ERFURT_Teaching the German language to people from other countries is an important concern and serves, among other things, integration into society and the labor market as well as cultural exchange across national borders. This is implemented by teachers of the subject "German as a Foreign and Second Language" (DaF/DaZ) – in Thuringia, the Friedrich Schiller University Jena is particularly active in this area, which, together with the Philipps University of Marburg, operates so-called German Institute Partnerships (GIPs) abroad. These serve to cooperate in the initial, advanced, and further training of DaF/DaZ teachers, as well as networking and international exchange. Against this backdrop, both universities are organizing an International GIP Symposium from August 4 to 8 under the title "Subject- and Language-Integrated Teaching in Schools, Higher Education, and Professions". In terms of content, the event, which takes place at several locations in Thuringia, focuses on the topic of job-related German lessons. The cooperation partner of the universities is the German Professional School (GPS), which supports the symposium organizationally and financially. Since its founding last year, GPS has been specifically preparing migrants for vocational training in Thuringia and placing them in companies; this is done through courses on the German language and (social) culture as well as extensive career coaching. The opening event for the GIP Symposium will take place on August 4, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the COMCENTER Brühl, the event location of LEG Thüringen– GPS is based at LEG.
The majority of the participants in the overall event are DaF/DAZ teachers from the various countries where the two universities maintain GIPs. These countries are Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The GIPs are funded by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). Symposium participants also include scientists, representatives of educational institutions, and entrepreneurs. The opening event on August 4 already serves the intensive exchange of all participants, which takes place in the form of lectures, workshops, and other meeting formats. Topics of the lectures include, among others, practical job-related language training or a concrete example of DaF/DAZ activities abroad, namely the situation of job-related German language instruction in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). The workshops focus on modern DaF/DAZ teaching in the field of job-related German language instruction.
On the following days, participants work in working groups on further topics. In addition, the teachers have numerous opportunities to visit Thuringian companies and gain diverse knowledge about job-related German lessons and dual vocational training in Germany. This is supported by the GPS, which, through its activities, has a dense network with Thuringian companies.
All media representatives are cordially invited to attend the kick-off event.
- Location: Erfurt, COMCENTER Brühl, Mainzerhofstraße 10
- Time: Monday, August 4, 2025, 9:00 AM-7 PM – from 10:30 to 11:00 AM there is the opportunity for discussions with the organizers
Further information about the event including the program:
https://www.german-professional-school.de/aktuelles/veranstaltungen/fach--und-sprachintegrierter-unterricht-in-schule-hochschule-und-beruf
