Research
We explore how adult education can be made inclusive, digital and effective.
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We offer research, transfer and infrastructure for lifelong learning.
Begriffsklärungen und Begriffswandel rund um das Thema Sprachenlernen.
The author starts out from a review of the relationship between language didactics and other fields of research giving inspiration to it (learning psychology, linguistics, second language acquisition research, anthropology), exploring whether constructivism might be one of these fields. He criticizes that in order to explain constructivist perspectives on learning, constructivists tend to use „instructionalism“ as a background against which to position their own ideas, „instructionalism“, howev…
Ein historischer Längsschnitt über die Bedeutung von Sprachenlernen und den Wandel im Sprachunterricht.
The author comments on his essay’s title which should refer to a „human being“ rather than to a „migrant“. With examples drawn from literature, theatre and real life he underpins his theory of an increasing malfunction of language as a means of communication. Finally, he reflects on cultural identity and a (German) concept of integration into a target culture.
English is firmly established as a lingua franca, yet in order to preserve cultural variety the mastering of several languages will continue to be indispensable. The author demonstrates in which ways learners profit from knowledge of and comparison between various languages and argues in favour of a common aim of „English plus multilinguality“.
Prof. Dr. Harald Weinrich ist einer der profiliertesten deutschen Sprachwissenschaftler. Er ist Mitbegründer der Universität Bielefeld, begründete in München das Fach „Deutsch als Fremdsprache“ und lehrt als erster deutscher Wissenschaftler am Collège de France. Gegenüber DIE-Mitarbeiter Gerd von der Handt plädiert Weinrich für die Rehabilitierung des Begriffs „Sprachkultur“, für die lingua-franca-Englisch, sofern sie Mehrsprachigkeit nicht erdrückt und fordert von den Deutschen, selbst mehrsp…
Traditionally, adult foreign language learning is an issue of foreign and second language acquisition research. This book advocates increased adult educational research in this particular field of practice, which is presented in a detailed overview of theories and concepts, research, statistics, teaching-learning approaches and recommendations. Case studies demonstrate how qualitative methods of programme analysis, video interaction research and biography analysis are used as approaches to adul…
The author outlines European and German activities and initiatives in the European Year of Languages. In order to bring these initiatives to fruition, it will be necessary to establish the usefulness of language knowledge in the minds of all European citizens. The author’s argument in favour of familiarity with more than one foreign language as a culturally enriching experience culminates in the promise that „monolinguality is curable“.
Learning a language is an indispensable prerequisite for participating in both public and working life. Adult education, also in Germany, is currently facing a great challenge in the area of language teaching: In addition to language teaching for migrants and refugees, a key problem is the alphabetization of German and non-German speaking functional illiterates. This paper looks at the conditions for successful language learning by the adults here in focus in organized teaching and learning set…
