ABSTRACT
Since Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German is the society journal of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), these discussion topics arose and will arise from important discourses in the Association. Disruptions pose a challenge for teachers of German at all levels of education, personally and professionally. [...]the set of 21 short articles in this issue is intended to help us as a community to give meaning to current challenges and to share what we have learned. Martina Caspari ("Ganz entspannt im Hier und Jetzt: Fostering Social Presence in Communicative Language Instruction") went back to the natural approach and total physical response, which were popular in the 1980s. Heidi Denzel and Nicolay Ostrau write in "Responding to the Mental Health Crisis among our Language-Learning Community" that it is possible, and necessary, to develop an approach that integrates wellness and universal design.
ABSTRACT
The article discusses a year-long outreach activity, "Sparking interest in German." Five University of Utah German students engaged in the AATG/Goethe-Institut-sponsored SPARK program and taught German to local middle schoolers. At the heart of this outreach project were questions such as whether student-run outreach programs could truly spark interest in German among middle school students and whether outreach projects administered via service learning or practicum courses offer our college students a viable academic experience. The article describes the structure of the program, student learning activities, and assesses whether the goals were reached. At the end of the project, parents, middle schoolers, and university students were highly satisfied with the SPARK program and recommended continuation of the program.