Monday 27 May
1pm to 3pm

 Langmeil Centre, 5-7 Maria St, Tanunda

At the Kaffee and Kuchen on July 27th Alina Bergkemper will be talking about her journey as a foreign language teacher and her experiences teaching in different cultural contexts. 

Alina Bergkemper was born and raised in Germany. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in English and German as a Foreign and Second Language at the University of Bielefeld and is currently close to completing her Master’s degree in German as a Foreign Language (GFL) and German Studies.

Throughout her studies, she has gained extensive teaching experience in a variety of international contexts. She has taught German online, volunteered as a German teacher at a secondary school in Namibia, and participated in several projects teaching German in China. She is currently working as a DAAD Teaching Assistant at the University of Adelaide, where she continues to develop her expertise in German language education and intercultural communication.

My topic: Teaching German across cultures

What is it like to teach German in different parts of the world? In this talk, I will share some of my experiences as a new German language teacher working with learners from a variety of cultural backgrounds. I will talk about challenges I encountered, memorable and rewarding moments in the classroom, and what I learned from my students along the way.

The talk will also explore how learners in different countries view Germany and the German language, what motivates them to learn German, and some of the assumptions, expectations, and surprises I came across. Through these experiences, I gained new perspectives not only on language teaching, but also on Germany, culture, and intercultural communication.