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New Zealand

Brückenbau - Building Bridges

- between New Zealand and Germany, between culture and climate -

Dave Lowe - The Alarmist ©Dave Lowe

The "Brückenbau" teaching materials are part of a Goethe-Institut project for schools in New Zealand. The materials were created according to the CLIL approach. This stands for "Content and Language Integrated Learning" and means that foreign language learning is taught in combination with other subject content. The outcome of this project is aimed at German learners, but can be also used by teachers of other subjects including science.

After Dave Lowe personally visited several schools and inspired many German classes, this project will make the teaching material available to all teachers and students. The following teaching materials use practical examples to show students the role of nature, science, language learning, sport and music in the life of the German-speaking New Zealander Dave Lowe. They are divided into seven chapters, which are listed below. Each chapter has a different focus. They can be used in conjunction with one another or separately. 

  • Part 2

    Early years

    This part is about Dave Lowe's difficult teenage years and his bullying experiences at school.

    Dave Lowe with school class ©Dave Lowe ©Dave Lowe

  • Part 3

    Surfing

    Part 3 focuses on the sport of surfing, which has led Dave Lowe back to the world of sciences.

    Dave Lowe with family ©Dave Lowe ©Dave Lowe

  • Part 4

    Music against climate change

    Music plays an important role in Dave Lowe's life. He has even written a song about climate change.

    Dave Lowe as a musician ©Dave Lowe ©Dave Lowe

  • Part 5

    Climate science

    This part is primarily aimed at science students.

    Climat work ©Dave Lowe ©Dave Lowe

  • Part 6

    Dave Lowe and Germany

    Part 6 discusses Dave Lowe's connection with Germany and the German language.

    Dave Lowe in Germany ©Dave Lowe ©Dave Lowe

  • Part 7

    Activism

    This part offers the opportunity for students to get active themselves.

    Climate strike in Wellington ©Dave Lowe ©Dave Lowe

Building Bridges Team

Building bridges Team ©Dave Lowe

The Building Bridges team consists of Dave Lowe, Judith Geare and Rod Prosser. Dave Lowe was the New Zealand-Germany Science Co-ordinator from 2012 to 2018. He studied and completed his PhD in Germany and was involved in a variety of New Zealand-German collaborations from Intercoast to robotics. Dave speaks very good German and was able to complete his doctorate in atmospheric chemistry in Cologne. He has made it his lifelong mission to measure carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Judith Geare is a trained secondary school teacher of languages and mathematics. She studied in Dunedin, Trier and Vienna and taught at schools in Oamaru, Christchurch and Auckland before moving to Wellington to work at the Goethe-Institut. There she headed the German Language Department, which runs German classes and supports the teaching and learning of German at all levels throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand. In retirement she has continued to teach German to adults and teenagers, and is delighted to be part of the project.
Rod Prosser co-founded Vanguard Films (1978) and Community Media Trust, with Russell Campbell and Alister Barry. He has had a long association with Germany as a filmmaker, beginning in 1985 with Islands of the Empire, a film he made for Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln (WDR) about geopolitics in the Pacific. From then until 2003 he based himself mainly in Germany, shooting political and environmental documentaries around the globe. Back home in Aotearoa, Rod continues to work internationally on solidarity projects, especially involving Germany and Philippines, with a focus on indigenous cultures and the environment.