Finding German sites in Aotearoa - Puhoi excursion
Collaboration between University of Auckland, Tui Tuia | Learning Circle and DAAD (German exchange program)
Am 1. Oktober 2022 war es endlich soweit, nachdem aus gegebenem Anlass die Veranstaltung in 2021 in letzter Minute abgesagt werden musste. Eine Gruppe von Deutsch Lehrenden und Deutsch Studierenden machten sich vom Epsom Campus auf den Weg nach Puhoi. In Puhoi wurden sie von Einheimischen in der Centennial Hall begrüßt. Die Studierenden hatten im Vorfeld eine virtuelle Schnitzeljagd in ihren Seminaren mit Dr Diana Feick (Senior lecturer) und Mareike Schmidt (DAAD) vorbereitet. Diese kam vor Ort zum Einsatz, um die Geschichte der deutschsprechenden Siedler Puhois zu entdecken. Auch der Dauerregen konnte der guten Stimmung, dem Enthusiasmus und dem gemeinschaftlichen Arbeiten keinen Abbruch leisten. Was ein toller Tag! Wieder einmal wurde offensichtlich, dass keine Theorie und kein virtuelles Ereignis das Erleben und kommunizieren miteinander in Echtzeit ersetzen kann.
Herzlichen Dank allen Beteiligten!
Photo 1: Mareike Schmidt, DAAD and Alexandra Töniges, German National Language Adviser
Searching for traces of the first German-speaking settlers in the Auckland area. This was the starting point for a collaboration between Tui Tuia | Learning Circle/Goethe-Institut Neuseeland (Alexandra Töniges, German National Language Adviser), the German Department of the University of Auckland (Dr. Diana Feick) and the DAAD (Mareike Schmidt).
On 1 October 2022 the event was finally held, after the 2021 event had to be cancelled at the last minute. A group of German teachers and students set off from the Epsom campus to Puhoi on Saturday morning. In Puhoi they were welcomed by locals in the Centennial Hall. The students had prepared a virtual scavenger hunt in advance in their seminars with Dr Diana Feick (Senior Lecturer) and Mareike Schmidt (German Academic Exchange Representative). This was used on site to discover the history of Puhoi's German-speaking settlers. Even the continuous rain could not dampen the good mood, the enthusiasm, and the collaborative work. What a great day! Once again it became obvious that no theory and no virtual event can replace experiencing and communicating with each other in real time.
Many thanks to all involved!
One participant, Zhenzhen reflected:
“The Puhoi excursion would have been perfect if it had not been raining that day. But to be honest, it was still excellent and full of joy. The procedure was well-planned. The scavenger hunt made the Puhoi trip a little challenging but interesting and exciting. Instead of just looking at the scenery and local people without knowing anything about them, the information given by the task led us to learn more and deeper about Puhoi's history and culture, such as their ancestors' migration experience and daily life and their Egerland dialect. I believe that both students and teachers must have learnt a lot from this trip. The method that we used to get the required related information would probably benefit students unconsciously even in their future study or development, as an old Chinese teaching concept "授人以鱼不如授人以渔(Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime)". On the other hand, my teaching mainly took place in the classroom, and I rarely had the chance to take students out when I was a teacher in China before. I find that the Puhoi exploration once again showed me a good teaching model to apply what students have learned in school or uni to real life, which would greatly arouse their interest and enthusiasm for further learning. I really enjoyed the Puhoi trip and benefited a lot at the same time. Thank you very much! I had a wonderful day. I'm looking forward to more informative and interesting events.
Viele Grüße,
Zhenzhen”
Feedback received from other participants:
It is interesting to learn there is a little piece of Germany in New Zealand. The museum was extremely enthralling. It shows the hardships the settlers must have gone through. Not only in a new land, but also learning a new language. When you visit the Puhoi Pub, you will see a small poster of a German beer company. Jakob told me he comes from Dortmund, where this particular beer is made. It is worth visiting Puhoi and spending a day there.
Viele Grüße
Aleisha“
der Puhoi Ausflug hat mir sehr gefallen! Es war eine gute Gelegenheit sich mit anderen Deutschlehrenden und -lernenden auszutauschen. Die Schnitzeljagd war eine super Idee, um die Gegend gezielt und in Kleingruppen zu erkunden und über die Geschichte Puhoi’s zu lernen. Leider hat das mit dem Padlet auf dem Handy nicht wirklich funktioniert aber zum Glück hatten wir ja auch die Ausdrucke. Aufgrund der Kolonialgeschichte Aotearoas, mit Folgen die bis in die Gegenwart und Zukunft reichen, hätte ich ein “Land acknowledgement” oder irgendeine Form der Auseinandersetzung/Kontext mit dem Thema gut gefunden.
Trotz des Regenwetters hatte ich einen sehr schönen und lehrreichen Tag, mit leckerem vegetarischen Essen! Danke fürs Planen! :)
Schöne Grüße,
Xenia
Queenstown German Immersion 2022
Photo: Teachers of German with at Skyline Gondola Queenstown during the German Immersion Week.
Feeback received from teachers who participated in the Immersion:
I had a wonderful learning experience on the German Immersion week in Queenstown. We did a multitude of varied activities which were not only fun, but which helped me gain some of my lost confidence in my German language ability. The other teachers were so welcoming and supportive which allowed me to take risks and be more assertive in my German language use. Nothing was too much; all my questions were answered and in such a kind, supportive manner. I learned so much. My vocabulary also got an ‘update’ as I hadn’t used my German for a considerable time. We had so much fun together and the hotel was a comfortable and welcoming spot to return to in the evenings. We all immediately used our new methodologies and ideas as soon as we got back to the classroom. We were ‘humming’. Special thanks to Alex for co-ordinating everything – it wouldn’t have worked so well without her fantastic eye for detail and her flair. The activities were so broad in range and not one of them was dull! What a great way to spend a week. New language, new ideas and, best of all, new connections!
Vielen Dank!
Jeanette Simpson, Lincoln High School
Zu Beginn der Ferien haben wir in Queenstown eine fantastische Deutsch-Immersionswoche verbracht. Das übergeordnete Thema war „DaF-fächerübergreifend“/cross-curricular. Wir haben viele interessante Aktivitäten unternommen, von der Herstellung von Schmuck aus Fahrradschläuchen über die Herstellung von Schokolade - bis hin zur Flucht aus einem Escape Room, einem Silent Disco Walk und der Verwendung von Lego zum Bauen verschiedener Dinge im Deutschunterricht. Alle Anweisungen und Interaktionen waren auf Deutsch, und ich bin sicher, dass sich alle diese Aktivitäten sehr gut für den Unterricht eignen werden.
Die Stimmung war ausgezeichnet und jeder trug auf unterschiedliche Weise dazu bei.
Ngā mihi
Kaiako Matua – German
David Fitzgerald, Auckland
The German Immersion week in Queenstown was a huge success. The participants were either native German speakers or German as another language speakers, so that the language of conversation was German throughout the week.
A great variety of highly motivating activities naturally caused an agile conversation and discussion amongst all participants. The course leaders organized a terrific variety of activities and workshops that went above and beyond to make sure that there was something for everyone.
Everyone was mingling with each other in a natural and fun way, which made it easy to talk about our experiences as German teachers, the cultural differences or similarities between New Zealand and Germany, and thinking about how language learning can be approached in a fun and motivating way for our students.
The workshops were interesting and engaging. I am sure that everyone of us has been integrating many of the ideas of the German Immersion week into their lessons already. I not just returned home highly inspired and ready for next term, but I have also gotten to know lovely follow teachers with whom I am still in contact with.
Thanks so much again for an amazing week."
Nina Koch, Wellington
Photo: Teachers of German with (back row, right, in blue jacket) Tui Tuia | Learning Circle Facilitator Janelle Wood at Walter Peak Farm, Queenstown.
2022 National Conference for Teachers of German, Australia
I had the great privilege of attending this year's German Teachers' Conference in Melbourne in September hosted by Goethe-Institut Australia. It was an absolute honour to be a key speaker and to deliver some of my workshops which enabled me to actively engage with German teachers in Australia and to create discourse together. We look forward to collaborating with promising projects between New Zealand and Australia in 2023. Teachers from New Zealand and Australia are not only characterised by enthusiasm and an unwavering motivation to find answers to the question “Why learn German - on the other side of the world?”, but enthusiasm and love for the German language and culture is another unifying element. The creativity, enthusiasm and positivity is what strikes me about German teachers on this side of the world. Slogan of the day was: German is a feeling!
Deutsch ist ein Gefühl!
But not only the conference was a reason to celebrate, but there was also a special birthday child. The Goethe-Institut Australia turned 50. A very special occasion to pause and celebrate all that we have shared and achieved over the past 50 years.
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Auf weitere 50 Jahre tolle Zusammenarbeit.
Vielen Dank für diese Gelegenheit!
Article by Alexandra Toeniges, German National Language Adviser
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2022 - German - Term 4 Newsletter Articles
Finding German sites in Aotearoa - Puhoi excursion
Collaboration between University of Auckland, Tui Tuia | Learning Circle and DAAD (German exchange program)
Am 1. Oktober 2022 war es endlich soweit, nachdem aus gegebenem Anlass die Veranstaltung in 2021 in letzter Minute abgesagt werden musste. Eine Gruppe von Deutsch Lehrenden und Deutsch Studierenden machten sich vom Epsom Campus auf den Weg nach Puhoi. In Puhoi wurden sie von Einheimischen in der Centennial Hall begrüßt. Die Studierenden hatten im Vorfeld eine virtuelle Schnitzeljagd in ihren Seminaren mit Dr Diana Feick (Senior lecturer) und Mareike Schmidt (DAAD) vorbereitet. Diese kam vor Ort zum Einsatz, um die Geschichte der deutschsprechenden Siedler Puhois zu entdecken. Auch der Dauerregen konnte der guten Stimmung, dem Enthusiasmus und dem gemeinschaftlichen Arbeiten keinen Abbruch leisten. Was ein toller Tag! Wieder einmal wurde offensichtlich, dass keine Theorie und kein virtuelles Ereignis das Erleben und kommunizieren miteinander in Echtzeit ersetzen kann.
Herzlichen Dank allen Beteiligten!
Photo 1: Mareike Schmidt, DAAD and Alexandra Töniges, German National Language Adviser
Searching for traces of the first German-speaking settlers in the Auckland area. This was the starting point for a collaboration between Tui Tuia | Learning Circle/Goethe-Institut Neuseeland (Alexandra Töniges, German National Language Adviser), the German Department of the University of Auckland (Dr. Diana Feick) and the DAAD (Mareike Schmidt).
On 1 October 2022 the event was finally held, after the 2021 event had to be cancelled at the last minute. A group of German teachers and students set off from the Epsom campus to Puhoi on Saturday morning. In Puhoi they were welcomed by locals in the Centennial Hall. The students had prepared a virtual scavenger hunt in advance in their seminars with Dr Diana Feick (Senior Lecturer) and Mareike Schmidt (German Academic Exchange Representative). This was used on site to discover the history of Puhoi's German-speaking settlers. Even the continuous rain could not dampen the good mood, the enthusiasm, and the collaborative work. What a great day! Once again it became obvious that no theory and no virtual event can replace experiencing and communicating with each other in real time.
Many thanks to all involved!
One participant, Zhenzhen reflected:
“The Puhoi excursion would have been perfect if it had not been raining that day. But to be honest, it was still excellent and full of joy. The procedure was well-planned. The scavenger hunt made the Puhoi trip a little challenging but interesting and exciting. Instead of just looking at the scenery and local people without knowing anything about them, the information given by the task led us to learn more and deeper about Puhoi's history and culture, such as their ancestors' migration experience and daily life and their Egerland dialect. I believe that both students and teachers must have learnt a lot from this trip. The method that we used to get the required related information would probably benefit students unconsciously even in their future study or development, as an old Chinese teaching concept "授人以鱼不如授人以渔(Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime)". On the other hand, my teaching mainly took place in the classroom, and I rarely had the chance to take students out when I was a teacher in China before. I find that the Puhoi exploration once again showed me a good teaching model to apply what students have learned in school or uni to real life, which would greatly arouse their interest and enthusiasm for further learning. I really enjoyed the Puhoi trip and benefited a lot at the same time. Thank you very much! I had a wonderful day. I'm looking forward to more informative and interesting events.
Viele Grüße,
Zhenzhen”
Feedback received from other participants:
It is interesting to learn there is a little piece of Germany in New Zealand. The museum was extremely enthralling. It shows the hardships the settlers must have gone through. Not only in a new land, but also learning a new language. When you visit the Puhoi Pub, you will see a small poster of a German beer company. Jakob told me he comes from Dortmund, where this particular beer is made. It is worth visiting Puhoi and spending a day there.
Viele Grüße
Aleisha“
der Puhoi Ausflug hat mir sehr gefallen! Es war eine gute Gelegenheit sich mit anderen Deutschlehrenden und -lernenden auszutauschen. Die Schnitzeljagd war eine super Idee, um die Gegend gezielt und in Kleingruppen zu erkunden und über die Geschichte Puhoi’s zu lernen. Leider hat das mit dem Padlet auf dem Handy nicht wirklich funktioniert aber zum Glück hatten wir ja auch die Ausdrucke. Aufgrund der Kolonialgeschichte Aotearoas, mit Folgen die bis in die Gegenwart und Zukunft reichen, hätte ich ein “Land acknowledgement” oder irgendeine Form der Auseinandersetzung/Kontext mit dem Thema gut gefunden.
Trotz des Regenwetters hatte ich einen sehr schönen und lehrreichen Tag, mit leckerem vegetarischen Essen! Danke fürs Planen! :)
Schöne Grüße,
Xenia
Queenstown German Immersion 2022
Photo: Teachers of German with at Skyline Gondola Queenstown during the German Immersion Week.
Feeback received from teachers who participated in the Immersion:
I had a wonderful learning experience on the German Immersion week in Queenstown. We did a multitude of varied activities which were not only fun, but which helped me gain some of my lost confidence in my German language ability. The other teachers were so welcoming and supportive which allowed me to take risks and be more assertive in my German language use. Nothing was too much; all my questions were answered and in such a kind, supportive manner. I learned so much. My vocabulary also got an ‘update’ as I hadn’t used my German for a considerable time. We had so much fun together and the hotel was a comfortable and welcoming spot to return to in the evenings. We all immediately used our new methodologies and ideas as soon as we got back to the classroom. We were ‘humming’. Special thanks to Alex for co-ordinating everything – it wouldn’t have worked so well without her fantastic eye for detail and her flair. The activities were so broad in range and not one of them was dull! What a great way to spend a week. New language, new ideas and, best of all, new connections!
Vielen Dank!
Jeanette Simpson, Lincoln High School
Zu Beginn der Ferien haben wir in Queenstown eine fantastische Deutsch-Immersionswoche verbracht. Das übergeordnete Thema war „DaF-fächerübergreifend“/cross-curricular. Wir haben viele interessante Aktivitäten unternommen, von der Herstellung von Schmuck aus Fahrradschläuchen über die Herstellung von Schokolade - bis hin zur Flucht aus einem Escape Room, einem Silent Disco Walk und der Verwendung von Lego zum Bauen verschiedener Dinge im Deutschunterricht. Alle Anweisungen und Interaktionen waren auf Deutsch, und ich bin sicher, dass sich alle diese Aktivitäten sehr gut für den Unterricht eignen werden.
Die Stimmung war ausgezeichnet und jeder trug auf unterschiedliche Weise dazu bei.
Ngā mihi
Kaiako Matua – German
David Fitzgerald, Auckland
The German Immersion week in Queenstown was a huge success. The participants were either native German speakers or German as another language speakers, so that the language of conversation was German throughout the week.
A great variety of highly motivating activities naturally caused an agile conversation and discussion amongst all participants. The course leaders organized a terrific variety of activities and workshops that went above and beyond to make sure that there was something for everyone.
Everyone was mingling with each other in a natural and fun way, which made it easy to talk about our experiences as German teachers, the cultural differences or similarities between New Zealand and Germany, and thinking about how language learning can be approached in a fun and motivating way for our students.
The workshops were interesting and engaging. I am sure that everyone of us has been integrating many of the ideas of the German Immersion week into their lessons already. I not just returned home highly inspired and ready for next term, but I have also gotten to know lovely follow teachers with whom I am still in contact with.
Thanks so much again for an amazing week."
Nina Koch, Wellington
Photo: Teachers of German with (back row, right, in blue jacket) Tui Tuia | Learning Circle Facilitator Janelle Wood at Walter Peak Farm, Queenstown.
2022 National Conference for Teachers of German, Australia
I had the great privilege of attending this year's German Teachers' Conference in Melbourne in September hosted by Goethe-Institut Australia. It was an absolute honour to be a key speaker and to deliver some of my workshops which enabled me to actively engage with German teachers in Australia and to create discourse together. We look forward to collaborating with promising projects between New Zealand and Australia in 2023. Teachers from New Zealand and Australia are not only characterised by enthusiasm and an unwavering motivation to find answers to the question “Why learn German - on the other side of the world?”, but enthusiasm and love for the German language and culture is another unifying element. The creativity, enthusiasm and positivity is what strikes me about German teachers on this side of the world. Slogan of the day was: German is a feeling!
Deutsch ist ein Gefühl!
But not only the conference was a reason to celebrate, but there was also a special birthday child. The Goethe-Institut Australia turned 50. A very special occasion to pause and celebrate all that we have shared and achieved over the past 50 years.
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Auf weitere 50 Jahre tolle Zusammenarbeit.
Vielen Dank für diese Gelegenheit!
Article by Alexandra Toeniges, German National Language Adviser
