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The Globalized AP German Classroom
Author(s) -
Bauerlein Katrina,
Shertzer Rebecca
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
die unterrichtspraxis/teaching german
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1756-1221
pISSN - 0042-062X
DOI - 10.1111/tger.12106
Subject(s) - german , conversation , curriculum , pedagogy , german studies , sociology , mathematics education , psychology , linguistics , communication , philosophy
Preparing lifelong, world‐ready German learners means German language instructors must intentionally incorporate globalized themes and tasks into the high school German curriculum. In 2010, the College Board redesigned the AP German Language and Culture Exam to meet these needs. The new exam encompasses six course themes and requires students to complete related authentic tasks. In this conversation, high school German teachers Rebecca Shertzer and Katrina Bauerlein discuss what it can mean to globalize the AP German classroom, how a globalized curriculum aligns with the AP German Language and Culture Exam, and how the AP themes correspond with the World‐Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (2015). In their conversation, they briefly explain the format and expectations of the exam and also share examples from their curricula to demonstrate how they best prepare their students for globalized contexts. Their experiences at different institutions demonstrate that the AP German Language and Culture curriculum (1) gives the instructor the freedom to choose from a diverse array of topics and incorporate related authentic texts and (2) provides a framework for creating authentic tasks related to these texts, while (3) addressing the needs and interests of high school students.