Willkommen : Deutsch für alle

Abstract

Willkommen: Deutsch für alle is an innovative first-year German language e-textbook, designed as Open Educational Resource (OER), for learning German at the college/university level. It features a task-based, communicative approach which provides students with opportunities to communicate in German in a variety of contexts and situations. Through a wide range of activities, students develop and practice their language skills which they showcase at the end of each chapter by accomplishing a specific task.

Willkommen: Deutsch für alle follows a blended-learning model, a combination of alternating in-class (face-to-face) instruction and interaction, and online (self-paced) individual learning. Both in-class and online activities encourage students to practice the three communicative modes (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational) and thus the four language skills in an integrated manner. In-class activities provide opportunities for students to use their interactive language skills in a collaborative environment. Online activities aim to review materials from the previous lesson as well as allow students to engage with new information at their own pace.

Willkommen: Deutsch für alle takes an inclusive approach to the depiction of people, contexts, and concepts. It views language learners, instructors and a wide range of individuals interacting in German as belonging to a large German-speaking community. Pedagogical as well as authentic cultural materials emphasize the diversity of speakers of German and are purposely inclusive of sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity.