Online Internship of Students and Teachers of PetrSU in Germany

4th year students of the Institute of Foreign Languages at PetrSU studying in program "Teacher Education. German and English Languages" and teachers of the Department of German and French languages Inna Kreneva and Ekaterina Yakovleva participated in 8-hour internship organized by German Foreign Society (DAG) based in Lubek.

In recent years German Foreign Society provides support to the Institute of Foreign Languages with exchange programs and student and teacher academic mobility. As for now, in view of restrictions related to Covid-19 prevention all learning courses and seminars provided by DAG are temporarily held online as part of internship program, which allows representatives from the Institute of Foreign Languages of PetrSU to organize virtual academic mobility and enhance both socio-cultural and language and speaking competences.

This time PetrSU representatives as part of the international internship group focused on a topic Relevant Online Country Study via Zoom-videoconferencing all working day.

During the interactive lectures and workshops provided by representatives from Berlin, Dusseldorf and Lubek, students and teachers of the Institute of Foreign Languages of PetrSU have been advised on voice control as a tool of teacher of foreign language on the lessons as well as practical exercises to keep vocal chords.

In addition, the participants of the online internship got acquainted with the new free online tool Mentimeter, which allows them to automate lexical skills using playful interactive form and facilitates better learning of foreign language vocabulary. The participants were also offered Lingo MINT didactic materials suggesting a new approach to teaching German as a foreign or second foreign language. Materials in German for classes on physics, mathematics and science are developed according to age and in a form adequate to interdisciplinary integrated learning.

Participants of the interactive internship received up-to-date information related to important events in the history of German reunification in 1990 and the reunification of East and West Berlin.

Students and teachers got the opportunity to improve their foreign language communicative competence. Participants also received certificates issued upon completion of online internship at the DAG and insightful authentic didactic materials that they can use in their work.