Learning German for kids and teenagers outside Germany

Group of young learners at Sprachinstitut TREFFPUNKT
The best way to learn a language is to approach it from as many aspects and motivations. In addition, preferably, everybody has a different style and method for to learn most successfull. On this page we suggest some resources for learning German as a foreign language or as a second language, especially for children.

1. German-speaking schools abroad

German, Austrian and Swiss schools enjoy a good reputation abroad. Information on the conditions and location of German schools is provided by the “Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen” (Centre for Schools Abroad), which aims to further the cultural and educational political goals of Germany. These include: o an understanding of the host country’s culture and society o the provision of education for German children abroad o promotion of the German language The Evaluation Authority ( www.auswaertiges-amt.de/ ) also works closely with schools abroad and is responsible for:

• 117 schools worldwide
• around 428 educational organisations as well as a number of German departments in state schools

Some more detailed information is provided by the following sites:

• Directory of German Schools Abroad: www.bva.bund.de
• The www.deutsche-fernschule.de is specialized in German families with children living abroad.
• For information on working in schools abroad, see www.dasan.de
• www.auslandsschule.de offers a forum for former students of German schools
• With one click you can go direct to your local school using the Yahoo directory: de.dir.yahoo.com/Ausbildung_und_Beruf/...//Deutsche_Schulen_im_Ausland/
• The Baden–Württemberg cultural portal provides information on German Schools abroad: www.km-bw.de

2. Learning German Holiday courses for young people

Holiday courses for young people Numerous language schools in Germany specialize in German courses for young people. Language courses in the summer holidays are particularly popular. The following have already established a good reputation:

• Humboldt-Institut: www.humboldt-institut.org
• DID: www.did.de/deutschkurse
• CDC: www.cdc.de/Ferienkurse-Jugendliche-12-15-Jahre
• Dialoge: www.dialoge.com/Deutschkurse_fuer_Jugendliche

3. Extra tutoring for your child

German teachers are often asked whether they would like to offer extra tuition on a flexible hourly basis. As a result, many professional tuition institutes are now offering this service – a real booming business in Germany. This is hardly a surprise as the demands on school children and also parents seem to increase every year. The pressure to achieve a good position in the school league tables has led to a demand for better and better results. It is important to know what constitutes a good tuition institute and to have some idea of how much improvement to expect according to cost. Here we provide a checklist to clarify some of the most important criteria:

• Do the students learn in small groups of up to 5 and are achievement and subject ??? linked together?
• Does the institute have clear terms of business that are discussed during the process of registration?
• Does the period of notice conform to the standard of not more than two months?
• Is it possible to have a free trial lesson?
• Do the staff have recognizable qualifications? Can they provide evidence of training or a degree in the relevant subject?
• Are the teaching rooms quiet, light and well equipped?
• Is there always a contact available who can discuss any questions relating to the teaching?
• Is a record of the child’s progress kept and are the parents able to see this? Does the teacher provide a summary of strengths and weaknesses, as well as some ideas on how to learn at home?
• Does the institute freely provide its teaching material?
• Does the institute have a concrete educational concept that underlies its teaching process?

Further resources about learning and help

• www.pasch-net.de stands for the "Schools: Partners for the Future" initiative. It is a global network of some 1500 schools that place a high value on German. PASCH is an initiative of the Federal Foreign Office in cooperation with the Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA), the Goethe-Institut (GI), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Educational Exchange Service of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (PAD). There are many offers to learn German and for networking.
• "Young Europeans Love Languages" is a network of European partners whose aim is to promote language learning as a key skill for lifelong learning. The promoters of the project believe that fun, attractive, and unconventional forms of language learning should be incorporated not only in formal education but also in other non-formal/informal contexts and leisure activities. The YELL network has identified a number of tools to raise awareness and demonstrated the importance of language learning in order to help improve the effectiveness of language teaching. Their aims are:
  • to identify previous projects where innovative and useful language tools have been developed but not sustained and, where possible, revive and adapt them for use with young people in non-formal and informal environments
  • to make the process of language learning meaningful and fun e.g. language learning as an aspect of sport or social and cultural activities
  • to create a toolbox containing language learning tools which have been adapted to be integrated in other social, cultural and sporting activities aimed at young people.
• www.Schule-Studium.de An Internet School-Plattform with a large variety of book notes, learning aids, easy readers, teaching materials and other stuff. The materials that can often be downloaded as well are for almost all school subjects available.
• www.literatur-mathematik.de: Ebook über das schnelle Kopfrechnen von einfachen bis komplizierten Rechnungen anhand von Tricks und Methoden, kostenloser Download
• www.chillola.com is a free foreign language portal for children. It provides to children of the age of 3 to 12 entertaining exercises and creative materials for playful interaction with the foreign language. In addition to German, English, French, Italian and Spanish are available.
• Aupairbureau.com: Aupair Bureau job site for Au pairs, Nannies and Baby Sitters
  Au pair Jobs, Nanny Jobs, BabySitter Jobs. Aupair Bureau has a large database for au pairs nannies babysitters and families covering all countries in the world.

Important: We are very concerned about the current internet links. We would be very grateful if you could report dead links to us. Send an e-mail to info@learn-german-online.net.