Pictured: Students of GERM 307 – known as UNC SPARKlers
Did you know there is a class for credit in GSLL that can give you real world teaching experience while also helping to provide needed language education to local K-12 students?
One day a week, after-school students at the The ArtCenter in Carrboro learn in introductory-level German classes. They participate in activities, sing songs and play games all while being introduced to the German language. This program is staffed by UNC-CH students in GERM 307 “German for Educational and Community Engagement.” These students teach their classes under the direction of UNC-CH faculty members like Dr. Jocelyn Aksin. I sat down to speak with Aksin – Teaching Assistant Professor of German for GSLL and head of the UNC Spark for German Lab – to learn how the SPARK program is impacting students at UNC and in the local community.
SPARK for German was created as a joint project of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and the Goethe-Institute – a cultural institute that promotes knowledge of German abroad. SPARK for German’s main goal is to provide professional development for future German teachers and to give students across the US the opportunity to start learning German before college.
Aksin became interested in the SPARK for German program at her last teaching position – but given a lack of available resources and people to staff the program – she put the idea to the side. When she began teaching at UNC-CH she discovered a similar interest from other faculty members in her department. With the backing of the Department of German and Slavic Languages and Literatures, Aksin worked to bring the concept to reality. She says that to her knowledge, the SPARK program is the first of its kind for the department.
German is the 6th most spoken language in North Carolina – but according to Aksin, “there is currently no public school offering German in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) district. CHCCS does not have any German programs right now at any level – high school, middle school or elementary school.” This fact, coupled with a nationwide shortage of German teachers at the K-12 level, has caused a lot of German programs to close. Aksin says this is not due to a lack of interest but to the lack of staffing. She believes that this program is beginning to fill this need. The program brings these issues to the forefront of UNC-CH students minds, while also providing programming to children who would not have access otherwise. Even with this clear need for education, the road hasn’t been an easy one. “It’s a work in progress. There have been a lot of glitches.” Aksin experienced many hurdles along the way, but eventually settled on creating a one credit hour class for UNC-CH students that focuses on addressing these challenges with the help of SPARK for German.
UNC-CH students who enroll in GERM 307 experience what it really takes to be an educator, from creating, revising, and executing lesson plans to teaching in class with students. The class is also set up with ample time for prep before teaching in the classroom and reflection after each lesson. Aksin says that even on this small scale, the class is, “bringing out a huge appreciation for the work of teachers. Not just language teachers – but teachers in general.” She says, “demystifying the whole process of teaching language has been really enlightening for the (UNC-CH) students.” UNC students learn real life teaching skills and the difference between speaking the language and teaching it. Students must dive into the language and think about it in careful detail because they are responsible for teaching it to others.
While the program is still new and evolving, Aksin says she already sees the benefits to everyone involved, the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and literatures included. She hopes that this program will open up new avenues of engagement with the language for students in the department. “I believe it’s important for German departments to have an outward facing approach. I think German Departments been very insular historically – and now we’re trying to do something where we put German to use outside of a strictly academic context.” She has high expectations for the future of the program. She hopes that GERM 307 will continue to open UNC-CH students’ eyes to the possibility of Education as a career. But mainly, she sees the effect on the young after-school students they teach. “We don’t expect that the students are going to come away speaking perfect fluent German. But we want them to learn some words, learn some basic sentences – just have a good time,” and most importantly, “to know that German is an option.”
10/4/2024 Michaela Woodward