Episode 52: Learning, Improving, and Teaching...Deutsch mit Kris
Sep 4, 2023
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German teacher Kris of Deutsch mit Kris shares her journey into the German language, struggles with speaking despite academic knowledge, and how she overcame language learning anxiety. Topics include cultural misunderstandings, fear and lack of confidence in learning a new language, methods of acquiring vocabulary, and Kris' experiences in teaching German.
Pushing oneself into speaking situations is crucial for gaining confidence and proficiency in language learning.
Language classrooms should prioritize communication and practical usage over grades, setting realistic goals and celebrating progress.
Cultural misunderstandings can create anxiety in language learning, but building confidence, embracing small victories, and having a positive mindset are key in overcoming these challenges.
Deep dives
Chris's Journey into Learning German
Chris shares her personal experience of how she became interested in learning German as a high school student from the southern United States. She discusses the struggles she faced in becoming a fluent speaker and highlights the importance of pushing oneself into speaking situations to gain confidence and proficiency.
Teaching Philosophy and Methods
Chris explains how her experiences in language classrooms shaped her teaching philosophy. She emphasizes the need to focus on communication and practical usage rather than just getting a high grade. She encourages students to set realistic goals and celebrates their progress, while de-emphasizing the fear of making mistakes. Chris also shares her views on providing helpful feedback to language learners.
Cultural Misunderstandings and Anxiety in Language Learning
Chris discusses how cultural misunderstandings can affect language learning and create anxiety. She addresses the stereotypes associated with German culture and the fear of making mistakes or being judged by native speakers. She emphasizes the importance of building confidence, embracing small victories, and having a positive mindset while learning a language.
Overcoming Fear and Seeking Helpful Feedback in Language Learning
The speaker reflects on the importance of allowing for helpful feedback while disregarding unhelpful critique in the language learning process. They emphasize the significance of building confidence to differentiate between feedback that aids learning, such as correcting pronunciation, and feedback that is discouraging. They share their personal experience of initially lacking confidence in speaking German and relying primarily on grammar drills, which hindered their progress. However, volunteering at an old people's home to read poems out loud and engage in conversations forced them to practice speaking without fear. This experience significantly improved their German proficiency and self-assurance.
The Value of Tailored Language Teaching and Cultural Guidance
The speaker shares their journey of becoming a language teacher and offering tailored language instruction for individuals interested in studying in Germany. They highlight the importance of addressing the holistic needs of language learners, not just focusing on passing exams. They discuss the significance of understanding the cultural nuances, slang, and specific vocabulary necessary for navigating daily life, academics, and social interactions in Germany. The speaker emphasizes the advantage of non-native language teachers who can empathize with the challenges faced by learners, as they have personally experienced confusion and uncertainties in the language and culture learning process.
In today's episode, I’m chatting with German teacher Kris of Deutsch mit Kris. Kris shares her story of how she got into the German language as a high school student from the Southern United States. She had the typical story many of us know growing up in a place where only one language is spoken, taking a few years of language in school, and performing really well but not being able to speak the language. Yet something happened for Kris that sparked her interest in German, and luckily, she followed that curiosity all the way to living and studying in Germany and then to becoming a teacher of the language.
But her path wasn’t that simple. Kris shares many of the struggles she experienced having a high level of academic German but still not feeling like she could speak it at all. She tells a wonderful story of how she grew into her advanced level German, gaining ability and confidence as she found a way to force herself into speaking situations; she explains how her experiences in language classrooms shaped her entire teaching philosophy and methods; and she talks a bit about what she does to continue learning and expanding her German while living in the country as an advanced speaker and teacher of the language.
We cover being a science/math person who also loves languages, how cultural misunderstandings affect when and how we speak our languages, and helpful versus unhelpful feedback from others. Kris has such an honest and down-to-earth approach to language learning, and listening to her share how she worked to overcome her own hurdles and then translated those into helping her students is so exciting. I love her approach, I love her transparency in her own journey, and I have no doubt you all will enjoy it, too. Kris's online info is below, so you can connect with her, nerd out over languages and math with her, and share her German course with anyone you know who can benefit from her work.
