India: In German course correction, there's colour, slang

Francis Hult francis.hult at utsa.edu
Thu Jun 18 16:52:36 UTC 2009


Indian Express

 

In German course correction, there's colour, slang

 

Eighteen years ago, when German language teacher Papia Dutta studied German, she used a text-heavy book that was printed in the 1950s, and offered only a smattering of blurred pictures for visual relief. Her professors would joke that they too had used the same books when they were students. While everything else changed, including the currency in Europe, the books were stuck in time and so were the students. 

 

"It was just so uninteresting," says Dutta. "The books were in black and white. It wasn't practical. Students couldn't speak the language even after years of learning." 

 

Finally, this has changed. The German textbooks were upgraded this year, with the Central Board of Secondary Examinations (CBSE) going in for a communicative approach towards foreign language teaching in India. 

 

For two years, experts brainstormed and charted out a syllabus that would fit the bill, and earlier this year, the new, colourful books hit the markets. Foreign languages in CBSE schools are taught from Class 6 to Class 12.

 

Full story:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/In-German-course-correction--there-s-colour--slang/477953

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