American Association of Teachers of German

TraiNDaF
Transatlantisches interkulturelles
Nachwuchsförderungsprogramm
Deutsch als Fremdsprache 

Thanks to the generosity of the German government and its Transatlantisches Programm, AATG in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut established a program that aims to build future leaders in the field of the teaching German. The major goal of TraiNDaF was to develop a strong leadership cadre consisting of younger colleagues who after a period of professional development through this program will be able to inform and develop other colleagues in their region of the United States. In a recent survey of AATG members, we discovered that only 18% of our members are under the age of 40, 14.5% are between 41 and 50, and 40% are over 50 (27% of our members have not shared their age). An even higher quality of leadership in American society and in professional associations than is presently the case will be needed to meet the challenges we face nationally and internationally in our profession.

Program objectives were to develop leadership skills and help participants rethink their roles, practices, and beliefs on the topic of leadership; present networking opportunities within and beyond the field of German and foreign languages; familiarize participants with the breadth of activities of the AATG and the broader field of world languages at all levels of instruction; develop strategies for advocating German at all levels of instruction; present current information about Germany and the European Union; provide an in-depth acquaintance with German cultural and educational organizations and institutions; and develop opportunities and strategies for meaningful communication among faculty at all levels of instruction.

The TraiNDaF program consisted of: an initial leadership meeting held in Washington, DC in the spring; a summer seminar in Germany chosen to develop participants' language skills, cultural knowledge, and/or pedagogical/methodological practices; and attendance at the AATG Annual Meeting, including special sessions for participants.

Participants from all TraiNDaF programs are invited to attend follow-up meetings in conjunction with the AATG Annual Meetings.

Since the inception of the program in 2001, participants have come from all six AATG regions, representing 41 different AATG chapters. Fifty-three participants teach at the pre-collegiate (K-12) level, and 44 teach at the college/university level; 27 are men, and 70 are women.