GERMAN
There are three main reasons for learning German as a foreign language. Firstly, it promotes intellectual development by recognising the profound effect foreign language learning has on the development of the learner’s personality. Secondly, it promotes intercultural appreciation in the arts and sciences. Thirdly, it enables the learners to participate in basic communication in the target language with mother-tongue speakers, in day-to-day situations, equipping them with listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in a communicatively-oriented context.
This includes the development of a positive attitude towards foreign language learning and a sympathetic attitude towards other cultures and civilisations. In this way, it helps to enhance the learners’ sense of their own values and the ability to act sensibly, and sensitively, in situations that differ from their own. German is a major cultural and scientific language and so we strive to create an awareness and appreciation of the importance of the German language in order to foster the cultural, economic and scientific links between South Africa and the German-speaking countries of Europe. We hope that our learners will come to use the German language as an instrument of international communication and cultural appreciation.
We do this through the development of listening comprehension, reading comprehension, speaking skills, writing skills and cultural studies (Landeskunde). We do this using specially selected texts, tapes and CDs as well as access to appropriate sites on the internet.
Kelly Long to represent South Africa 25th January 2012
Kelly Long will represent South Africa at the 5th International Sustainable World Project Olympiad in the USA
