Meet Clara K.: An Inspirational Journey to Teaching German

Introduction to Clara K.: Clara K. has been shaping minds as a German teacher since 2011 and joined the German Online Institute in 2015. Originally studying Dentistry, her passion for languages prompted a bold career shift. She left her medical studies to pursue Linguistics and specialized further in Phonetics. Today, she excels as a DaF (German as a Foreign Language) teacher and pronunciation coach at GOI. Living in Leipzig, she leverages her medical background to assist students from the healthcare sector, making her classes uniquely insightful.

Preview of the Interview: In our exclusive interview, Clara shares her effective strategies for keeping students engaged in long-term online language learning and addresses common challenges German learners face. She also reveals her favorite methods for teaching challenging German sounds and a fun tongue twister that she uses to improve pronunciation.

Interview:

1. Keeping Students Engaged:

• Question: How do you keep students awake and motivated throughout months and even years in your virtual classes? Any tricks?
• Clara’s Answer: “Finding topics students actually enjoy talking about is essential to keeping them interested in language learning. It pays off to form a personal connection, show empathy and interest in your students’ learning journey and struggles. I create small moments of success in every lesson and sprinkle in a dash of humor. Plus, I like to keep things fresh by mixing up our lesson formats and topics, so it’s always exciting to come to class.”

2. Common Mistakes and Solutions:

• Question: What are the three most common mistakes German learners make, and how can they be prevented?
• Clara’s Answer: “German articles can be confusing and are a source of many errors, especially when a student’s native language doesn’t have grammatical gender. Forgetting to conjugate verbs properly can turn a sentence into a linguistic rollercoaster. To tackle these, practice makes perfect. I use mnemonic devices and practice drills to reinforce correct usage. Also, beware of false friends like ‘Geld spenden,’ which does not mean ‘to spend money.'”

3. Mastering Difficult Sounds:

• Question: How do you help students master those tricky German sounds like the “ch” in “ich”?
• Clara’s Answer: “A great start is to realize that you know most of the sounds already, even if not from speech. For example, the hissing of a cat. We practice tongue twisters, use tongue position diagrams, and incorporate tongue exercises to train those muscles to tackle the ‘ch’ sound with finesse!”

4. Fun with Pronunciation:

• Question: What’s the funniest German tongue-twister you use to improve pronunciation?
• Clara’s Answer: “My favorite is ‘Fromme Frösche fressen frische Frühlingszwiebeln, aber freche Frösche fressen frische Früchte.’ Try saying it three times in a row without stumbling to improve your pronunciation of ‘sch’ and ‘ch’.”

Clara’s approach not only educates but also entertains, ensuring that learning German remains a joyful and enriching experience.

In need of German pronunciation coaching with Clara?