Each year, the German Department hosts Professional Development Conferences for teachers of German. The conferences, open to German instructors from the New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania areas, seek to enhance German curriculum at the middle and high school levels, so as to increase general interest in continued study of German language and literature.

By bringing different groups together, the conference furthers contacts and connections between teachers and curricula. To further promote this communication, teachers are invited to bring colleagues from different disciplines or departments. All attendees are provided with Professional Development certificates at the conclusion of the conference.


 

Spring 2023 Professional Development Day 

March 31, 2023

9am - 3pm

In Person, in room 4052 at the Rutgers Academic Buidling-West Wing, 15 Seminary Place, New Brunswick, NJ

 

 

We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for our Spring 2023 Professional Development Day, returning at long last!

 

Featuring three great speakers:

Christina Frei, University of Pennsylvania
Curriculumsplanung für den kollaborativen Unterricht / Curriculum Development for the Collaborative Classroom (K – 12)

Regina Guhl, Montclair High School
Kultur im multimedialen Sprachunterricht / The "C" in Technology - Culture in a Multimedia-driven Language Classroom

and Ioana Wicker, Goethe Institut New York
Strategien zur Motivationsstärkung im DaF-Unterricht / Strategies for Increasing Motivation in Foreign Language Learners (Middle and High School)".

 

Light breakfast will be served at 8:45 am, and opening remarks will commence at 9:15am. After our morning talks, we will break as lunch is served. The conference is expected to end by 3 pm, when certificates for New Jersey Professional Development hours will be distributed to participants.

 

Rutgers now uses an electronic parking permit for special events. When you have submitted your registration for our event, we will email you a link to register your car to park on campus, with directions to the lots where you can park.

 

Registration for this event is $40 per participant. Please send a check made payable to "Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey" to the address below:

Elizabeth deWolfe 
German Department
Rutgers University
15 Seminary Place, West Wing, Room 4131
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

If your institution is paying for your registration and requires an invoice, please contact Elizabeth deWolfe (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Registration is due by March 24th.


Drama and Poetry Declamation Contest

As part of the High School and Community Outreach program, the Department also coordinates an annual Drama and Poetry Declamation Contest for middle and high school students. This event is usually held in April or early May. Click here for more information!


Recent Professional Development Conferences

Fall 2018


Markus Kupferblum, Fall 2018 Craig-Kade Scholar in Residence
“Geschichten erzählen im Unterricht - theaterpädagogische Konzepte zur Konfliktbewältigung im Klassenzimmer”

Jennifer Redmann, Associate Professor of German, Franklin & Marshall College
"Reading and genre-based writing in a multiliteracies collegiate foreign language curriculum"

Peter Wortsman, Translator
"Ha-ha! Ooh! Ah! - A Translator's Challenge in Conveying Humor, the Surreal and the Ineffable Across Linguistic and Cultural Borders"

 

Fall 2017

Ester Eichler, AATG / Abington Jr. & Sr. High School, Philadelphia, PA
"Teaching art through four modes of Communication"

and Olga Liamkina, Goethe Institute
"Creating Supportive Learning Environments through Differentiated Instruction".

Spring 2016

Eckhard Kuhn-Osius, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Hunter College, CUNY
"Language Teaching as a Higher Order Thinking Activity"

Olga Liamkina, Ph.D., Educational Liaison, Goethe-Institut New York
"Learning German in a 'Community': Goethe-Institut projects, apps, and materials to reach students in the classroom and beyond"

Spring 2015

Andrea Pfeil, Director of Language Courses, Goethe-Institut New York
"Web-based and Mobile Apps for Teaching German"

Dr. Mohamed Esa, President of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG)
"Fairytales in the German Classroom: Creative, Innovative, and Multimedia Approach"

Spring 2014

Keith Cothrun, Executive Director of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG)
"Connecting German to the Common Core Standards"

Dr. Alexander E. Pichugin
"Digital Technology and Time Management in a Language Classroom"

Professor Azzan Yadin
"German-English Cognates and German Lexical Enrichment"

Spring 2012

Dr. Olga Liamkina
"Beyond the Textbook: Selecting and Using Authentic Materials to Teach Vocabulary, Grammar, and Elements of Culture"

Mareen Fuchs and Veronika Jeltsch
"Language Lab Rediscovered: Creative Ways to Utilize and Integrate the Lab in your Class"

Fall 2011

Dr. Helene Zimmer-Loew
"ProDeutsch: Maintaining and Enhancing German Enrollments!"

Dr. Christophe Fricker "Cartoons in the Classroom"

Fall 2010

Dr. Jamie Rankin
“Nip it in the bud? Dealing with learner errors in the foreign language classroom.”

Dr. Silke Wehner-Franco
“Germans as foreigners/ foreigners in Germany: The dynamics of German immigration in language and culture.”

Fall 2009

Professor Richard Alan Korb
"Berlin: 20 Years after the Wall"

Michael Stavarič
"Experiences with the End of Communism from a Czech-Austrian Perspective"

Spring 2009

Dr. Irene Motyl-Mudretzkyj
"Teaching Cultural Awareness through the Integration of the Arts"

Professor Christopher M. Clark
"Gegen/Kulturen: Teaching German Culture against the Grain"

Fall 2008

Dr. Andrea Dortmann
"Get Started and Keep Going"

Professor Fatima Naqvi
"Multicultural Europe on Film"

Spring 2008

Alfredo Franco, Curator
"Art for Language Teachers: How Art Can Improve Writing Skills and Language Acquisition"

Professor Michael G. Levine
"Kafka for Beginners"

Fall 2007

Professor Eckhard Kuhn-Osius
"Grammar Without Tears: Part II"

Professor Azzan Yaddin
"Intuitive German: English Cognates and German Vocabulary Enhancement"

Spring 2007

Professor Eckhard Kuhn-Osius
"Grammar Without Tears: Part I"

Fall 2006

Thomas Meinecke
"Popular Music in Germany"

Federica Franze and Juljana Gjata
"World Cup 2006 in Germany"

Spring 2006

Professor Ingeborg Walther
"Drama in the German Language Classroom"

Professor Lynne Tatlock
" 'Iconoclasm and Memory' in relation to monuments and memorials in Germany today"

Fall 2005

Dr. Daniela Strigl
"Von Thomas Bernhard bis Elfriede Jelinek: Streiflichter auf die oesterreichische Gegenwartsliteratur”

Kai Diers
“Die Parteien: woher sie kommen, wohin sie gehen.”