Review of a German as a Second Language Textbook Used at a Japanese University

　Schritte International Neu, published by Hueber Verlag, is a three - level textbook series designed for German language learners aligned with the pedagogical goals outlined in the Common European Languages of Reference (CEFR) levels A1, A2 and B2. This global textbook series seeks to prepare learners to live and/or work in German speaking countries by acquainting them with everyday communication situations that they may encounter while spending time there. In my review, I examine the most basic level textbook in the series: Schritte International Neu 1 - A1.1 authored by Daniela Niebisch, Sylvette Pennig-Hiemstra, Franz Specht, Monika Bovermann, Angela Pude and Monika Reimann. This textbook is a half-volume of the A1 level. In this review, I examine the textbook’s pedagogical rationale, its content, its usage by Japanese university students who are learning German for the first time, and its strengths and weaknesses. I also describe the textbook’s overall appropriateness for my students based on my perspective as a German language instructor

A Total German Approach: Reflections of Teaching in the Target Language

In this brief paper I write about my reflections on teaching the first half of an introductory German as a Second Language course (Deutsch als Fremdsprache) exclusively in the target language. I compare and contrast my teaching in the target language with my past experiences in using a multilingual approach. The reason for recording my reflections was to learn more about my own teaching in terms of my successes, problems and concerns related to teaching in the target language. In teaching previous German courses, I used a multilingual instructional approach made up of a language combination of German, English and Japanese that did not adhere to any set classroom language policy as to when or how long I should teach in any one of the three languages

The Development of German as a Foreign Language Discipline in a Multilingual Europe

In this paper, I review the development of German as a Foreign Language （Deutsch als Fremdsprache）（GFL）discipline in Germany. Many of the changes in GFL have been greatly influenced by the social, economic and political changes which impacted Germany and Europe from the post-war period till today. By recognizing how these changes have directly and indirectly influenced GFL, we can better understand how and why foreigners currently learn German in Germany. I provide brief overviews of these changes: the official acceptance of multilingualism as a cornerstone of a new European language policy, the influence of the Council of Europe and the European Union in furthering multilingualism throughout its member states including Germany, immigration to Germany and the present economic situation there; and describe how each change has influenced German language education in its own right. I conclude my paper with a description of the German Adult Association（DVV）and explain how it has become a major institution in fostering and developing GFL in a multilingual Europe as a result of these influential changes

Introducing German Dialects in the German as a Second Language Classroom

This brief paper focuses on how German dialects can be introduced in German as a Second Language (GSL) classes through the use of Project Based Learning (PBL) activities. Standard German is the language variety predominately used in German language classrooms across the world, although there are several dialect branches and hundreds of their variants that exist in the German-speaking realm. GSL students should be exposed to and made aware of some of these dialects as they constitute an important part of the language, culture and history of Germanspeaking countries and language communities throughout the world

The Language Learning Experiences of a Japanese Expatriate in Germany

　I conducted the following interview with a Japanese expatriate who resides and works in Germany. The interview was in English and took place in March, ２０１３. The purpose of the interview was to highlight some of the language-learning challenges which Japanese expatriates may encounter when they are sent to foreign countries. It is not my intention to portray this interviewee’s foreign experiences as typical of all expatriates who are posted overseas but only to show how one individual overcame his own linguistic difficulties