German

German tuition aims to support assessment in the areas of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, which are considered the four key skills involved in learning a modern foreign language. Teaching extends beyond learning vocabulary to recognising and understanding grammatical patterns and the structures required to produce comprehensible language. The benefits of a German tutor are to help with a range of skills, such as dictionary usage, which allows students to independently search for, select and process information for their own purposes. In terms of listening and speaking, this kind of processing is essential in order to produce automatic responses intuitively and sensitively. One-to-one German tuition is an incredible opportunity to practise conversation skills at an intense level, ensuring that speech is both accurate and extensive.

German tuition may practise memory and recall strategies in order to help students grow accustomed with even the most challenging vocabulary. To interact with others successfully, candidates need to blend their technical knowledge with an awareness of mood, register, and social appropriateness, and to constantly underpin this with an understanding of German culture and society. A German tutor is a useful tool for gaining this as they share their background, experience and passion for Germany and German-speaking people with each individual. The transferable skills of language learning equip young people to compete in an increasingly global workplace environment, and to develop as broad-minded, socially-responsible citizens.

BEGINNERS...Initially, students need to grasp basic vocabulary in context-based, thematical units such as Living and Working, Culture and Society, Relationships, Emotions and Contemporary Issues. Topics such as these are generally relevant to the growing individual and their concerns, introducing personal, vocational, transactional and vocational language types in set phrases and conversations. A German tutor aims to solidify this work and move students beyond it, towards understanding the mechanics of language itself, enabling them to adapt it for complex and alternative contexts. The flexibility this allows is hugely rewarding and improves competency in oral tests and written tasks. Candidates are expected to prepare talks, carry out role-play, and write essays under timed supervision. They also sit examinations to test their reading and listening skills, and tuition sessions can be amended to focus on the least confident areas for each student.

ADVANCED...As students progress, German tuition can be highly valuable in attaining the communicative competency and sophistication required of them, as they begin to discuss more complex themes such as Education and Work, Lifestyles, and International Cultures. A variety of media may be encountered such as film, music or literature, and some students begin to appropriate their German language skills to particular work-related contexts. At this level, a broader understanding is expected of contemporary German culture and history, and this contributes to linguistic ability to communicate effectively and intelligently. A German tutor will encourage students to take confidence expressing their own opinions and ideas, as they start to tackle controversial societal issues such as identity, politics and the environment. Consideration of current affairs allows students to identify more thoroughly with German people and make perceptive comparisons with British and other cultures.