Vom Seminar zur Praxis: Korpusgestützt lehren lernen
From seminar to practice: Learning to teach using corpus-based methods

Summary/Abstract: Implementing the idea of data-driven learning (DDL) in German as a foreign language (DaF) in a way that works in practice requires both teachers’ willingness to engage in further training in corpus linguistics and students’ motivation to participate, as both groups often express skepticism toward this approach. This article outlines three phases of corpus identification and implementation in DaF and draws on two seminars at the University of Hamburg that focused on developing corpus-based teaching approaches for DaF students abroad. Findings from the seminars, together with insights from the literature on DDL in DaF, are used to formulate criteria for reflecting on a corpus-based DaF course. Using a learning unit on the causal connectors denn ʻbecauseʼ, weil ʻbecauseʼ, and da ʻbecauseʼ, which was developed during the second seminar at the University of Hamburg and tested at the Vilnius University, a specific teaching situation is analysed and discussed. The evaluation of the learning unit shows that the development of corpus-based language teaching requires a gradual and systematic process. Continuous training and professional development are essential to better prepare teachers for these methods and to enhance their acceptance in practice.

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