Joseph Kasperski
| Instituição/Afiliação | Ruhr-University Bochum |
| Resumo da Biografia | I am a German language teacher living and working in Germany. I have a PhD in “teaching German as a foreign language” and a master’s degree in Germanic linguistics and literature, both from the Ruhr University in Bochum. I have been teaching German to foreign students for more than 20 years now; that is throughout my entire working career. Sometimes I think that the whole world comes to me as I have students of 50 different nationalities in my classes here in Germany and I love this aspect of my work. While talking to my students I can learn a lot about their culture and countries of origin and thus better tailor my classes to their specific needs. In addition, I have an ever-growing number of online students living on five continents that I connect to through interactive online platforms such as Skype. Distance language learning technologies enable anyone in the world to learn any foreign language they like at zero cost. This is a great opportunity especially for people living in impoverished regions with poor access to quality education. All they need is dedication and Internet access. It is obvious that in order to succeed in today’s globalized world English is a must. But, when it comes to the second foreign language, German is a good choice. Germany has no tuition fees so that anyone from anywhere in the world can study in Germany for free. Also, Germany is a wealthy industrial nation with chronic labour shortages in many areas which can only be plugged with foreign workforce. This is an enormous opportunity for the skilled foreign professionals, especially those who studied in Germany, to find well paid jobs in German companies both in Germany and in foreign countries. I am a regular contributor to the German language learning platform LearnGermanOnline.org which helps interested individuals from around the world not only to find free materials and resources to learn German online but also advises them on opportunities of moving to Germany for study, work or self-employment. I recently wrote a review of the language exchange platforms (you can find it here) where language learners can learn German with a native speaking conversation partner for free. This is a unique opportunity especially for German learners from countries where one of the world’s major languages is spoken (e.g. Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, etc.) to learn authentic German in an entertaining way with German native speakers as well as to make friends in Germany and learn about German people, culture and lifestyle. Likewise, the language exchange platforms are a good place to find professional native-speaking online teachers for private lessons or virtual classroom courses which are usually less expensive than regular school lessons and time-saving as there is no need to travel anywhere. |
NOVO QUALIS CAPES B2