This project (2020-1-PT01-KA226-HE-094809) has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Select language  >  EN ES HU IT LT PT RO
Login
Register

Database of Teaching Sources

A database of selected, reviewed, tested, assessed and validated e-learning based language teaching sources addressed to Higher education students for the learning of 18 different European languages.

Back to Teaching Sources

B1 Deutsch im Job – Profis gesucht: Gebäudereinigung

Date of Publication

not provided

Target Group

Students

Domain Area

Business & Communication

Learning Scenario

Autonomous learning

Target Language

German

Language of Instruction

Any language

CEFR level

B1

Type of Material

Activity/task
Reference resources (online Dictionaries/ grammar guides/phrasebooks)

Linguistic Features

Vocabulary
Grammar

Skills

Listening
Critical Thinking
Writing
Reading

Description

The B1 course Deutsch im Job – Profis gesucht: Gebäudereinigung is embedded in a broader learning resource provided by the international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW): it comprises a set of multimedial learning content in form of both videos and audios, as well as different writing and speaking exercises. Thus, all the assessable language skills (listening, writing, reading comprehension and speaking) are covered by the course. Furthermore, the DW platform provides the learner with the possibility to both download the content and to advance through the learning path directly on the website. It is recommended to log-in to the website in order to save one’s own course’s results and achievements.
This online course presumes a consolidated knowledge of German grammar notions up to the B1 of the CEFR: its focus is to convey specific information and lexycon related to the cleaning sector: specifically, the course aims at providing an insight in the job as cleaner. Nonetheless, different grammar exercises are contextually provided within its 7 learning units, such as passive sentences (unit Dienstbesprechung), separable verbs (unit Außenreinigung), the use of Konjunktiv II (unit Teppichreinigung) and the sub-clauses with wenn (unit Fakten). The remaining material is focused on vocabulary related to the building cleaning field and, in general, provides the learner with a broad overview over the duties and tasks of a cleaner, such as graffiti removal and carpet cleaning. Also, the relationship with customers is contextualised and a multimedial example is provided.
In light of that, this course is highly indicated for autonomous learners who are willing to take on a career as cleaner in a German-speaking country and/or enroll in a corresponding Ausbildung in Germany, that is apprenticeship/training course.
The learning units can also be processed regardless of the given sequence, considering that the last unit Wissenscheck provides final questions and eventually the result of the corrected answers given in the previous units. Thus, the learner has a tangible means to autonomously correct their mistakes as well as to assess their own improvements.

Case study

The source was tested with students of the Faculty of Applied Languages.
Number of students: 18
Level: B1 - group work
The following units were tested:
III. language training: vocabulary/short presentation
The students were asked to participate in the testing of the teaching units. In advance, they were told which language skills they should pay attention to. Then, students were asked to evaluate the teaching unit in terms of its comprehensibility and usefulness. Students were asked to comment on whether they found the presented learning materials motivating and useful, and whether they thought they contributed to the development of their German language skills and the individual language skills.
The lesson was provided by Deutsche Welle (DW) and is one of DW's common and typical teaching materials. It includes a range of multimedia learning content in the form of videos and audios, as well as various writing and speaking exercises. The lesson focuses mainly on lexis and interrelated skills from the field of building cleaning. The lexis is embedded in the context, which can be seen as a great advantage. The students have positively appreciated this part, because the exercises that follow from it are simple, but serve to the memorization of the learning content.
In summary, it can be stated that the presented teaching units are satisfactory, the students were able to work well with them and have evaluated it as beneficial for the development of language skills. Although the students are studying in the Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication program, they found this topic interesting. The exercises were quite simple for them and also understandable. Finally, it should be mentioned that the presented teaching material meets the requirements of a good teaching material.

Guidelines

The resource is available online at the abovementioned link. Thanks to the ‘Settings’ button marked with a ‘=’, one can easily surf through the available contents (e.g. ‘Grammar’, ‘Script’, ‘Exercises’, ‘Course overview’).
The learning path is already set up and is comprised of 7 learning units (Einstieg, Dienstbesprechung, … Wissenscheck), all of which are further subdivided into 10 exercises’ units. At the end of each learning unit, the platform provides a calculation of the correct answers and a consequent evaluation. The learner can easily scroll the learning path backwards and redo the exercises. Once all the exercises’ units are elaborated, an overview of the correct answers and related score is provided.
It is advisable to first register and log in to the platform, in order for the learner to save their score and better keep track of their results, lest the browser should be closed and the results lost.

Review

Category
Rate
Comprehensive approach
Capacity to match the needs of lecturers and students

5

Added value
The provided tangible improvements

4

Motivation enhancement
The capacity to motivate students to improve their language skills

4

Innovation
Effectiveness in introducing innovative, creative and previously unknown approaches to LSP learning

5

Transferability
Measurement of the transferable potential and possibility to be a source of further capitalisation/application for other language projects in different countries

3

Skills assessment and validation
Availability of appropriate tools for lecturers to monitor students’ progress and for students to assess own progress and to reflect on learning

4

Adaptability
Flexibility of the contents and possibilities for the LSP lecturers to adapt the contents to their and to students’ need

1

Usability
Assess the technical usability from the point of view of the lecturer and the student

5

Accessibility
Assess the accessibility from the point of view of the lecturer and the student

5

Comments:
: the resource is easily accessible and usable on devices (the interface is also mobile-friendly). Although not very flexible in terms of learner’s level adaptation, as the resource is solely focused on one topic and can not be in any way modulated, its utility lies in the multifaceted and highly multimedial learning path. A learner who is already confident with the use of modern devices will find the resource to be highly intuitive and user-friendly.
Every chapter is provided with exercises that cover any assessable language skill, both oral and written, passive (comprehension) and active (production).
By so doing, a certain level of language exposition is virtually created and hence a holistic approach to language learning is adopted.
Website of the Teaching Source:
Visit