Ateneo - UPO

Teaching German as a Foreign Language: an introduction

Fandrych, Christian / Thurmair, Maria (2025). Deutsch im Gebrauch: mündlich - schriftlich - medial. Grundlagen und Vermittlung. Berlin: Erich Schmidt.
Fandrych, Christian / Thurmair, Maria (2021). Grammatik im Fach Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache: Grundlagen und Vermittlung. 2° edizione. Berlin: Erich Schmidt.
Roche, Jörg (2025). Fremdsprachenerwerb - Fremdsprachendidaktik. Tübingen: Narr.
Huneke, Hans-Werner / Steinig, Wolfgang (2026). Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache - 7. völlig neu bearbeitete und wesentlich erweiterte Auflage. Berlin: Erich Schmidt.

The course aims to provide students with the fundamental theoretical and methodological knowledge of teaching German as a foreign language (Deutsch als Fremdsprache – DaF), with particular attention to the teaching of German grammar. First, the main approaches and methods for teaching German will be presented from a diachronic perspective, examining their application in different educational contexts (for example, secondary school and university courses), including through workshop-based analysis of authentic teaching materials. Specific attention will then be devoted to language acquisition processes (Spracherwerb) from a contrastive perspective, analyzing similarities and differences between Italian and German and their implications for learning by Italian-speaking students. During the workshop activities, students will critically examine teaching materials and activities in relation to different learning contexts, also experimenting with the use of digital resources, such as linguistic corpora and artificial intelligence-based tools, to support instructional design. By the end of the course, students will be able to recognize and describe methods, approaches, and tools used in teaching German as a foreign language, and to critically analyze teaching materials and activities in relation to different learning contexts. Finally, they will be able to prepare a teaching unit, consciously applying, through guided practical exercises, the methodological principles acquired during the course.

A2-B1 level of German proficiency (successful completion of the course “Lingua tedesca - Esercitazioni I anno”)

The course includes lectures as well as seminar and workshop activities. The lectures introduce the theoretical and methodological frameworks of teaching German as a foreign language, from a diachronic perspective, along with contrastive reflections on Spracherwerb in the Italian-speaking context. The seminar and workshop activities involve the presentation and critical discussion of texts and teaching materials by students, experimentation with the use of digital tools (including artificial intelligence and corpora), and the design of a teaching unit on grammatical topics.

Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or Special Educational Needs (SEN) may request dedicated services and support tools by contacting the University’s Student Careers and Services Development and Coordination Office and by consulting the dedicated page on the University website: https://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studentesse-e-studenti-condizione-di-disabilit%C3%A0-e-dsa. Once they have contacted the relevant University Office, students with disabilities, SLD, or SEN may contact the course instructor regarding the arrangements for examinations and any aspects related to teaching and learning activities.

The laboratory is classified as a Type F course («further activities»). Therefore, assessment is expressed as a pass/fail evaluation, which does not contribute to the student's overall grade point average. Given the practical nature of the laboratory, attendance will be monitored. Students will be considered to have successfully completed the laboratory upon attending at least 70% of the scheduled activities. Assessment will be based on the following components: (A) active participation in classroom activities and submission of the assignments completed during the course and through the DIR platform; (B) an oral presentation of a teaching unit on a grammar topic assigned by the instructor. The teaching unit, prepared in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or an equivalent format, must be submitted to the instructor at least two days before the presentation date. During the presentation, the instructor will evaluate the instructional design of the teaching unit and may ask up to three questions to assess the student's acquisition of the theoretical, methodological, and practical knowledge developed throughout the laboratory. In particular, the following aspects will be assessed: (1) the rationale underlying the methodological and pedagogical choices; (2) the correctness and accuracy of the disciplinary content; (3) the overall coherence of the instructional design, with particular reference to the learning objectives, the proposed learning activities, and the assessment methods.

The course provides a structured introduction to the main approaches and methods in teaching German as a Foreign Language (DaF), tracing their historical development and examining their application in different educational contexts. It presents and discusses the principal approaches to teaching German grammar as well as the main theories of second language acquisition (Spracherwerb), with particular attention to the contrastive perspective between Italian and German. During the workshop sessions, students will work with authentic teaching materials designed for a range of educational settings and, through collaborative and interactive activities, including the use of digital platforms, will critically analyze, adapt, and design teaching activities and didactic units.

The expected learning outcomes are as follows. (1. Knowledge and understanding) Students acquire the fundamental theoretical and methodological knowledge of Teaching German as a Foreign Language (DaF), with particular emphasis on the main teaching approaches from a diachronic perspective and on theories of language acquisition (Spracherwerb) from an Italian–German contrastive perspective. (2. Applying knowledge and understanding) Students are able to identify and describe the methods, approaches, and tools used in Teaching German as a Foreign Language and apply them to the critical analysis of teaching materials and learning activities in relation to different educational contexts. (3. Making judgements) Students develop the ability to evaluate independently the methodological appropriateness of teaching materials and resources, including digital tools, and to justify their instructional design choices. (4. Communication skills) Students are able to present and discuss, using appropriate specialist terminology, the methodological choices underlying a teaching unit that they have designed. (5. Learning skills) Students acquire a methodology for instructional design that enables them to navigate independently among teaching approaches, tools, and resources—including linguistic corpora and artificial intelligence–based tools—in preparation for future teaching practice.