Anne Green

Anne's focus is on the DACHSI reference section and grammar tutorials.

My involvement in Auf geht's!

I was thrilled when Lee called and asked me to become part of the Auf geht’s team. Ever since I began teaching German, I wanted to create a “text book” that I would actually use and not have to supplement on a daily basis. Now I’m part of a project that will have a tremendous impact on how we teach beginning German.

Things have changed quite a bit since my first teaching assignment. Personal computers are a part of every student’s life, for one, and we are using the computer as part of our plan. The Auf geht’s project is a true integration of multimedia for language learning.

My daughter calls me the grammar queen. And grammar (both German and English) is a great love of mine. Yes, really. My role in the project is to make the grammar useful to the student to communicate in German.

Our approach to grammar is “Less is more.” We teach only those grammar topics that will lead to success at the appropriate proficiency level after one year of college-level German, although we do have “all” of the grammar available for the very interested (and industrious) student. This approach is not my idea. Heidi Byrnes, Erwin Tschirner, Eckhard Kuhn-Osius, and Renate Schultz, to name just a few, have all written extensively on the need to revise grammar instruction in German. My contribution to the Auf geht’s project will use the ideas of these giants in the field and apply them specifically to our multimedia college-level beginning German courses.