English for progress | Learning the language skills outside the classroom

Learning the language skills outside the classroom

You don't necessarily visit a classroom to learn a language. There are other ways of doing so. In one such innovative initiative, city-based the Max Mueller Bhavan, a premier institute in imparting the German language, organised three youth camps under its PASCH project. Organised for the first time, during the camp, over 50 student participants travelled to Yercaud in south India, Himachal Pradesh and Germany, in a journey to learn not just the language, but its socio-cultural aspects, as well.

The PASCH project aims at encouraging German language in different parts of the world. In India, 40 schools are members of PASCH, out of which nine schools and junior colleges are from Pune. Essay, fairy tale writing and drawing competitions were held for the students, the winners of which were selected for these camps held from April-end to late June. Twenty seven of them went for three camps in Schwabish Hall and Kirchheimboladen in Germany and 27 for two camps in Himachal Pradesh and Yercaud, Tamil Nadu.

And, off they went, to get busy with the exciting activities lined up during the camps putting together a photo essay, coming up with a German magazine based on the camp itself, enacting German plays and even interviewing German locals on their culture and lifestyle.

For instance, Praneet Marathe, a std XI student was at the 21-day Scwabish Hall camp with other participants, living in a youth hostel, learning German for three hours everyday, and visiting other German cities like Stuttgart and Nurnberg. "Once we went there, we were tested on our knowledge of the German language. We had to communicate in German. I also gave a German speech on famous places in Germany," narrates Praneet.

Rishi Iyengar, a first year BA student from Fergusson College, landed participation in the two-week Himachal Pradesh camp held in June, after winning a fairy tale writing competition. "For us, it was a combination of learning German and performing outdoor activities like trekking, rock-climbing and rappling in Sitlakhet, Himachal Pradesh," says Rishi. For him, the camp was truly a unique experience. "There were students from Pune, Mumbai, Delhi and even Colombo and Dhaka. Interacting amongst such a heterogeneous crowd was a learning experience as we got to know about each others' cultures, while connecting over German."

The activities were a way of connecting language with culture, feels Amruta Thakurdesai, German faculty at New English School, Tilak Road, who had accompanied to students to Germany. "I, as a teacher, wasn't engaged in any activities, but it was a great learning experience for me too. I enacted a German play along with the students, and this helped us perfect our grammar," she says.

Participants of all these five camps will share their experiences at a get-together planned by Max Mueller Bhavan on August 24.

Work on these camps began under the PASCH project a year ago. "Our aim is to trace 1,000 schools all over the world and work with them to spread the German language. The idea is cultivate better teachers and students of German. That's why, recently, we had also conducted a training programme for teachers in which German teachers from five schools and colleges in Pune had participated," says Shubhada Boddapaty, senior faculty member at the Max Mueller Bhavan.

Phase Two of this training programme, to be held in first week of August, will have the same teacher-participants giving lectures to students from std VIII to std XII.