International meeting of the Kassel DaFZ alumni

The multi-day event was sponsored by the DAAD with funds from the Federal Foreign Office and pursued two central objectives: On the one hand, contacts between the department and its alumni were to be intensified and the existing network further expanded; on the other hand, the "alumni" were to be given the opportunity for professional development on current trends in the teaching and learning of German as a foreign and second language.

Intensive workshops on topics such as "Learning German in museums" by Karin Rottmann (Museum Service of the City of Cologne) and "Using digital media in German as a foreign and second language lessons" by Prof. Dr. Nicola Würffel (Heidelberg University of Teacher Education) offered a wide range of food for thought as well as concrete tasks and materials for practical implementation. A visit to the "wortreich" museum as part of an excursion to Bad Hersfeld also offered countless suggestions for the future design of foreign language German lessons. Over the course of the week, the alumni were given several opportunities to report on their current teaching and research focuses and to discover and share common interests. The diversity of the various requirements, activities and experiences that characterize the international subject of German as a foreign and second language became clear.

In addition to professional input and intensive academic exchange, there was also plenty of time to spend together. On the first day, an introductory lecture by Prof. Dr. Aguado on "Current developments and trends in German as a foreign and second language" was followed by an excursion to the trick fountains in Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe and a convivial dinner, which was followed by others in the following days, in which former employees of the department and other DaFZ graduates who currently live and work in Kassel or in other regions of Germany also took part. They all enjoyed the opportunity to look back on their time together in the GFL department in a relaxed atmosphere and to discuss their current activities and plans. The music at the joint concert by the band "Calexico" in the Kulturzelt was also emblematic of the meeting: many perspectives and styles came together to create something new together. On the last day, no one found it difficult to develop ideas for future cooperation projects and make concrete plans for further international networking, which will be easier than ever to implement with the help of digital media.