I’m delighted to be introducing an innovative German teaching initiative at Chichester College.
In 2020, we were on the point of setting up the first German language teaching at the College for some years, when COVID struck. Teaching at the College, as elsewhere, was greatly disrupted, and plans for those German classes had to be shelved.
In 2022, with the pandemic less threatening, the College set up what were the only German Adult Education classes in the area. An initially small group of students became gradually bigger, as news about the classes spread. In response to student demand, what had been planned as a two-term class extended into a third term.
All students returned in September 2023 for a second year, and Beginners classes were set up in September and in January 2024. Enthusiasm across the classes remains high, as some students begin their sixth term of German Each of our classes aims to cover all four language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing), and to combine current communicative teaching with methodical study of language structures. The course is built around a well-known textbook, but 50 per cent of teaching time involves other materials. A class would typically start with a specialist video on the topic of the evening, (perhaps ‘Eating Out’ or ‘Hobbies’), followed by work on some exercises from the textbook chapter under study. We would then usually read, translate and discuss a passage of written German.
Students are interested in seeing cooperation between the College and Friends of Speyer. Still the only (official) provider of German classes in the area, the College has plans for more classes, including one-off taster lessons. Friends of Speyer members would be particularly welcome to join these, and I’ll keep you all closely informed of developments. Any ideas that you have for growing provision locally, please also get in touch!
Geoffrey Brome Thompson