K-12 Call for Applications Open Soon!

SPARK for German

Structured Program for the Acquisition of German in the U.S. – Resources and Know-How
Strukturiertes Programm zum Aufbau von Ressourcen und Kompetenzen für den DaF-Unterricht in den USA

The application period for 2022 is open from November 15, 2021 to January 17, 2022. Fill out this application form. We will review all submitted applications and a member of our team will contact you. We look forward to your application!

Download the 2022 application flyer here.

Project Description

SPARK for German, a joint project of the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) and the Goethe-Institut, provides professional development for future German instructors and enables students across the United States to start learning German at an early age. SPARK offers a playful approach to German lessons in after school programs—providing early access to language instruction and creating opportunities for students to learn German into advanced levels. SPARK allows students and prospective teachers to gain first-hand teaching experience in K-12 schools, to develop their curriculum development skills, and to gain access to professional development opportunities. SPARK’s long-term goal is to increase demand and build capacity to integrate German into the regular curriculum in immersion, elementary, middle, and high school programs.

Background and Rationale for SPARK

Recent data indicates a decline in the number of students learning German in the United States. Further, there is an increasing shortage of teachers in all disciplines. SPARK addresses both of these challenges through a structured program that connects colleges and universities with K-12 schools. College students with German proficiency will be trained to teach introductory German lessons in school and community after school programs.

How does SPARK work?

Colleges and universities work with the AATG and the Goethe-Institut to provide training for German majors and future German teachers to become SPARK instructors. After successfully completing their initial training, SPARK instructors will teach German to young learners in after school programs. Where possible, SPARK instructors will be granted appropriate credits by their home institutions.

We invite German K-12 teachers and their students to get involved with SPARK.

  1. Connect with an existing SPARK Lab: Collaborate with a university or college in your area and invite college students to offer SPARK after school programming at your school. If the universities or colleges in your area are not yet designated as a SPARK Lab, please encourage them to consider applying. We are excited to support the creation of these networks.
  2. Offer SPARK programming: Consider offering SPARK programming at your school or at your feeder schools, e.g. if you are a high school reach out to your middle school to find ways to interest students for German.

 

What does SPARK offer?

  1. Ready-to-use, flexible, and adaptable teaching units and materials designed for use with elementary, middle, and high school students
  2. Professional development opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing a German teaching career
  3. Opportunities for high school students to gain practical experience and develop career goals
  4. Access to the Goethe-Institut’s Deutsch Lehren Lernen online courses where aspiring teachers use their advanced German language skills to learn strategies for engaging young learners in German language lessons
  5. Certificates of completion for successful instructors and participants
  6. Comprehensive program support from professional coordinators

Who benefits?

  1. Young learners in SPARK after school programs get to know Germany and cultures of the German-speaking world.
  2. Families access quality after school programming that teaches students a new language and fosters intercultural competence.
  3. College students studying German strengthen their own German language proficiency and gain valuable work experience while sharing what they have learned.
  4. Students interested in exploring a teaching career improve their instructional skills and learn how to facilitate interactive lessons in the target language.
  5. Participating college and university faculty and teachers access high quality materials and professional development opportunities and join the national SPARK network of German instructors, curriculum developers, and trainers
  6. Local programs benefit from quality instruction and more highly qualified teachers in the future. German instruction in after school programs connects communities to global cultures.

Role of Teachers

  1. Identify participating high school students
  2. Train, supervise, and mentor participating students
  3. Identify potential schools and collaborating organizations
  4. Serve as a point of contact for students, schools, regional coordinators, and the Goethe-Institut and AATG

Requirements for Participating Schools

  1. Sign a memorandum of understanding with the Goethe-Institut agreeing to participate in the 2020/21 school year
  2. Identify a German teacher to implement SPARK and serve as the contact person
  3. Integrate SPARK into the German program and its outreach activities
  4. Identify students to deliver SPARK lessons in feeder schools
  5. Identify local elementary schools, middle schools, and other organizations that could introduce German into their existing after school offerings

Who supports SPARK for German?

The Goethe-Institut and the AATG are grateful that the SPARK program has been met with enthusiastic interest from educational institutions at all levels. It is thanks to the generous support of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office that we are able use this program to spark interest in German in communities across the United States.

Want to find out more?

Please complete this application form. 

For inquiries, please contact us at

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