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2015 AATG-Michigan Spring Workshop & Business Meeting
GREEN TALENTS IN ACTION
Saturday, March 21, 2015
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Aquinas College
The 2015 AATG-Michigan Spring Workshop and Business Meeting will take place on Saturday, March
21, 2015, and will be hosted by the German Studies Program at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The workshop is made possible by a AATG Project Grant for Professional Development Opportunities for
Teachers of German that focuses on (re)-building, maintaining, and sustaining German programs through the
"Green Talents in Action" approach. Co-sponsors are the German Central Agency of Foreign Schools Abroad
(Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen), that supports schools and programs of German as a foreign
language, the German Studies Program at Aquinas College, and the AATG Michigan chapter.
TOPIC
“Komm’, mach MINT!” – Zur Auswahl und zum fachdidaktischen Einsatz MINTgerechter Themen im DaF Unterricht”
(German & STEM: Implementation of STEM-related topics and activities in the German
K-16 Classroom)
LOCATION
Aquinas College
1607 Robinson Rd. SE
Academic Building, Room 319 (Computer Lab)
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
Directions to Aquinas College
Aquinas College Campus Map
Grand Rapids Area Hotel Information
CONTACT
Dr. Katharina Häusler-Gross
Professor of German Studies and Foreign Language Methodology
Aquinas College
Phone: 616.632.2122
E-Mail: grosskat@aquinas.edu
SCHEDULE
8:30 – 9:00 am
9:00 – 11:00 am
11:00 – 12:00 pm
12:00 – 1:00 pm
FEE
Coffee & Snacks
Workshop, Part 1:
Chemistry in our Daily Life (Chemie in unserem Leben)
Workshop, Part 2:
Examples, Ideas and Ready-to-Use STEM Teaching Modules for the
German Classroom (Ideenbörse: Beispiele & Diskussion)
AATG-MI business meeting
There is NO registration fee for this professional development workshop, but registration is
mandatory.
REGISTRATION
Register now at Eventbrite for the 2015 AATG-Michigan Spring Workshop and Business
Meeting "Green Talents in Action". Registration is limited and closes March 18, 2015 and is
only available online. There will be no on-site registration for this event.
SCECHs
Three (3) SCECHs (State Continuing Education Clock Hours) will be offered to eligible
participants. (pending)
PARKING
Parking and a light breakfast are compliments of Aquinas College and the Zentralstelle für das
Auslandsschulwesen.
Parking permits will be e-mailed to all participants who have registered by March 18, 2015
AATG-MICHIGAN
CHAPTER INFO &
SUPPORT
AATG-Michigan Chapter Information can be accessed here, and updates for current and
future professional development workshops can be found here.
To attend this event, you must be an AATG-Michigan member.
Non-members can join AATG Michigan by contacting AATG-Michigan President Monica
Norton aatgmipresident@gmail.com, or AATG-Michigan membership chair Lee Forester
aatgmimembership@gmail.com.
Donations to support the local AATG-Michigan chapter activities are encouraged.
For more information, please visit the AATG-MI chapter website, or contact AATG-MI
treasurer Judy Cooper aatgmitreasurer@gmail.com.
WORKSHOP
Called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in the U.S, and MINT
(Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaft und Technik) in Germany, these two acronyms have
parents and teachers, as well as high school and college students increasingly interested as they
seek good preparation within the STEM/MINT fields while considering their professional futures.
Especially the business community has placed a great emphasis on STEM education, as too few
U.S. students adequately study these fields in high school, technical schools and college. As a
result, tens of thousands of critical jobs go unfilled for lack of qualified applicants in the U.S, and
just as many MINT-related jobs are available in Germany, too.
Every job within the 21st Century is likely to require some amount of skill in science, technology,
engineering and math. The integration of engineering and technology within the mathematics and
science curriculum will make instruction more meaningful and engaging as well as provide
students with the skills that are critical to success in the 21st Century. This includes the ability to
think critically, solve complex problems, and drive advancements in science and technology.
But STEM is not just about science and math; it’s also about being ready for college, careers and
life, and utilizing the cross-disciplinary opportunities available at K16 educational institutions to
So, what does the German classroom have to do with STEM, and what is the distinct connection
between German and STEM? Due to Germany’s renowned position in engineering and
technological prowess worldwide, and the close connections between German companies and
Germany's dual-track education program (especially in Michigan!) to ensure that such skills are
tied to changes in the real-world economy, German is a natural complement to STEM/MINT
education.
DESCRIPTION
During the first interactive portion of this professional development workshop, presenter Anka
Fehling (language advisor and consultant at the ZfA), will introduce ideas, strategies, and sample
modules that demonstrate the mindful integration of STEM topics – with a focus on Chemistry,
Environmental Science and Sustainability – in the German curriculum. She will in particular
highlight the connections between the study of German and sustainability, while outlining the
benefits German has for future careers.
In the second part of the workshop, presenter Katharina Häusler-Gross, Professor of German
Studies and Foreign Language Methodology at Aquinas College, will introduce examples of how
Germany's innovative science and technology landscape (including sustainability, renewable
energies, recycling, electric mobility, green chemistry, conservation, and environmental science)
can been integrated in introductory, intermediate and advanced-level German language classes.
GOALS
1. Connecting German with STEM fields (cross-disciplinary focus) to strengthen German programs through
teaching concepts related to sustainability and environmental science.
2. Strengthening the AATG Michigan network across the state by collaborating/cooperating on "Green Talent
Initiatives" and sharing the results with all network members.
3. Provide networking opportunities for K-16 German teachers across school districts and proficiency levels
4. Provide opportunities to actively engage in an immersion-style target language workshop/ communicate in
German
5. Provide K-16 German instructors with creative and innovative activities and teaching modules that integrate
STEM education in a meaningful and hands-on way into the World Languages curriculum
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Report of the outcome(s) and product(s) from the March 2015 PD workshops will be published on the AATGMichigan chapter website, the AATG Michigan Newsletter, and shared with the AATG national office.
2. Thematic units and individual "Green Talent Initiatives" (idea bank) will be shared with AATG-MI network
members through publication on the AATG Michigan chapter website
3. After the implementation of individual "Green Talent Initiatives" and thematic units in their respective German
classrooms, AATG-MI teachers are asked to complete a survey evaluating the success of these initiatives (results
will be shared with AATG National as well)