Deutsch lehren lernen

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The Goethe-Institut's ‘Deutsch Lehren Lernen’ training series helps teachers reflect on and develop their teaching skills. The focus is on new ideas, learning together with colleagues and trying out new methods. Find out more about the concept, the individual modules and the training programme.

The Goethe-Institut South Africa awards scholarships to German teachers from southern Africa for the participation in various modules of the professional development series ‘Deutsch lehren lernen’ (DLL). The training courses take place exclusively online. Materials are available on the corresponding learning platform. German teachers of all levels with language proficiency level B2 can apply for one module per semester.

Procedere

The units begin with an online introduction, which will give you guidance on how to use the learning platform and provide a chance to familiarize yourself with the content of the upcoming 13 weeks. You will receive detailed information about the mandatory practical exploration projects (PEPs), and the individual submissions thereof.

In the following phase, you will work with the material on the Goethe-Institut's learning platform, where you apply the principles of an autonomic learning approach. Appropriate tasks for self-evaluation are provided for this purpose, as well as digital building blocks. Exploratory tasks are to be completed in all DLL units.

The mutual exchange of information on individual tasks and experiences among participants is an essential aspect of the training format. It is therefore necessary that you follow the specified work schedule. Of course, you will also be in close contact with your qualified DLL tutors, including joint video conferences via ZOOM.

In a tridem, you jointly plan a practical exploration project (PEP). Each participant carries out this PEP individually in a practical and physical lesson which is followed by an evaluation thereof. In a concluding ZOOM session, the tridems present the results of their PEPs to all course participants, discuss the findings, and prepare the documentation to be submitted.

Time required

13 weeks, approx. 90 hours per training unit. The number of hours refers to the time required to complete the assignments, including the reading time for the DLL unit. The weekly work on the platform must be well planned and adhered to in order to keep up with the course progression. If the scholarship holder has not shown sufficient activity after 3 weeks, he/she will be withdrawn from the course.

Language proficiency

To work on the basic units (‘BASIS-Einheiten’) of ‘Deutsch Lehren Lernen’, you must provide proof of level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Dates and modules

The training units will take place from February to May and September to November 2026. Participants can take part in one module during this period.
DLL 1: Teaching Competence and Lesson Design
DLL 2: How Do People Learn German as a Foreign Language?
DLL 3: German as a Foreign Language
DLL 4: Tasks, Exercises, Interaction
DLL 5: Teaching and Learning Media
DLL 6: Curricular Guidelines and Lesson Planning
DLL 7: Testing, Assessing, Evaluating
DLL 10: German as a Foreign Language for Adolescents

This means that two modules can be completed in a year, provided that the module taken in the first semester is successfully completed.

Application Requirements

Please note the following information regarding the application process and eligibility criteria.
Application Requirements:

Residence in Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Zambia, or South Africa
Several years of teaching experience in German, German as a Foreign Language (DaF), or German as a Second Language (DaZ)
Current employment and active teaching at a primary or secondary school, a university, a Goethe-Centre, or a language learning center in Southern Africa
Interest in acquiring new teaching methods and subject-specific pedagogical skills
Enjoyment of working with other German teachers in a group
Language proficiency: at least B2 in German (according to the CEFR)

Technical requirements

You will need a computer with reliable internet access, a camera and a headset. You will need to register with your own email address in order to sign up to the learning platform and access the learning materials. A mobile phone is not sufficient for completing the training course.

Certificate of attendance

All DLL units conclude with a certificate of attendance from the Goethe-Institut. To receive this certificate, participants must have completed their independent work on time, carried out and documented a specified number of exploratory tasks and one practical research project (PEP).

Fees

The training is free of charge and is financed through a scholarship. We therefore ask that you submit serious and well-prepared documents following the application process outlined below.