German 1 Programme description

Crash Course in Norwegian Language and Culture is a short introductory course in Norwegian language and culture. The objective of the course is to enable the candidates to understand and produce basic Norwegian in some common social contexts, as well as gaining a better understanding of Norwegian culture, traditions and society.

The course is ideal for international students who plan to stay one or two semesters in Norway and want to acquire basic and useful skills and knowledge about the local language and culture. The main focus of this course is oral language skills, vocabulary and cultural knowledge connected to common situations in student life in Norway.

Compared to the ordinary A1-level Norwegian course, this course has more focus on cultural knowledge and learning ‘survival Norwegian’, such as common words and phrases you are likely to meet and need during your stay in Norway. Note that passing this course does not qualify for the intermediate Norwegian course. The intermediate Norwegian course also has more focus on grammar, reading and writing than this course.

The target group for the programme is in-service teachers teaching at the 5‒10 levels in Norwegian schools, and also teachers who wish to qualify for teaching at the lower secondary level.

Reference is made to the Regulations relating to Admission to Studies at OsloMet. In addition, the following applies to this programme:

• Completed and passed teacher education

and

• Documented knowledge of German at minimum A2 level or level II (or equivalent) from upper secondary school with pass grade. A2 level can be documented from the test Goethe-Zertifikat A2 or equivalent tests.

After completing the programme, the candidate has achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate

• is familiar with the sound system and intonation of German, the language’s grammatical structure and possesses insight into cultural conventions on the use of the German language
• has knowledge of daily life, traditions, customs, values and cultural expressions in German speaking countries and is able to compare with Norway
• has knowledge of language learning and acquisition theories and can relate them to children and young adults’ language learning from a multicultural perspective
• has knowledge of language pedagogy and modern didactics and knows how to adapt them to the target group
• has knowledge of the curriculum, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the European Language Portfolio ages 6–12 and 13–18, as well as the European Language Portfolio for language teacher students
• is familiar with research and development work relevant to the subject of Foreign Languages for years 5‒10

Skills

The candidate

• possesses appropriate oral and written communication skills in German across a variety of topics, situations, and media (including social situations, literature, movies, pop culture)
• is capable of understanding oral and written authentic texts in German in different genres and media
• is able to plan and carry out German language lessons, and knows how to assess the German language
• is capable of assessing the use of authentic texts and other learning resources in teaching
• is capable of facilitating different work methods that promote exploration, curiosity and creativity in German language learning and in an interdisciplinary perspective
• is capable of using assessments to guide pupils in their German language skills development
• is capable of carrying out teaching that promotes the pupils’ digital competence
• possesses analytical skills with respect to self-assessment and self-improvement
• will be able to identify and evaluate intercultural challenges, and will be capable of teaching necessary strategies to overcome and reflect such challenges

General competence

The candidate

• is capable of reflecting on his/her own teaching practice and interaction with other professionals
• is capable of facilitating varied and adapted educational activities that motivate the pupils’ interest in further language learning and that create good conditions for in-depth learning
• is capable of integrating the basic skills in the subject
• possesses transcultural awareness and its impact on interaction in the foreign language classroom
• possesses a variety of pedagogical approaches and assessment strategies
• will be able to enhance the pupils’ language proficiency by creating appropriate opportunities to practice the language

Admission

International exchange students, who are admitted to the study programmes at Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet) for the current term, will be given priority over other applicants. Other categories of international students who currently follow study programmes at OsloMet, may be admitted to the course provided that there will be available places. Trainees through the ‘Akademisk dugnad’ at OsloMet must be approved by the Section for Internationalisation and must meet the general admission requirements for Higher Education Entrance Qualification (GSK).

The flowing categories will not be able to apply for the course:

• Applicants with equivalent or higher language competence
• Other categories of applicants, who are not international students at OsloMet
• Students with ordinary admission to OsloMet

Ranking of qualified applicants

Qualified applicants will be ranked in the following order:

• Erasmus+ students and trainees.
• Exchange students from other exchange programmes.
• Trainees through the ‘Akademisk dugnad’ at OsloMet and have been recommended by the Section for Internationalisation.
• Master’s degree programme students.

Applicants in each category will be ranked according to drawing of lots principle.

German 1 is a blended learning course with digital learning combined with three periods of campus training at OsloMet and two at Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg, Germany. Each of the two semesters is structured in an initial face-to-face session in Oslo, later followed by a week of training in Germany. In the spring semester there is in addition a final session in Oslo. Between the face-to-face sessions, there will be online training, with self-paced modules accompanied by regular virtual meetings with teachers and other group members.

There will be tandems in language learning but also in teacher training. Language learning will be accompanied by tandem partners either in Norway or in Germany with a minimum of 1 hour of tandem meetings weekly, through Skype or in person. We will work from a communicative approach giving priority to the acquisition of skills which also can be applied in the own teaching of German as a second/third language. We will employ a mixed methodology (classroom and online) through the creation of a virtual space in a networked platform.

The preparation of microteachings, short teaching sequences of a chosen topic, will be discussed and evaluated by peers, coaches and the learners – this will take place online. There will be the possibility to prepare and practice in Skype sessions with other participants of the program as well as a self-observation of recorded teachings or microteachings from the practical training in Freiburg.

Tasks and assessments will be carried out from different methodological approaches that students can subsequently apply in their daily teaching.

The use of digital and interactive resources will be provided by Dhoch3, an online platform designed for German Teacher Training at universities worldwide, sponsored by the Auswärtiges Amt (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and the DAAD. The access to the learning resources will be given and guaranteed by OsloMet and Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg.

The main lecturers of the course are from the Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg.

German 1 contains two periods at the Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg in Germany.

See course plan.

Information about assessment is provided in the individual course descriptions.

Rights and obligations in connection with exams

The students’ rights and obligations are set out in the Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet. The regulations describe, among other things, the conditions for resit/rescheduled exams, the right to appeal and what is considered cheating in an exam. It is the students’/candidate’s responsibility to register for any resit/rescheduled exams.

See course plan.