Discussion Panel Collaboration Opportunities

From Survival to Joy: Reimagining GTA Preparation for Post-Pandemic Language Teaching, Generation Z Learners, and the Age of AI

This panel brings together educators who have developed innovative approaches to GTA training that move beyond traditional methods and emphasize joy-based teaching, learner engagement, reflective practice, inclusive pedagogy, and sustainable instructor development. How can GTA training programs prepare future educators for these evolving professional demands? What pedagogical skills remain uniquely human and increasingly valuable in an AI-rich environment? By bringing together perspectives from diverse institutional contexts, this panel aims to spark a broader conversation about the future of GTA development in German Studies and to showcase practical, transferable models for preparing the next generation of language educators for careers both inside and beyond academia.

Peace pedagogy across the German curriculum

Redefining Success: Empowering every student in German Language Learning

Who is a successful language learner? Often, we focus on the high-achieving students who earn honors on the German National Exam and in college, take home the scholarships, and become the next generation of German teachers. However, the typical beginning German classroom often includes a diverse group of students with different abilities and motivations. How do we celebrate students when they master milestones that don't always align with ACTFL, CEFR, or National exam standards and class pacing? Often, this happens with a personal note rather than an official acknowledgment.

For this panel, we invite proposals from German college instructors and K-12 teachers who reflect on learning successes and celebrations on different levels, support students with learning differences and neurodivergent disorders, and help them become thriving language learners and advocates for the German language and culture themselves. Additionally, we invite discussions on how German programs can benefit from becoming more inclusive. Proposals may address, but are not limited to, advocacy for students with learning differences; developing inclusive German programs and classes; successful collaborations with learning specialists and college counselors; and developing teaching materials, activities, and community events with and for students with learning differences and neurodivergent disorders.

Antje Krueger, Ph.D. akrueger@stpaulsmd.org

Katherine Arner. Ph.D. 

karner@stpaulsmd.org

Access, Advocacy, and Innovation: Artificial Intelligence in the German Classroom

Kevin Richards

While much has been done in the fields of psychology, general education, and early childhood education, little research has been carried out on supporting neurodiversity, particularly neurodivergent language learners, in the world language classroom. This panel would focus on applicable teaching methods and research to support and include students in our classes specifically.

Jenny Robins

Karen Rosenflanz

krosenflanz@css.edu

German teachers constantly adopt new approaches, such as content-based instruction, inclusion of digital tools, amplifying underrepresented voices through authentic materials, maximizing classroom interactions through flipped models, or boosting learning through corrective feedback strategies, yet evidence of what actually improves learner outcomes often remains anecdotal. This panel invites colleagues teaching at the intermediate to advanced level to share data-informed experiences with specific interventions, including what worked, what didn't, and how effectiveness was measured. Panelists will present brief case studies and share hands-on intervention examples with their audience, followed by facilitated discussion on applied metrics, and practical takeaways. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies and a clearer framework for evaluating their own instructional choices. 

Charles Webster cwebste@illinois.edu