Learn German in Germany on the Communicative Way

Most likely you don’t want to learn German in order to master German grammar. Instead, you want to communicate with people in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. You want to understand, read, speak, and write in German. Of course, this will be hard to achieve without studying grammar. Grammar is not the focus of language instruction, but it is a necessary element, making the language more comprehensible. From your first lesson, the aim of instruction at the Language Guesthouse is communication. The goal is to understand the German language and to express yourself comprehensibly in this new language.

If you don’t speak German but come to Germany for the first time, you face numerous challenges. Among them, I suppose, are:

• You need to buy a ticket at the train station
• You get lost and need to ask someone for directions
• You are eating at a restaurant and want to ask the waiter a question
• You want to write a postcard or letter to someone in Germany
• You want to buy some clothes or a pair of shoes
• Perhaps you meet an interesting person and want to introduce yourself to him, telling him what you like or dislike, what you did yesterday, or what you plan to do this evening
• You want to read a concert announcement, a movie poster, or an advertisement

 

And if you already have been studying German for some time, maybe you would like to:

• understand a lecture given in German
• begin your studies at a German university
• participate in a conference or convention
• read German newspapers, listen to a radio broadcast, or watch a television programme
• be a pleasant, polite, and interesting participant in a German conversation
• apply for an internship or a job in a German company

Communicative language instruction prepares you for situations like these.

And by using this type of instruction, you also will build a German vocabulary and increase your knowledge of German grammar. These skills re essential to expressing yourself in German.

 

The Teaching Concept of the Language Guesthouse:
Unilingual German - full immersion - no fear of errors and mistakes!

...and guided by the individual aims and interests of our students.

We learn a language by speaking and listening to it. This may sound obvious, but for generations, language teachers have relied primarily on grammar exercises, reading, and translating.

The easiest way to learn a language is: (1) read or listen to interesting stories that provide real information, (2) explore subjects that we truly want to know more about, and (3) discuss topics that we are genuinely interested in.

Also, we assimilate a language more easily if we experiment with it, exploring unfamiliar topics despite our missteps and mistakes.

In fact, the language student who speaks or writes flawlessly is limiting himself to the structures and vocabulary he already has mastered. He will not gain confidence and make progress in the language until he experiements, through trial and error, with new language skills. Therefore, errors made by language learners are not useless or negative. They indicate the areas of grammar and vocabulary that the student does not understood completely and should practice more intensively. They also provide direction for the teacher, who focuses her instruction on weak areas, seeks ways to clarify her explanations, and provides appropriate language exercises.

In order to find the courage to experiment with an unfamiliar language, we need a comfortable learning atmosphere. If we are relaxed, we are more likely to experiment with a new language than if we are stressed. In our language classes, we practice all four of the essential skills: listening comprehension, reading comprehension, speaking, and free writing, often in an enjoyable but practical way, as though we were facing real life situations.

Since we are not merely a language school but also are a family-like community, we have many opportunities to practice German as real life communication—for example, during meals and in our Active+Creative Programme.

Students usually spend two to five acadmic hours (one academic hour is forty-five minutes) in individual instruction each day. Courses for partners or mini groups up to 5 participants are likewise possible, if all students have a similar level of previous knowledge.

 

Lots of good reasons, why you should study German at the Language Guesthouse

Studying a language in a language guesthouse in the country where it is the native language is the most efficient way to learn it.

Staying in a foreign country does not guarantee that you will have ample opportunity to speak the language of your host country.

If you stay in a hotel, communication often is confined to a few phrases.

In an apartment or rented room, the television often is the only object that speaks to the occupant.

A host family certainly offers a greater opportunity for a visitor to be exposed to a foreign language, especially if family members take the time to speak to their guest and are willing to adapt their speaking to his or her level of understanding. However, the most accomodating family has its own needs, and these come first.

In the Language Guesthouse, you receive a variety of inducements and stimuli, and they create the most effective atmosphere for mastering the German language.

• You get several hours of individual instruction each day.
• When you are not in class, you have numerous options for individual study: an index of homework exercises, reading material at various levels of difficulty, CD language exercises, multimedia grammar and vocabulary practice, and so on.
• You have the option of joining us at mealtime, participating in meal preparation, and helping with other kinds of housework, which connect speaking with doing. As your hostess and teacher, I will make sure that working with the group provides opportunities for you to improve your understanding and speaking.
• You may speak German with our other guests, especially when you speak different native languages.
• In your daily language instruction, you also will receive tasks which you won’t be able to carry out at your desk in the classroom. ou will need to go out into the city, asking for information, running little errands, and performing tasks that force you to speak to people you don’t know. This will help you overcome your fear of speaking
• In addition to your language lessons the Language Guesthouse offers an Active+Creative Programme, which isn't a mere leisure time occupation, but an opportunity to apply and practice your German language skills in real communication with your language trainer and maybe other guests. Bookers of our Basic Packages get 3 hours per week for free.
  More information see menu "Creative Programme"
• In the Language Guesthouse, you will not only learn the German language. You will also learn about the German way of life—German dishes, annual festivals, and the German way of dealing with others. Briefly: You will learn a lot about culture and traditions in Germany, not merely from books, but also from real life.
• If you let me know your hobbies or personal interests when enrolling in your language course, I will try to find a local club for you or a person who shares your interests.
• If you request my help, I can give you advice about how to spend your free time in the Breisgau region and the city of Freiburg.

 

Useful Links for German Language Learners

Following a couple of web addresses, which should be interesting for students of German.
Just have a look on them!

A very good online dictionary (and forum etc.) German-English/ French /Spanish /Italian / Chinese
http://www.leo.org/leo_home_en.html

Lots of texts and learning aids for Russian speaking students of German
http://www.franklang.ru

Here you can look up Grammar and find literary texts (fairy tales, legends and others) for German studying bookworms
http://www.udoklinger.de

"Sendung mit der Maus" ("mouse-broadcast") is a programme not only popular with children in German TV.
For learners of German recommended: "Sachgeschichten". Using videos and easy texts they give answers to many "why questions" typically asked by children.
http://www.wdrmaus.de

Online exercises, reading texts, games and chats for German learners you will find on the pages of Goethe institute
http://www.goethe.de/lrn/duw/deindex.htm

The worldwide broadcasting station "Deutsche Welle" offers a set of materials for learners of German
http://www.dw-world.de/deutschkurse

Informations about German language and culture for English speaking learners of German
http://www.vistawide.com/german/german.htm

An interactive language course, which really makes appetite of studying German (for English speaking students of German):
For beginners: http://Learn-German-Easily.com
For advanced learners: http://Leicht-Deutsch-Lernen.com