Living the Language - Authentic Language in the Classroom

Morning Programme 

09:00 – Registration

09:30 – Welcome
Welcome from the host university, the DAAD team and the Goethe-Institut

09:40 – Sally Conroy (GEM and Head of MFL, Cardinal Newman Sixth Form College, Preston)
Auf Schatzsuche mit GEMS (German Expert Mentors)
What German Expert Mentors Can Bring to the German Classroom: Mentoring and CPD – An Example in Practice

10:45–11:00 – Coffee Break

11:00 – Charlotte Ryland (The Queen’s College, Oxford / Languages Gateway)
Der neue A-Level Deutsch vom Goethe-Institut

11:20–12:20 – Students from the University of Koblenz
Hunting for Multilingual Treasures – Multilinguale Schatzsuche

Multilingualism is part of everyday life—on street signs, shop windows and posters. But how can this linguistic richness be brought into the classroom?

In this workshop, we present a ready-to-use teaching unit in which students become treasure hunters of their own linguistic environment. Armed with an app, they set out to discover and photograph multilingual signs at school, in the streets and in other public spaces. Back in the classroom, they analyse their findings together and reflect on language, identity and diversity.

The unit is designed for direct use in German as a foreign language classes and promotes not only language skills but also digital literacy and intercultural awareness. During the workshop, we will take you through the treasures uncovered by German students and show you how to bring this experience into your own classroom.

12:20–13:00 – Dr Ruth Whittle, University of Birmingham
(Moderated by Regina Seiwald, University of Birmingham)

Talking About People: Using GAI for Language Learning (auf Deutsch)

13:00–14:15 – Lunch / Mittagspause

With the opportunity to get to know the University of Birmingham campus.

Afternoon Programme

14:15 – Welcome from the Head of School
Professor Emma Tyler

14:30 – Building Sustainable Networks

Representatives from The Languages Gateway and Languages for All, together with the University of Birmingham Schools Liaison Officer, Edward Boothroyd, discuss how different language-promotion initiatives work together and the support available to teachers through the University of Birmingham.

15:15 – Making Languages Sustainable in Schools in the Midlands: A Poster Workshop

This creative workshop invites participants to design a poster highlighting the value of learning languages.

The DAAD project team will professionally format the posters, and each school will receive a digital version that can be further adapted to specific requirements, such as school colours and logos.

16:00 – Poster Presentations

16:30 – Drinks Reception