th 2021, from 10:00AM CT
GEMS Workshop

On December 4th, 2021 GEMs Dr. Berit Jany and Heidi Lechner will conduct an in-person workshop on AATG grants for D-A-CH-L projects at the Goethe-Institut Chicago.
Sign up now!

Against Structural Racism: Anti-racist Teaching as Anti-racist Action

On December 4th-5th, speaker Natasha Kelly will give an in-person seminar on racism at the Goethe-Institut Chicago. Registration is closed.
 

PAST EVENT - ON DEMAND
German election workshops series

The elections in Germany will take place again this fall!
In preparation for this, the Goethe-Institut Chicago organized a virtual multi-part training series for German teachers from the USA. Speakers from Germany presented information on various topics and provided appropriate materials for teaching German.

Find all recordings and additional material here!

PAST EVENT - ON DEMAND
FAQ on Racism in Germany

After the Spring 2021 training series on racism in Germany, the Goethe-Institut invited the speaker Josephine Apraku to another Webinar. In will answer your FAQs in a webinar. In a dialogue with two German teachers from the U.S., she answered your FAQs about the consideration of this topic in German classes. 

Here you can find the recording and additional material!

Thursday, October 21st 2021, 9:00AM-12:00PM CT
Professional Development: Racism, Educational System and Studying in Germany

On October 21st, 2021 a Zoom event for German teachers will take place presented by the German-American Institute. Speakers will include Theresa Fuchs, Language Consultant at the Goethe-Institut Chicago and Susan Feiler, German Teacher at Hayt Elementary School in Chicago.