Language and Section: German Advanced Conversation

Date: 01-31-2013

Class theme/topics discussed:

–       Introductory small talk

–       80th anniversary of the NS take over

Goal of the class:

–       Knowledge about the National Socialist Terror Regime

–       discussing

Structure of the class:

–       We watched the news and particularly a video in which the take over of Hitler’s national socialists was explained and commemorated as the end of the first German democracy

–       Students were asked to describe what they had seen and to reproduce in their own words what the holocaust survivor in the video said

–       The teacher asked several question, some provocative

–       A discussion started about guilt, collective failure, uniqueness of the dictatorship, and the general dangers to a democracy.

–       We ended with another video which explained the strengths of the second German democracy

What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)

Tv, internet

What worked well in this class? What did not work?

I ran out of time due to the lively discussion which emerged. I let it go though because it produced 30 minutes during which I did not say a word. All students were involved. Guilt, responsibility, knowing and not knowing, injustice, and democratic weaknesses seem to interest a lot of students.

How could this class be improved/ modified?

I did not expect the class to become so great. I would therefore not modify anything.