Culture - Not Just What You Find Growing In A Petri Dish

Culture is such a multi-faceted subject - I can't even begin to fathom the best way of teaching it. But why not try? Like the survey we discussed in class touched upon, learning a certain language is definitely affected by the culture associated with that language, and I am strongly of the opinion that learning about that culture is a vital factor in becoming truly fluent and in acquiring a solid understanding of the language.

Because of my interest in discovering "the best way" to teach German culture (and not necessarily the best, but perhaps the most successful) I have resolved to do 'Plan S', that is working in the "community" to teach German culture. I am hoping to do this in tandum with "German For Kids", but I guess that is tentative. I really enjoy that age group, and I feel that teaching them German culture would really add to their experience in learning the language. It would also be fun, because Gina is the instructor and a native German, who could give first-hand input to German culture. 

So far I have the idea that I could implement a cultural activity (whether it be verbal, aural, oral, or visual) maybe each week or every other week depending on how ambitious I am, and then note which kinds of activities work best in that age group (which is 6-9 years old, I think.) 

Senta mentioned bringing sports into the activities, which I thought was a cool idea, and could potentially be interactive both mentally and physically. However, I would like to use this project as a sort of trial - to test different types of activities with all different types of approaches (as many and as varying as possible) so that I can note which sorts of activities work best with them, in terms of keeping their attention, as well as how successfully the cultural topic is absorbed by them. So if anyone has any sorts of activities they'd like to throw out there or any topics they think would be fun or interesting or successful then please feel free to express your opinion to me! Or if you think this is a horrible idea, that would be good to know too. 

I would also like to use this blog to keep track of each "German For Kids" class, just so I have some record of what happened that day that I can go back to, in hopes that it could stimulate some sort of genius revelation on my part or on the part of one of my classmates. Mind you, I haven't actually implemented any sort of cultural context with these kids as of now. 

"German For Kids" is every Wednesday, and it started last Wednesday (the 14th). The first lesson went...well how you'd expect 6-9 year olds to act when coming back from a long break from school related activities. They were restless to say the least and I think the "all Deutsch all the time" tactic frusturated their recooperating brains - not to say that I don't find the tactic a good one. 

They are truly a strange group of children - they all for the most part come from the East Lansing area, yet no two kids in the class are the same. Some of them are even related, but still they are all very different and cope differently with the stress of learning a foreign language. I guess I should mention that I worked with most of these same kids all last semester, so my observations are not stemming from two sessions alone. My point here, is that their varying coping techniques and their different reactions to learning are going to be important for me to remember when forming my activities. I predict it will be extremely difficult to hold the attention of all of them with the same activity, and that there will be a wide range of reactions to the activities that are to be implemented. 

To put this into context, there is, for example, one child who cries at the slightest hint of frustration and lack of understanding. There is another who I like to define as "fickle" in that this child will at one moment be very involved and at the next will refuse to take part in any activity. The child's involvement seems to me to be completely arbitrary, and as of now I sense no pattern in this child's interest (or lack there of) in certain activities. 

The second week of "German For Kids" was a little more successful in my opinion. The kids were more attentive than the week before, but they seemed less interested, and somewhat bored. But like I said, it was more successful - when we reviewed from the last class, most of the children were on task and able to at least attempt to answer the questions. The class as a whole was also much less chaotic than when they came in the first week - in other words they have recooperated from the winter break for the most part, it appears. 

For now, that is all. I will probably update this at least once a week with what happened at "German For Kids", if not for the interest of my classmates and my professor, then for my own benefit, though it is only required for me to blog 5 times during the course of the semester. Again, comments, suggestions, brilliant ideas, etc. are all warmly welcome!

I am looking forward to the panel discussion on Monday - it has been a long break from the class, and it is weird to think we have only meant once since the beginning of the semester!

So..

Bis dann!

First And Foremost.

Hallo, wie geht's? 

That's a rhetorical question.

I'm Jaymee, I'm an English and German double major going into Secondary Education at Michigan State University.

So there is already a little description on your left-hand side, as to what this blog is for. And I'm assuming that the only people who are going to be reading it already know what it is for anyway. However, I will briefly describe it's purposes, incase you accidently stumbled along this blog thinking I might be cool and that you would actually want to follow this blog. In that case, you'll probably change your mind, unless you are extremely interested in the teaching of German culture.

I'm not really sure what else to write here. I mean my life is pretty normal and unexciting. I guess I could expand on some aspects of my life that would affect the writing of this blog. 

So as I said, I have to blog about my project for my German 815 course, which I don't really know what it's going to be about except that it has to do with teaching German culture, and that it will (hopefully) be centered around German For Kids, a program at MSU that I volunteer for, where we teach local kids basic German language and culture. 

I'm in the secondary Ed program, but I really like working with younger kids. I have lots of experience there. I have a little brother, Noah, who is 7 now and who has taught me a lot in regards to how the brains of little children work. I have a sister Erynn, who is 14 and who has taught me that maybe I regret my decision to go into Secondary Education...but I can hope that not all high schoolers are as...difficult as her. I have a very little sister, Kaylee, who is 6 months old, and I'm sure there is much to learn from the experiences that are to come from that.

             

^ My Family - Noah, Erynn, Kaylee

I have also roller skated my whole life, since I was about 2 and I have volunteered to help and teach the beginner classes at the roller rink I skate at since I was about 12. I think my desire to teach kind of spurred from this part of my life, because I have wanted to be a skating coach for as long as I can remember. Coaching sort of transfered to teaching, as I got really into reading and writing in high school and decided to be an English major. 

^ Me, rollerskating

As for German, I was required to take 2 years proficiency of a foreign language as part of my English major. I chose German because I am a quarter German and the memory of my great-grandmother scolding me in German as a child sticks out very vividly in my mind. And so I have always wanted to learn German - that part of my family's history (though not far behind us) has been a bit forgotten and lost in the generations of Americanization that have come from living in the U.S., but whenever I offer some sort of knowledge of German culture and language, my family is usually very interested and they want to know more. 

Yes my last name (Mason) is very English, and I carry that from my dad's side. But my mom is a Buchmann through and through and so I guess my choice of majors, in that way, are very appropriate - English and German. I think this whole German culture project will then be beneficial on many levels as I will be teaching others, and probably learning things about myself at the sametime. Whatever happens, it will be maintained here, for all to see I guess, or more so for Senta (my professor) to see, since I'm sure she is the one who will be reading it most often. I think that's all for now.

Bis spaeter.