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 awards scholarships to German teachers in sub-Saharan Africa for participation in various modules of the professional development series ‘Deutsch lehren lernen’ (DLL). The training courses take place exclusively online, and the materials are available on the corresponding learning platform. German teachers of all levels with language proficiency level B2 can choose one module each.

Procedere

The units begin with an online phase via video conference, during which you will learn how to use the learning platform and familiarise yourself with the content of the upcoming 13 weeks. You will receive detailed information about the mandatory practical exploration projects, ‘PEPs,’ and the PEP documentation that must be submitted individually.

In the subsequent phase, you will work on the material on the Goethe-Institut's learning platform, where the principle of learner autonomy is consistently applied. Appropriate tasks for self-evaluation are provided for this purpose, as well as digital building blocks. Exploratory tasks are 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 essential that you follow the specified work schedule. Of course, you will also be in close contact with your qualified DLL trainers, including through joint video conferences via ZOOM.

In a tridem, you jointly plan a practical exploration project (PEP). Each participant carries out this PEP individually in their own in-person teaching and then evaluates the experiences together. In a concluding ZOOM session, the tridems present the results of their PEPs to all course participants, discuss the findings, and prepare 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 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

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).