- between New Zealand and Germany, between culture and climate -
The "Brückenbau" teaching materials are part of a Goethe-Institut project for schools in New Zealand. The materials were created according to the CLIL approach. This stands for "Content and Language Integrated Learning" and means that foreign language learning is taught in combination with other subject content. The outcome of this project is aimed at German learners, but can be also used by teachers of other subjects including science.
After Dave Lowe personally visited several schools and inspired many German classes, this project will make the teaching material available to all teachers and students. The following teaching materials use practical examples to show students the role of nature, science, language learning, sport and music in the life of the German-speaking New Zealander Dave Lowe. They are divided into seven chapters, which are listed below. Each chapter has a different focus. They can be used in conjunction with one another or separately.
The Building Bridges team consists of Dave Lowe, Judith Geare and Rod Prosser. Dave Lowe was the New Zealand-Germany Science Co-ordinator from 2012 to 2018. He studied and completed his PhD in Germany and was involved in a variety of New Zealand-German collaborations from Intercoast to robotics. Dave speaks very good German and was able to complete his doctorate in atmospheric chemistry in Cologne. He has made it his lifelong mission to measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Judith Geare is a trained secondary school teacher of languages and mathematics. She studied in Dunedin, Trier and Vienna and taught at schools in Oamaru, Christchurch and Auckland before moving to Wellington to work at the Goethe-Institut. There she headed the German Language Department, which runs German classes and supports the teaching and learning of German at all levels throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand. In retirement she has continued to teach German to adults and teenagers, and is delighted to be part of the project.
Rod Prosser co-founded Vanguard Films (1978) and Community Media Trust, with Russell Campbell and Alister Barry. He has had a long association with Germany as a filmmaker, beginning in 1985 with Islands of the Empire, a film he made for Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln (WDR) about geopolitics in the Pacific. From then until 2003 he based himself mainly in Germany, shooting political and environmental documentaries around the globe. Back home in Aotearoa, Rod continues to work internationally on solidarity projects, especially involving Germany and Philippines, with a focus on indigenous cultures and the environment.
