Innovation in Language Learning

»Ich will Deutsch lernen« is the name of a new learning portal developed by Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband e.V. (German Adult Education Association), designed to support the acquisition of German as a second language. It is directed to participants of German-as-a-second-language (GSL) courses and literacy training in the field of adult education as well as to those immigrants who – due to legal, financial or personal reasons – learn independently of a course. The portal focusses on language acquisition on levels A1 to B1+ in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Courses, chapters and learning units are designed in agreement with the description model for communicative competences of the CEFR and the curriculum framework created for integration courses, which is released by the German National Agency for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge, BAMF).

The platform also provides a digital German course for low literates and non-literates. In developing the material for literacy training, we started with the basic assumption that L2-literacy training is inseparably linked to L2-language acquisition. The learning material for non- or semi-literate users of the portal is therefore conceptionalized as a German language course focusing on oral skills with additional literacy training in the L2 German. Another principal aim of »Ich will Deutsch lernen« is to provide a mean that helps teachers to deal with the given heterogeneity in GSL and literacy classes. The non-linear structure of an internet platform supports the idea of combining learning materials of different levels while focusing the class on a common topic.

With a total of more than 11,500 exercises the portal provides a wide range of learning opportunities with regard to different topics, language levels and specific learning needs. Thanks to the support from the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) the use is completely free of charge for learners and teachers alike. The portal won the Comenius EduMedia Award in June 2015.

Participating in the conference we would like to present the portal, its main functions and examples of the material. We explain the didactical concept behind the platform and how »Ich will Deutsch lernen« can address heterogeneity in GSL classes. Evaluation data from the user statistic of the portal and model classes point to questions of further development that we would like to discuss with an interested audience.