Notes and observations from your language tutor (Aufbaumodule)

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English Didactics

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October 2008

  • Mistake: “You need not necessarily grammar.”
  • Context: talking about the CLT approach
  • Problem: syntax
  • Solution: “You don’t necessarily need grammar.”


  • Betriebswirtschaftslehre = business administration


  • cue (our context: cue cards): “a signal for someone to do something” (see Cambridge Online Dictionary) = Hinweis, z.B. Regiesignal




  • Unterpunkt = subitem


  • Leistungsbereitschaft = willingness to perform; motivation


  • Hypothesen prüfen = to test hypotheses


  • Hypothesenbildung = formulating hypotheses


  • Reifungsprozesse = maturation processes


  • Erarbeitung = development, formulation


November 2008

  • Lernziele sollen heute in Stundenmodellen als „Kompetenzen“ formuliert werden.


  • Eselsbrücke = mnemonic aid


  • Bildung = education, formal education


  • Erziehung = upbringing, education, training (I think it is difficult to differentiate between "Bildung" and "Erziehung" in English. I seem to remember from Pädagogik that the term "Bildung" is unique to the German language. The above translations are those from Langenscheidt.)


  • Abstimmung = vote


  • Bauchgefühl = gut feeling, gut instinct


  • Mistake: “What does monitoring mean in context of language acquisition?”
  • Context: talking about pronunciation
  • Problem: definite article missing
  • Solution: “What does monitoring mean in the context of language acquisition?”


  • Mistake: “They don’t know how to spell a 'th'.”
  • Context: talking about pronunciation
  • Problem: word choice
  • Solution: “They don’t know how to pronounce a 'th'.”


  • Mistake: “They have to look on the pronunciation.”
  • Context: talking about pronunciation exercises in textbooks
  • Problem: word usage
  • Solution: “They have to look at the pronunciation.” Or “They have to concentrate on the pronunciation.”


  • workbooks/exercise books vs. textbooks


  • Lautschrift = phonetic transcription


  • Mistake: “I am able to differ the sounds.”
  • Context: talking about pronunciation exercises in textbooks
  • Problem: word usage
  • Solution: “I am able to differentiate between the sounds.”


  • Einsprachig = monolingual



  • jemandem eine Frage stellen = to ask somebody a question/to put a question to somebody (as far as I found both options are correct, although I would never use the second option)


  • Begrenzung = limitation/restriction


  • Eingrenzung = perimeter, containment (aber je nach Kontext kann die Bedeutung vielleicht anders sein – leider kann ich mich nicht daran erinnern, in welchem Kontext dieses Wort benutzt wurde)



  • to facilitate = erleichtern



  • facilitator = (see Merriam Webster online) (I think this term best suits our purpose in class, because a facilitator is someone that helps to bring about an outcome (as learning, productivity, or communication) by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance, guidance, or supervision <the workshop's facilitator kept discussion flowing smoothly>)


  • Handlungsorientierung = task-based learning


  • handlungsorientiert = task-based


  • selbstverständlich = (adj.) self-evident, obvious, natural; etwas als selbstverständlich betrachten = take something for granted; (adv.) of course, naturally


  • Mistake: “Important is also …”
  • Context: we were discussing features of CLT
  • Problem: syntax
  • Solution: “It is also important that …”


  • War das eine Meldung? = Did you raise your hand?


  • Mistake: “The topic is getting boring after awhile.”
  • Context: talking about authentic language use; topics taught in the classroom
  • Problem: tense
  • Solution: “The topic gets boring after awhile.”


  • Mistake: “That’s not really a new knowledge for them.”
  • Context: talking about authentic language use
  • Problem: indefinite article
  • Solution: “That’s not really new knowledge for them.”


  • Didaktisierung = didactization


  • Leistungserwartungen = performance expectations


  • außerschulisch = extracurricular (when referring to out-of-school activities such as sports or clubs)


  • Mistake: "... to do something all the day."
  • Context: talking about consciousness-raising
  • Problem: article
  • Solution: "... to do something all day."


  • anwenden = to apply


  • Nachhilfe = private lessons


December 2008

  • Suchworträtsel = word search


  • Kreuzworträtsel = crossword puzzle


  • Mistake: “Is that an vocabulary exercise?”
  • Context: talking about vocabulary exercises in workbooks
  • Problem: indefinite article
  • Solution: “Is that a vocabulary exercise?”


  • Mistake: “The students should learn to think as well as write English.”
  • Context: talking about vocabulary exercises in workbooks
  • Problem: word usage
  • Solution: “The students should learn to think as well as write in English.”


  • Mistake: “I tend to get convinced by this opinion.”
  • Context: talking about vocabulary exercises in workbooks
  • Problem: word usage
  • Solution: “I tend to be convinced by this opinion.”


  • Mistake: “The exercise gives you a way how to connect the words.”
  • Context: talking about vocabulary exercises in workbooks
  • Problem: word usage
  • Solution: “The exercise gives you a way to connect the words.” Or “The exercise shows you how to connect the words.”



  • sensibilisieren = to sensitize


  • Mistake: vocabularies
  • Context: talking about vocabulary exercises in workbooks
  • Problem: vocabulary does not take the plural form in English
  • Solution: vocabulary (pl.)


January 2009

  • einschätzen = estimate, evaluate


  • umgehen mit = to handle, deal with


  • Leitmedien = leading media, most used media, most important media (these are my suggestions for the following context)
  • Context: Why are textbooks the Leitmedien in the classroom?


  • Erziehungsziel = (major or central) educational goal (also my suggestion)


  • Mistake: “I’ve already teached it…”
  • Context: talking about content in textbooks
  • Problem: form of past participle
  • Solution: “I’ve already taught it…”


  • Ebene = level


  • Mistake: “Isn’t it up to the teacher to decide what kind of relationship do they want to have with their students?”
  • Context: talking about communicative competence
  • Problem: “do” not needed in this case
  • Solution: “Isn’t it up to the teacher to decide what kind of relationship they want to have with their students?”


  • Respektsperson = someone to be treated respectfully or with respect; someone that is respected



  • Beobachtung = observation



April 2009

  • Bilingualer Unterricht = bilingual teaching (this is the correct translation for the term from the core curriculum for Niedersachsen)


  • Europäischer Referenzrahmen = Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)


  • Bilder verstehen = visual literacy


  • zusammenhängendes Sprechen = topic-based talk


  • Kultusministerkonferenz = Ministers‘ of Culture Conference


  • Mistake: “…she wants very much from her students to do.”
  • Context: talking about the expectations in lesson planning
  • Problem: incorrect expression
  • Solution: “…she wants/expects her students to do a lot.”


  • Mistake: “It’s more important that you can speak fluent.”
  • Context: talking about communicative competence
  • Problem: expression; adverb at end
  • Solution: “It’s more important to be able to speak fluently.”


  • Mistake: “If you keep a discussion up…”
  • Context: talking about communicative competence
  • Problem: expression
  • Solution: “If you keep a discussion going…”



  • Floskel = set phrase


  • wahrnehmen = to perceive, to notice, to observe (+ many other meanings, depending on context)


  • Voraussetzung = prerequisite, requirement, qualification, precondition


  • Unterrichtseinheit = teaching unit


  • Mistake: “I would appreciate if we could do an own lesson plan.”
  • Context: discussing lesson planning
  • Problem: “an” used instead of “our”
  • Solution: “I would appreciate if we could do (or plan) our own lesson plan.”


  • Mistake: “You don’t have to deal with English all of the day.”
  • Context: talking about authentic English in the classroom
  • Problem: expression
  • Solution: “You don’t have to deal with English all day (long).”


May 2009

  • Schulpraktikum = student teaching, teacher training, teaching internship


  • Mistake: “If you really want to learn the structure of the grammar…”
  • Context: talking about grammar myths
  • Problem: expression
  • Solution: “If you really want to learn the grammar structure…”


  • Mistake: “You have those sample sentence that…”
  • Context: talking about effective grammar teaching
  • Problem: plural needed
  • Solution: “You have those sample sentences that…”


  • Mistake: “She made a nice presentation.”
  • Context: talking about the topic from the previous week
  • Problem: incorrect verb usage
  • Solution: “She gave a nice presentation.”


  • Mistake: “…just be task-orientated.”
  • Context: talking about modern grammar theories
  • Problem: incorrect word usage
  • Solution: “…just be task-oriented.”


  • Mistake: “Then there would be a homework.”
  • Context: talking about task-based lesson plans
  • Problem: incorrect article usage
  • Solution: “Then there would be homework.”


  • irregular verbs = pron. (“verbs” not “werbs”)



  • vocabularies = no pl. (should be “vocabulary”)


  • Mistake: “The best way how to learn those idioms…”
  • Context: talking about collocations and idioms
  • Problem: “how” is not used here as it is in German; “Der beste Weg, wie man….”
  • Solution: “The best way to learn those idioms…”


June 2009

  • Vokabeln (pl.) = vocabulary (no pl. ending!)


  • Punkt (im Zusammenhang mit verschiedenfarbigen Punkten, die Schwierigkeiten beim Vokabellernen markieren sollen) = richtig hier: dot (not spot)



  • Sozialform = social form


  • Grobziele = aims, general objectives


  • Feinziele = specific objectives


  • didaktische Reserve = alternative plan


  • Lebenssituation (der Schüler) = life situation, life event (of the students/pupils)


  • Mistake: “I had a look on the shorter version…”
  • Context: comparing lesson plans
  • Problem: preposition
  • Solution: ”I had a look at the shorter version…”


  • interkultureller Handlungskompetenz = intercultural competence (for action)


  • Sachanalyse = analysis of subject matter



  • Mistake: “to write a test”
  • Context: discussing possible poster topics
  • Problem: incorrect verb usage
  • Solution: “to take a test”







  • Noten = grades (Amer. Eng.), marks (Br. Eng.)


October 2009

  • Mistake: “When will be the poster session?”
  • Context: discussing upcoming semester projects: posters
  • Problem: syntax
  • Solution: “When will the poster session be?”


  • Schauwand = display wall


  • Mistake: “Keeping it simple is a good advice.”
  • Context: discussing posters
  • Problem: article usage
  • Solution: “Keeping it simple is good advice.”


  • Bildungssystem = educational system



  • Mistake: “uncorrect language”
  • Context: talking about communicative competence
  • Problem: word usage
  • Solution: “incorrect langage”


  • Mistake: “But I think in the context with a foreign language…”
  • Context: talking about communicative competence
  • Problem: preposition
  • Solution: “But I think in the context of a foreign language…”


  • Mistake: “Students feel pressurized…”
  • Context: talking about communicative competence
  • Problem: word usage
  • Solution: “Students feel pressured…”


  • Gruppenpuzzle = jigsaw method, see as example


November 2009

  • discourse (competence) – pronunciation (im Vergleich zum deutschen Begriff “Diskurs”)


  • Mistake: “…and I thought there were all the points mentioned that were important”
  • Context: giving feedback to facilitator group
  • Problem: phrasing
  • Solution: “…and I thought that all the points mentioned were important” OR “…and I thought they mentioned all the important points”


  • Unterrichtsgestaltung = classroom design/structure


  • Kommunikatives Handeln = communicative action


  • Prinzip der funktionalen Einsprachigkeit = functional code-switching


  • Prinzip der Authentizität = authenticity


  • Prinzip der funktionalen Fehlertoleranz = tolerance toward errors


  • Sprachbewusstheit = language awareness


  • Sprachbewusstsein = consciousness raising


-„Language awareness is about raising awareness of grammar already possessed, and consciousness raising is about raising awareness of grammar yet to be acquired.” (Sharwood Smith 1997: 31)