Deutsch 531: Methods of Teaching German – Linkliste

Note: This is an old page that has only been sporadically updated since about 2008. It is still here just in case any of the information is still useful 🙂

Links specifically related to the syllabus General “German on the Web” Link List
General Language Learning & Teaching Resources
(Finding Email partners etc.)		 Study Abroad And Internship Info
Online German Lessons Specific Teaching Ideas and Resources, and Videos of Sample Classes
Authoring Tools Commercial (and Free) Software, CDs and Apps
Online Resource Centers, Journals, Newsletters Etc Devoted To Language Instruction Organizations
Online Teaching Methods Courses Professional Development
Finding Jobs!

Links specifically related to the syllabus

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General “German on the Web” Link List

General Language Learning & Teaching Resources (Finding Email partners etc.)

Help Finding Email Partners

For students:

  • See the links here.

For teachers:

  • Das transatlantische Klassenzimmer This link takes you directly to “Das Lehrerzimmer,” where you can find partner classes and lots of other useful info. Aging site; may no longer be maintained 🙁

Other Useful Sites

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Study Abroad And Internship Info

These links are in the Study Abroad and Internship Info section of the general 101-326 linklist.

Online German Lessons

A wide variety of such links are in the Online German Lessons section of the general 101-326 linklist.

Specific Teaching Ideas and Resources, and Videos of Sample Classes

  • “GROW”: German Resources on the Web [AATG] Great, user-friendly list of resources organized by topic.
  • Teaching Foreign Languages K-12: A (Video) Library of Classroom Practices Here you can watch videos of 27 classes (and 3 introductory videos) for free (just sign up the first time you want to watch one). The library includes videos of classes in multiple languages including German, all subtitled. Contents, language and grade levels, and the language in which each class is taught are listed on the site. Created by Annenberg/CPB.
  • Culturally Authentic Pictorial Lexicon Awesome image database and “culturally authentic pictorial lexicon” created by Michael Shaughnessy and Jason Parkhill at Washington and Jefferson College. Arranged by categories; within each category, you see a list of German terms, their English translations, and accompanying thumbnail images; click on a thumbnail to see a larger version of the image. You can use the images freely for educational purposes; just cite CAPL@washjeff.edu as the source. You can also contribute pictures and suggested entries to the site.
  • Cultural Interviews with German-Speaking Executives Great collection of interviews on the topic of cultural differences in the workplace, compiled by the University of Texas
  • VAULTT – Video Assistance for Understanding Language Teaching Techniques Compilation of annotated video clips illustrating various teaching techniques, created by CLEAR at MSU

Authoring Tools

  • Hot Potatoes Very popular free software that makes it really easy to make your own web-based multiple choice and checklist exercises, crosswords, clone exercises and more.
  • Quandary From the makers of Hot Potatoes, this tool allows you to create “web-based action mazes,” where students have to choose from a set of options at the end of each screen, and then are directed onto the next screen and given feedback in accordance with their choice.
  • Quizlet For flashcard-based learning. Enter your own cards, or use cards others have made (there’s a lot there already for German). The site generates a variety of study and quiz tools based on each set of cards, including a cute “space race” game.
  • Quia You can create various kinds of games, quizzes, and course webpages, and they will store them on their server indefinitely.  VERY easy to use, but after a 30-day free trial period, you need to pay $49/year to continue using the tool.
  • Moodle Here is the official description: “Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.” Moodle has a much steeper learning curve than the other resources listed here, but also offers many more features.

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Commercial (and Free) Software, CDs and Apps

  • Pimsleur CD-based courses. Basically, the CDs constantly ask the learner to “Say X in German.” Then s/he has a moment to say it, then s/he hears the model answer, then s/he repeats the model answer, then s/he’s asked to say the next thing, etc. Old material is constantly reviewed, and periodically, a new word or phrase is taught, maybe 6-10 per lesson. One half-hour lesson a day is the normal pace. It’s slow, but great at teaching learners to really be able to use what they learn, both in terms of listening and speaking. Pimsleur CDs should be available at any Public Library. The only downside is there’s no written component, so for self-study one would need to use something like Anki flashcards to write down vocabulary and sample sentences that one wants to practice more (see below).
  • Anki flashcards Basically free, except for the iPhone app. The ultimate flashcard site. You can load the app on all your devices and easily sync your progress between devices. Anki uses a spaced repetition algorithm to maximize learning efficiency. It’s easy to customize the app, and easy to add images, audio etc. to the cards.
  • DuoLingo “Learn a language for free. Forever.” Not necessarily very efficient, but constantly being improved, and many students enjoy their game-based approach.
  • Quizlet Lets learners (or teachers) create their own study sets, or find existing ones. Then use the learning tools on the site to study the items in your study set. Note the “Long Term Learning” mode, which uses spaced repetition, and the games “Gravity” and “Scatter.” Free (or upgrade for more features and no ads). Mobile apps are available for Android and iOS.
  • Rosetta Stone: Undoubtedly works for some people. Image-based approach, but the same images are used for all cultures. Tell Me More is significantly cheaper (but still quite expensive). Both offer a wealth of features, but are a challenge to use efficiently.

Online Resource Centers, Journals, Newsletters Etc. Devoted To Language Instruction

Resource Collections and Resource Centers

  • The Center for Language Education And Research (CLEAR) at Michigan State University The Center for Language Education And Research (CLEAR) at Michigan State University was established in 1996 as a Language Resource Center (LRC) through a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education. As an LRC, CLEAR strives to promote and support the teaching and learning of foreign languages in the United States through its various projects and outreach activities.
  • The National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC) The National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC) is a joint project of Georgetown University (GU), The George Washington University (GWU), and the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). The NCLRC is one of
    the Language Resource Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education, whose mission is to improve and strengthen the nation’s capacity to teach and learn foreign languages. See the link below under “Online Journals and Newsletters” to the NCLRC Language Resource Archives.
  • Lingu@net Europa A searchable database of resources for language teaching, subdivided for each language into “Fremdsprachenunterricht allgemein” and “berufsbezogener Fremdsprachenunterricht.” Offers resources under the headings “Lehr- und Lernmaterial,” “Nachschlagewerke,” “Authentisches Material,” “Forschung,” “Konferenzen, Chat und Foren,” and “Organisationen und Servicestellen.” Click on the resources listed for more details, including a brief description.
  • www.deutsch-als-fremdsprache.de  “Internet-Service für den Unterricht Deutsch als Fremdsprache”: subscribe to their very informative
    newsletters, or just browse their site.  Put out by the Institut für Internationale Kommunikation (IIK) at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf.
  • FLTEACH WWW Resources
  • webgerman.com Lots of worksheets, transparency masters, exercises, explanations etc.
  • Nancy Thuleen’s Teaching Resources This site by an instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison includes a wide variety of resources, including a great song lyrics collection for teachers.
  • Forum Deutsch als Fremdsprache–Linkliste von Fariborz Dadkhah Fantastic list, constantly updated!
  • E.L. Easton’s Page  Contains resources for lots of languages.  Follow the link to “German.” I didn’t want to link it directly, so you wouldn’t
    miss the cute joke at the top of the main page about the mouse that speaks Dog.
  • Katherine Munro’s Teaching Resources This site by an Australian high school German teacher includes interactive exercises, jokes, proverbs, language tips, software info etc. You can also find resources here for teaching Indonesian 🙂

Resource Collections NOT focused on Language Instruction, for Teachers in German-Speaking Countries

Although not focused on language teaching, these sites are a great source for materials on various specific content areas.

  • teachSam Materials linked at the top of the page are only available for a fee, but the remainder of the page (including “Projekte” on topics such as Frauen, Werbung, or Ausländer in Deutschland) is free.

Online Journals & Newsletters

  • Neues Curriculum Online “Journal for Best Practices in Higher Education German Studies”
  • Language Learning and Technology Online journal well described by its title 🙂
  • GFL: German as a Foreign Language Excellent online journal devoted to German instruction; includes a search feature and an archive of previous issues. The very international range of contributors provides a global (as opposed to merely American or German) perspective on German instruction.
  • ERIC Database Largest online database of materials related to education. Search for terms like “listening comprehension,” “grammar instruction” etc. Articles on language instruction that you will find here are generally written in the EFL/ESL context.
  • CALICO Journal Journal of the Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium
  • CLEAR Newsletter Published by CLEAR at Michigan State University (see the link under “Resource Collections and Resource Centers” above). Includes an archive of past issues.
  • Forum Deutsch als Fremdsprache Infobrief
  • Zeitschrift für den Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht
  • Frühes Deutsch This journal, published by the Goethe Institut, is devoted to language instruction for very young children. Selected articles are available for download, and synopses of all articles are provided online.

Online Discussion Groups

  • AATG Listserv: Click here to access the associated website.  From here, you can join the list, which gives you access to the archives, and of course the opportunity to contribute 🙂
  • FLTEACH Listserv: This listserv is intended to facilitate the exchange of ideas among teachers of all languages. The associated website also contains a lot of useful resources.

Journals devoted to language instruction available online for subscribers (the first three are available via MIRLYN for users with a University of Michigan login)

  • Modern Language Journal Owned and copyrighted by the National Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations. “A refereed publication devoted to questions and concerns about the learning and teaching of foreign and second languages; publishes articles, research studies, editorials, reports, book reviews, and professional news and announcements pertaining to modern languages, including TESL.”
  • Foreign Language Annals The journal of ACTFL.  “Preference is given to articles that report educational research or experimentation, that describe innovative and successful practice and methods, and/or that are relevant to the concerns and issues of the profession.”
  • Die Unterrichtspraxis The journal of the AATG, always full of excellent practical teaching ideas. “UP provides a forum where the recent advances in scholarship on language teaching and learning, practical suggestions for implementing this scholarship in German classrooms, information concerning relevant teaching and source materials, information about the linguistic, social, political, and cultural landscape of German-speaking
    countries, and assessments or suggestions regarding the betterment of the German teaching profession may be presented, elaborated, and discussed.”
  • Fremdsprache Deutsch “Zeitschrift für die Praxis des Deutschunterrichts”. Published by Hueber in cooperation with the Goethe Institut.  “Das Konzept der Zeitschrift ist ganz auf die Bedürfnisse und Weiterbildungsziele von Deutschlehrern in verschiedenen Regionen der Welt
    zugeschnitten.  In verständlicher Sprache werden neueste Forschungsergebnisse und der Stand der Fachdiskussion dargestellt. Die theoretischen Ausführungen werden dabei stets auf ihre Übertragbarkeit und Machbarkeit im Unterricht überprüft und mit Hilfe von Unterrichtsbeispielen auf die konkrete Unterrichtspraxis bezogen. Alle Hefte enthalten außerdem zahlreiche weiterführende Informationen und Literaturhinweise.
  • Deutsch als Fremdsprache Published by the Herder-Institut at the Universität Leipzig.  Focuses on theoretical aspects of language instruction. The webpage offers abstracts of all articles, but no full-text versions.
  • Der Deutschunterricht: For ordering information, go to http://www.friedrich-verlag.de/ and then search for “Der Deutschunterricht.” “DER DEUTSCHUNTERRICHT hat es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, eine Brücke zwischen Hochschule und Schule zu schlagen. In jährlich sechs Ausgaben vermittelt Ihnen DER DEUTSCHUNTERRICHT die neuesten Ergebnisse fachwissenschaftlicher und fachdidaktischer Forschung über Literatur und Sprache, so dass Sie an Diskussionen beteiligt werden, die für das Fach Deutsch relevant sind. Namhafte Autorinnen und Autoren stehen für diesen Anspruch.”
    • Also available from the same publisher is their more practically oriented journal Praxis Deutsch, devoted to providing practical teaching ideas for use at all levels.

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Organizations

  • AATG – American Association of Teachers of German
  • ACTFL – American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
  • AAUSC – American Association of University Supervisors and Coordinators
  • IDV – Internationaler Deutschlehrerverband
  • CALICO – The Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium
  • IALLT – The International Association for Language Learning Technology

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Online Teaching Methods Courses

Professional Development

  • CARLA The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota.  This site contains information on CARLA’s workshops, conferences and summer institutes, as well as an excellent collection of theoretical and practical information on language
    teaching.

    • CoBaLTT Instructional Modules Readings and Hands-on activities on the Standards for Foreign Language Learning, Content-Based Instruction, and Technology [CoBaLTT = Content-Based Language Teaching with Technology]
  • The Center for Language Education And Research (CLEAR) at Michigan State University CLEAR offers a variety of summer workshops each year.

Finding Jobs

  • AATG Teaching Positions List: This is a listserv; for instructions on how to subscribe, go to http://www.aatg.org/about-aatg/listserv/ger-job-listserv.html. Once you’re signed up, you’ll automatically receive copies of all position announcements posted to the list.
  • ACTFL “Job Central” Available to ACTFL members only. Log in to the “Members Only” section of the ACTFL website, and then look for a link to the “ACTFL Career Center” or possibly to “Job Central.” The site allows departments to post information about positions, and allows educators to post their resumes/CVs confidentially and for free. Postings are searchable, and you can sign up for automatic email notification of new listings that match your criteria. You can apply for the jobs online via the site, and you can save up to 100 jobs to a folder in your account so you can come back to apply when you are ready.
  • Chronicle of Higher Education This site is geared primarily towards helping you look for jobs in Higher Ed, but the search menu also permits you to look for K-12 teaching jobs. Very user-friendly interface!
  • Academic Careers Online Like the Chronicle site above, this site is also geared primarily towards helping you look for jobs in Higher Ed, but the search menu also permits you to look for K-12 teaching jobs. Very user-friendly interface!
  • Monster.com Not (ordinarily) a site for finding teaching jobs, but this site is a great resource for you (or your students!!) if you’re looking for other kinds of jobs in which you can apply your expertise in German. Type in “German” as a keyword to get an idea of what’s available.

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