May 26, 2020: Virtual GENiUS2 Event
On Tuesday, May 5th, 2020, another joint GENiUS2 event with about 50 participants took place – with the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic still looming large, the event was conducted as a video conference. 26 trainee teachers, 15 students, 2 teacher trainers, 3 teachers and 4 EFL researchers from the University of Göttingen exchanged intensively on the topic 'Blended Learning: Classroom teaching in shared learning groups alternating with digital learning at home - challenges and solutions in the field of English'. In addition to three short input lectures on the topics "Media in FLT and (Blended) Learning in Virtual Exchanges" and "Digitally Speaking: Promoting Speaking Competence in Digital Settings" as well as on the results of a recent Bielefeld study on foreign language learning via distance learning, the participants discussed problems, but above all possible solutions for Teaching and Learning English under the given circumstances.
In addition, the foundations have been laid for the establishment of a so-called buddy system: The participating students and teacher trainees will work together in pairs in the future, be it that the master students are allowed to accompany and shadow teaching visits during the preparation and implementation, or that didactic and methodical ideas for successful, even virtual EFL lessons are developed together. The aim is for both sides to benefit from the cooperation in the long term. In particular, the establishment of this buddy system was considered very promising by all sides. At the end of the school year, an evaluation of the system will take place, also in order to generate ideas for its further development in the GENiUS2 network.