German Teacher Conferences are held every year in India in various parts of the country. German teachers from schools, universities, colleges and other institutions meet to update their knowledge of foreign language teaching methodology as also their knowledge of the culture and civilization of German speaking countries.
These conferences are organised by the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with the Indian German Teachers' Association InDaF.
Goethe-Institut in cooperation with the Indian German Teachers' Association InDaF organised a conference for German teachers from North India and Nepal at the end of August with the motto "Schule. German. Profession".
The focus of this conference was "Vocational Education".
WHERE?: Online (Zoom) WHEN?: From 27.08.2021 to 29.08.2021
More about this conference:
Vocational education is nowadays an integral part of language teaching, as professional careers are often the impetus and goal of the decision to learn a language. Of course, this also applies to the cosmos of the German language, since Germany and the German language open up a wide range of career opportunities. That's why this year's German Teachers' Conference will focus on the topic of "Vocational Education".
From 27.08.2021 to 29.08.2021, our experienced speakers explored different professions with the German teachers in workshops, lectures and discussions, talk about innovative digital teaching, present new textbooks and invited them to exchange ideas with their colleagues.
Subject expert:
My name is Akshita Dhamija and I am a German teacher by profession. I have always been fascinated by languages and I commenced my journey with this beautiful language, namely German, right at school level, where my amazing teachers set an example for me and motivated me to continue the same even after school. I completed the language courses from the Goethe-Institut along with my university degree, and decided to convert my passion into my profession. To begin with, I taught German at my alma mater for two years and have recently decided to work independently while completing the Grünes Diploma from Goethe-Institut. My yet another hope and dream is to be able to travel to Germany soon and experience the culture and people that I have till now learnt through the lens of the language.
Subject expert:
Gerlinde Kempendorff-Hoene studied German and music at the Humboldt University in Berlin and, after a short time in popular education, went freelance in 1982 after further studies in singing/acting/professional speaking at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music. As a singer, cabaret artist and presenter, she has been on the road for decades on large and small stages, but has also always been active in teaching (for 30 years at the University of the Arts and the Universities of Potsdam and Münster). In 2010, she received her doctorate from the UdK Berlin on the topic of key competences and their interdisciplinary significance in everyday communication. Since then she has been on the road as a rhetoric coach in ministries, administrations, institutes and schools on the subject of "Communication made easy!". In 2012 she founded her own Institute for Communication and Culture KIKK: www.sprechkultur-kikk.de
Workshop description:
In view of the developments in machine translation (MT) and artificial intelligence (AI), the workshop first addresses some fundamental issues of the practice of translation and interpretation, focusing on them as professional activities as opposed to the use of translation in foreign language teaching.
Translation is never the substitution of signs in language A by those in language B and consequently language proficiency alone does not suffice. Translators, ultimately, are professional text producers and therefore, as in any other profession, require training and a recognised degree. The relevant skills and core competencies will be briefly touched upon, including the use of computer tools. The workshop will also present concrete examples of job situations and what constitutes good quality translation and interpretation. In this context, the current shortcomings of AI shall be briefly highlighted.
Chitra Harshvardhan:
Chitra Harshvardhan is a professor at the Centre of German Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, where her specialisation is translation theory and interpretation. Her research interests and publications include globalisation, transculturation and identity as well as power relations in translation. She has also worked as a translator and conference interpreter.
Anya Malhotra:
Anya Malhotra is a freelance translator and conference interpreter and currently the only member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC) in India. She interprets at high-level government meetings, international conferences as well as for the business and social sector in her three languages: English, German and Hindi. As a translator, her work spans a wide range from literature and technical texts to environmental and economic research. Anya has also translated books, short stories, essays and poems by several German-language writers.
Subject expert:
Dr. Shruti Jain is an Associate Professor at the Global Languages Centre, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India. She completed her PhD at the Centre of German Studies, JNU, New Delhi. In her dissertation she dealt with the Indian reception of Friedrich Nietzsche. Her areas of interest are literary theory, German literary history and German-Indian cultural encounters. As a DAAD scholarship holder, she attended the Humboldt University of Berlin as a doctoral candidate from 2007 to 2008.
Dr. Jain has been working as a Teacher of German as a Foreign Language since 2002. She completed her German teacher training at Max Mueller Bhavan, Pune and at the Goethe Institutes, Berlin and Munich. She taught German for a long time at Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi. She has published a few articles on topics related to Teaching German as a Foreign Language and has co-authored the material for the IGNOU distance course DTG (Diploma in Teaching German as a Foreign Language).
Subject expert:
Born and brought up in Mumbai, I completed my Masters in German Studies at the Mumbai University. Since 2002 I have been working at the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi as a German teacher and trainer and from 2010 also as an online tutor.
As a language teacher, one never stops learning and one’s teaching practice is enriched with every new encounter, modality and teaching approach. This perpetual enhancement of my skills and knowledge through an exchange with my students as well as colleagues is what fascinates me the most.
Subject expert:
Tista Nayak teaches German at the Goethe Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan and has several years of experience as a school teacher in DaF/ DaZ. She holds a Masters in Interpreting and Translation from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.
Workshop description:
The theme of our workshop is reunification and its history. This topic not only achieves the objective of cultural learning, i.e.conveying facts about the divided Germany, the border and its guarding, getting closer to the life of the GDR citizens, high standard of living in the FRG, various personalities, different perspectives on the fall of the Berlin wall, but there is also a lot of emphasis on the learning the grammatical topic (Präteritum). The material such as pictures, puzzles or reading text will be distributed in groups. Afterwards each group shall make a small presentation.
Surpreet Kaur: After a German teacher training at the Goethe Institute, Supreet Kaur has been teaching German as a foreign language since 2006. She also gained experience as teacher for German as a Foreign Language in companies, Punjabi University, Patiala, KV School, Patiala. Since she finished her training as a multiplier, she has been conducting workshops for DaF teachers. Currently she is teaching in her own institute, German Linguistics in Patiala.
Workshop | Subject Experts | 28.08.2021, 14:00-15:00 IST
Subject expert:
Marion Grein is head of the Master's programme DaF / DaZ at the University of Mainz. Her work focuses on language teaching research (neurodidactics), intercultural communication and digital teaching. Currently she is researching - besides the field of interculturality (with a multicollectivist approach) - digital teaching with a focus on non-digital activities in the digital space as well as the use of EduApps. She is active in numerous committees and is, among other things, the first chairperson of the advisory board for languages of the Goethe-Institut.
Subject expert:
Gerlinde Kempendorff-Hoene studied German and music at the Humboldt University in Berlin and, after a short time in popular education, went freelance in 1982 after further studies in singing/acting/professional speaking at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music. As a singer, cabaret artist and presenter, she has been on the road for decades on large and small stages, but has also always been active in teaching (for 30 years at the University of the Arts and the Universities of Potsdam and Münster). In 2010, she received her doctorate from the UdK Berlin on the topic of key competences and their interdisciplinary significance in everyday communication. Since then she has been on the road as a rhetoric coach in ministries, administrations, institutes and schools on the subject of "Communication made easy!". In 2012 she founded her own Institute for Communication and Culture KIKK: www.sprechkultur-kikk.de
Subject expert:
She is from Idar -Oberstein, Germany. Her multifaceted work includes teaching children, youth and adults at the Goethe-Institut Chennai - India, as well as working as an author and methodological didactic consultant. She has contributed to Hallo Deutsch teachers' handouts, Prima Los geht's and Prima aktiv mit, among others. She is also a multiplier in further education and digital teaching. She is also known for her differentiated workshops, intercultural seminars and concept development, as well as for her work as a Cornelsen consultant for India. Her motto: What is to have an effect on the heart must come from the heart. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Subject expert:
Vidya Pingle has been teaching German as foreign language for about 30 years. She has taught at GI Mumbai, two Goethe Centres and four universities, as well as several schools and colleges. She is currently head of language department at the Goethe Centre Coimbatore. She is also a specialist in technical language teaching and a renowned translator & interpreter. Apart from DaF, she is also CELTA qualified from the University of Cambridge and has M.Phil. German Studies from JNU.
Subject expert:
Having obtained her Master’s Degree in Germanistik from The MS University of Baroda, Ms. Mrudula Kaushik has a vast experience in teaching, with having worked at the Goethe-Institutes in Mumbai and Pune as well as the Amity University, Noida before finally joining the Goethe- Institute at Delhi in 2008.
She is currently a Teacher for German as a Foreign Language and Trainer/Multiplier for DLL Courses in Online and Face-to-Face format. Ms. Kaushik is also well-known for her various advanced training courses and workshops for DaF-Teachers on behalf of the German Educational Cooperation. Her latest area of interest is the use of Digital Media in teaching German as Foreign Language.
Workshop description:
In the Workshop 'Wortschatzvermittlung im DaF-Unterricht’, we will learn how to convey the meanings of German words using German language, gestures, body language, sounds, etc. We will learn about different types of exercises, which are already present in books and know our study more closely as before.
Workshop will include 3 phases:
Introduction of the methods
Understanding our course book (Netzwerk and Hallo Deutsch) in term of these methods
Creating apps for teaching vocab on different platforms
We really hope, after this workshop, we will minimize the usage of English, Hindi or any other language in our class.
Sonali Suneja:
I am Sonali Suneja from Chandigarh. Since 2016 I have been teaching German as a foreign language. I have taught German in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Chandigarh, Mt. Carmel, Chandigarh and currently I am a German teacher with a private language institute ‘German Haus’ in Chandigarh. I am pursuing Grünes Diplom with Goethe Institut, New Delhi and have completed a Masters in German studies.
Neeraj Pant:
I am Neeraj Pant from Chandigarh. Since 2016 I have been teaching German as a foreign language. After teaching the German language in school, private language institutes and corporates, I am currently associated with Goethe Zentrum, Coimbatore. I am pursuing Grünes Diplom with Goethe Institut, New Delhi and have completed a Masters in German studies.
Subject expert:
Dr. Prachee Doval-Naithani is an Assistant Professor at Amity University Noida since 2004 and Programme Coordinator of B. A. Hons. German programme. She started her career as a German teacher in 1997 at Apeejay School, Noida and also taught at higher education institutions as part-time faculty, making for a rather long teaching experience of 24 years. She has a bachelor's degree in German from Jawaharlal Nehru University, a master's degree in German Literature from Karnataka University and a second master's degree in English literature. In 2014 she acquired a doctoral degree, in the field of cross-cultural studies, in the domain of Management. Her thesis examined the mindset of diasporic Indians.
She teaches subjects such as German language, literature, culture, history as also world literature and cross-cultural management.
Workshop | Subject Experts | 28.08.2021, 16:00-17:30 IST
Subject expert:
Dr Maria Steinmetz was a teacher of German as a second and foreign language and a lecturer in foreign language didactics at the Institute for Language and Communication at the TU Berlin, specialising in the connection between German as a foreign language teaching and technical communication. She is head of DAAD subject courses in Central Asia, CIS countries and China, publishes and advises universities at home and abroad on the focus of "Subject Language Orientation as a Bridge to Effective German as a foreign language Learning". She is also co-author of the book "Deutsch für Ingenieure"
Subject expert:
Dr. Sebastian Griese studied Modern German Literature, English and Theatre Studies in Berlin and taught at the Goethe-Instituts in Manila, Mumbai and Paris after completing his doctorate. He has taught language courses from A1 to C2 as well as teacher training courses on various topics. He was also a guest lecturer at the Department of German at the University of Mumbai. After returning to Europe, he worked as a translator and returned to India several times as a trainer.
Workshop description:
The textbook will guide learners from the age of 11 with no previous knowledge from level A1 to B1 of the CEFR. “Maximal” focuses on everyday situations and authentic youth language. By means of practical examples you will get to know the main characters Jan, Alicia, Anton, and Lena through practical examples, whose stories from their everyday lives will motivate you to speak from the very beginning. Humorous videos show the world of these characters and train listening-viewing comprehension. On top of that many varied kinds of texts such as emails, apps, and social networks can also be found in “Maximal”. During the workshop, you will get an extended insight into the textbook and many tips for your lessons. We are looking forward to this exchange with you!
Jennifer M. Swanda (Moderator):
Jennifer M. Swanda has been working as a consultant for German as a foreign language abroad at Ernst Klett Sprachen in Stuttgart since September 2016 and is responsible for the regions North Africa, Middle East, and Asia. In addition to her work as a teacher at the Goethe-Institut in Bangalore and on youth courses in Germany from 2009-2016, she was also active in India as a multiplier and nationally as a seminar leader. She also works as a freelance language specialist and translator for English-German (Mercedes Benz R&D, Bangalore).
Subject expert:
Research assistant at the Herder Institute of the University of Leipzig and, in this context, coordination of the Master's programme "DaF im arabisch-deutschen Kontext" in cooperation with a university in Cairo as well as creation of blended learning application scenarios and training materials for the DAAD programme Dhoch3; since 2007, training instructor, among others for the Goethe-Institut - mainly on topics of culture-related learning and the use of digital media in German as a foreign language teaching.
Subject expert:
Angelika Sinn lives and works in Worpswede and Bremen as a freelance author, artist and literary writing consultant. She studied education, literature and cultural studies in Bremen and Frankfurt/Main. She has received prizes and scholarships for her literary work and has participated in international exhibitions with text art. She also conducts writing workshops, advanced training and seminars. She currently has a teaching position for "Creative Writing" at the University of Bremen, among other things.
Subject expert:
Frauke Schweers-Hamp is an experienced DaF teacher, examiner and advanced trainer with many years of experience abroad. She taught German language and culture for three years at the Swiss-German University in Tangerang, Indonesia. She also worked as a teacher and trainer at the Goethe-Institut in Rome and in New Delhi. She has now been living in Germany for a few months. The focus of her training is on creative teaching methods and emotional learning.
Subject expert:
Dr. Shruti Jain is an Associate Professor at the Global Languages Centre, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India. She completed her PhD at the Centre of German Studies, JNU, New Delhi. In her dissertation she dealt with the Indian reception of Friedrich Nietzsche. Her areas of interest are literary theory, German literary history and German-Indian cultural encounters. As a DAAD scholarship holder, she attended the Humboldt University of Berlin as a doctoral candidate from 2007 to 2008.
Dr. Jain has been working as a Teacher of German as a Foreign Language since 2002. She completed her German teacher training at Max Mueller Bhavan, Pune and at the Goethe Institutes, Berlin and Munich. She taught German for a long time at Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi. She has published a few articles on topics related to Teaching German as a Foreign Language and has co-authored the material for the IGNOU distance course DTG (Diploma in Teaching German as a Foreign Language).
Workshop | Subject Experts | 29.08.2021, 10:30-12:00 IST
Subject expert:
Matthias Stähle is a consultant for German as a foreign language in New Delhi. After studying German and geography and an additional degree in educational science at the Ruhr University in Bochum, he worked as a federal programme teacher at the Mercedes-Benz International School in Pune. Subsequently, he was responsible for setting up and coordinating German as a foreign language lessons, as well as the subjects German and geography at the Carl Duisberg Gymnasium in Wuppertal, worked as a DSD examination officer and DSD supervisor for the DSD-Inland in NRW and was part of the DSD Commission NRW. His current work as a technical advisor in New Delhi is to implement DSD Level I and, in the long term, DSD Level II in India and to recruit new PASCH schools nationwide for the ZfA.
Subject expert:
Sabine Dinsel from Munich/Basel * freelance worldwide as DaF trainer in didactics-methodology * author of DaF exercise material * freelance work at the Goethe-Institut: Educational Services at the GI New York, examination development, teacher training * language teacher at home and abroad for many years * doctorate with Prof. Harald Weinrich at the LMU Munich
Subject expert:
Dr. Sebastian Griese studied Modern German Literature, English and Theatre Studies in Berlin and taught at the Goethe-Instituts in Manila, Mumbai and Paris after completing his doctorate. He has taught language courses from A1 to C2 as well as teacher training courses on various topics. He was also a guest lecturer at the Department of German at the University of Mumbai. After returning to Europe, he worked as a translator and returned to India several times as a trainer.
Subject expert:
Vidya Pingle has been teaching German as foreign language for about 30 years. She has taught at GI Mumbai, two Goethe Centres and four universities, as well as several schools and colleges. She is currently head of language department at the Goethe Centre Coimbatore. She is also a specialist in technical language teaching and a renowned translator & interpreter. Apart from DaF, she is also CELTA qualified from the University of Cambridge and has M.Phil. German Studies from JNU.
Subject expert:
Dr. Shruti Jain is an Associate Professor at the Global Languages Centre, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India. She completed her PhD at the Centre of German Studies, JNU, New Delhi. In her dissertation she dealt with the Indian reception of Friedrich Nietzsche. Her areas of interest are literary theory, German literary history and German-Indian cultural encounters. As a DAAD scholarship holder, she attended the Humboldt University of Berlin as a doctoral candidate from 2007 to 2008.
Dr. Jain has been working as a Teacher of German as a Foreign Language since 2002. She completed her German teacher training at Max Mueller Bhavan, Pune and at the Goethe Institutes, Berlin and Munich. She taught German for a long time at Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi. She has published a few articles on topics related to Teaching German as a Foreign Language and has co-authored the material for the IGNOU distance course DTG (Diploma in Teaching German as a Foreign Language).
Subject expert:
Rupali Deep has been working as a German trainer since 2019 and is also an expert in methodology and didactics in lesson planning, which she practically demonstrates to participants in her webinars.
Subject expert:
Frauke Schweers-Hamp is an experienced DaF teacher, examiner and advanced trainer with many years of experience abroad. She taught German language and culture for three years at the Swiss-German University in Tangerang, Indonesia. She also worked as a teacher and trainer at the Goethe-Institut in Rome and in New Delhi. She has now been living in Germany for a few months. The focus of her training is on creative teaching methods and emotional learning.