DW’s German courses are known for their innovative approaches to learning and with the online format, Bandtagebuch (Band Diary), you can learn German with rap music. The format recently received an award at the 2014 Comenius EduMedia Awards organized by the Society for Pedagogy and Information in Berlin. The award recognizes excellence in developing didactic multimedia products. The international jury chose the winners out of over 150 entries coming from 25 countries. The format was also praised by a jury memeber as “wildly successful”  in a short speech at the ceremony.

The Band Diary takes learners of German on a year-long tour with the Munich-based rap group Einshoch6. Their music combines hip-hop and classical motifs with lyrics that are specially written to help listeners learn German. The format also showcases the exciting life of a band on tour and illustrates the German culture and challegnes in learning the langauge.

 

 

Finding new and creative ways to teach the German language is something that DW has focused on heavliy over the last few years, with formats like Jojo sucht das Glück and the new Bandtagebuch. This weekend, DW’s language team will be in Berlin for the the leading language learning convention in Germany, Expolingua.  They will be presenting DW’s award-winning interactive learning tools and will also be presenting the successful learning format, Ticket nach Berlin. The presentation at the convention will introduce the format and its didactic concepts on November 16 at 3 pm. The series is a game show featuring learners of German as they complete different challenges on a trip across Germany.  DW’s language learning services are very popular worldwide. The Facebook page DW-Learn German, has over 230,000 fans and the language course websites get around 6 million clicks every month. Every year around 13,000 people visit Expolingua to check out the 150 displays from 25 countries. Around 50 languages are there to be sampled. If you can make it to the convention, be sure to pay us a visit.

 

DW’s status as a worldwide leader in supporting German language learning was on display at the International German Teachers Conference that ran from July 29 to August 1 in Bozen. DW was praised at the conference for being instrumental in helping German learners master the language by promoting enthusiastic learning. During the event, DW presented the entire spectrum of its language courses with a panel, lectures and an information stand. Around 400 spectators attended the panel where unconventional teaching methods, such as using music, were discussed.  “Singing along is a good way to access and develop a language,” said Shirin Kasraeian, a language learning project coordinator at DW. As part of DW’s language-learning program, they recently enlisted the hip-hop group EINSHOCH6  – who performed at the conference.

Hans-Ulrich-Seidt, a former German diplomat and head of the Culture and Communication department at the German Federal Foreign Office praised DW’s role as an important worldwide mediator of the German language, especially in cooperation with the Goethe Institut, the world’s foremost German language school. The IDT conference is the largest of its kind anywhere in the world.

 

 

DW continues to expand its range of courses and materials for German learners with a new project featuring the German hip-hop group EINSHOCH6. The group has created a diary that takes German learners on a year-long journey through Germany. With a total of 53 individual episodes, viewers accompany the band during rehearsals, to Oktoberfest and even a bargain hunt at a flea market.

Each month, there will also be a song available to download that has been written for DW and come with karaoke versions, allowing users to test their own hip-hop talents. The goal is to get young people interested in the German language and provide a glimpse into daily life in Germany.

DW’s language courses have received multiple awards. As a new teaching format, “Bandtagebuch” will be presented for the first time at the Internationale Deutschlehrertagung (IDT), running from July 29 to August 3 at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. EINSHOCH6 will performa at the event:

July 31, 2013, 9 p.m., Parkhotel Laurin (Via Laurino 4, Bolzano)
August 1, 2013, 5 p.m., Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Ground floor in front of the Aula Magna)
August 1, 2013, 9 p.m., Restaurant/Bar Nadamas (Piazza delle Erbe 44, Bolzano)

A new “Bandtagebuch” episode with EINSHOCH6 will be available each Tuesday, starting July 23: www.dw.com/bandtagebuch