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Introduction - A Word to the Student

Grüßt Euch! Greetings... and welcome back to the world of German and to the world of interactive instruction. I am excited about working with you again this year. For those of you joining us for the first time, I look forward to meeting you. By successfully completing German I and II, you have already demonstrated mastery of some of the basic language skills needed to communicate in German. Now let's discuss what you can expect as you continue your German study.

• As you know from last year, learning a second language requires a lot of practice. In German I, you started with the very basic units of language study and built upon them as the new material began to take on meaning. You concentrated initially on the speaking and listening skills, then added the writing and reading skills as you progressed to German II. In German III, you will expand and extend these skills to increase your proficiency in the language.
   
• Remember that your ultimate goal is to understand and be understood in a language other than your native one. Your experience has already shown you that learning a language is a process that requires taking guesses and making mistakes along the way. Continued success requires motivation and determination.
   
• The format of the German III class will be very similar to that established in German I and II. I will conduct class on videotape. During this time, you are expected to watch carefully, follow instructions, and take notes. It will also be important for you to interact with your classmates, your tutor, and me either live or via the Internet. Your active participation will improve your performance in communicating in German.
   
• When you are not watching the video lesson, you will work on putting your skills into action. This will be accomplished by working with your tutor, another member of your class, or completing assignments via the Internet.
   
• We will continue to use the Fokus Deutsch materials as the focus of instruction. We will continue to "look in" on several areas of the German-speaking world to see how the language works in real life. You will continue to receive telephone lesson outlines ("Telefonstunden") via the Internet. You will be required to keep all of your materials along with your notes in a three-ring binder. You will be expected to make up all worked missed due to illness or other excused absence.
   
• One of my major goals this year is to use more German during instruction and to encourage all students to use as much German as possible throughout the class. This will require additional effort and practice from all of us. But the reward will be increased proficiency.
   
• The facilitator for your class will be the personal representative for the KET German course at your school. You may have worked with the same facilitator last year, or you may have a new one. In either case, since I cannot be in the classroom with you in person, the facilitator will work with you to help you accomplish the objectives of the course. Therefore, your cooperation with the facilitator is most important for your success.
   
• Our team members include you, the facilitator, the tutors, the support staff at KET, and me. Each of us has assigned tasks that we must complete. Together, as a team, we will explore the German language, its people, and its culture. We will use the technology, activities, and materials I have described to reach our destination. There is a saying attributed to the Chinese:

  I hear and forget

  I see and remember

  I do and understand

  If all of us do our part, we will grow to understand the world of German. To that end, I wish you Alles Gute - "all the best"!