Calling all Ontario teachers: Obtain your official qualification to teach German!

After many years of hard work and advocacy, Ontario Certified Teachers (who are registered in good standing with the Ontario College of Teachers) are invited to enrol in the “German – Part 1” Additional Qualification (AQ) course to become an officially recognized teacher of German as a world language.

The next offering of the course is Spring-Summer 2025.

If you possess a high level of proficiency or are a Native Speaker of German, consider enrolling in this course. International Languages teachers are needed and valued at all levels of K-12 schools, showing young people the importance of intercultural competencies and equipping them with outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.

The course is offered completely online by Nipissing University. All candidates must pass a language proficiency test (also online) prior to registration.

This course is open to all interested educators, including those who are not certified to teach in Ontario schools, i.e. Sprachschulelehrkräfte. Participation in this course for non-Ontario College of Teachers-certified individuals will not lead to any official Ontario certification, however the course content will be of interest to many educators. A waiver form must be completed via the Nipissing University website in order to take part and full participation is expected of all registered participants.

This initiative is offered by the Nipissing University with support from the Ontario Association of Teachers of German (OATG). For full details about this and other Additional Qualification courses, visit http://www.nipissingu.ca/aq. Nehmen Sie teil!

Why take the German AQ course?

Ontario needs more qualified International Languages teachers. These programs allow young people to gain valuable and marketable skills, explore a wide variety of cultures and histories, and use these new abilities to benefit their schools, communities, cities, and countries.

 Officially qualified German teachers: 

  • bring legitimacy to International Languages programs across all school systems and age groups
  • provide schools with highly-qualified instructors with a stronger understanding of second language programming and teaching strategies
  • allow teachers to self-advocate for the creation/rebuilding of German programs
  • permit school administrators, parent/guardian communities, and students to better see the value of the study of German (and second languages as a whole)
  • are able to access the outstanding supports available to German language learners across Ontario, Canada, and the world via the Goethe-Institut and partner agencies, which can be implemented cross-curricularly, i.e., through STEM/STEAM courses, experiential learning, and many other subject areas

This course:

  • is open to all Ontario Certified Teachers (and those without teaching certification in Ontario who would benefit from the course content)
  • equips candidates with a solid foundation in current second language pedagogy, Ontario curriculum, and best practices in teaching students language and cultures of the German-speaking world
  • focuses on secondary school programs, however, all content is easily adapted to younger age groups
  • is appropriate for teachers already qualified to teach German but would benefit from a “refresher”
  • is encouraged for educators with a minimum B2 level proficiency in German
  • is open to Native Speakers and proficient communicators who do not have post-secondary credits in German language, literature, etc.; a proficiency test for all applicants will assess entrance in the course.

 

Bursaries are available this year! Upon successful completion and full payment of the AQ course, members in good standing of the Ontario Association of Teachers of German (OATG) (http://www.oatg.org) will also receive a bursary. (Note: the final amount is contingent on the number of members who take this course).

 

To enrol:

Enrollment for 2025 opens in February 2025. For full details, visit http://www.nipissingu.ca/AQ.

The Goethe-Institut Toronto will arrange for the receipt of free teacher-training material for use during the course.

*Your contact information may be shared with the Goethe-Institut Toronto to arrange for these materials and services. Alternate arrangements may be available upon request.

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