FörLeSch

Young adults between the ages of 16 and 18 who have come to Germany as unaccompanied minor refugees attend so-called InteA classes (Integration and Completion) in the state of Hesse, which are located at vocational schools. They learn in the same building as their German classmates, but have little contact with them due to this segregative school model. Even in the facilities where they live, there is rarely the opportunity to communicate in German.

Therefore, with the support of Jun.-Prof. Dr. Christine Czinglar, some students of the Master's program German as a Foreign and Second Language at the University of Kassel have launched an initiative aimed at bringing the young refugees together with students of the department. The project FörLeSch, short for Förderung: Lesen und Schreiben, was initially implemented at the Institute of Languages in the summer semester of 2016.

Since the winter semester 2016/2017, there has been a cooperation with the neighboring Max Eyth School. Here, around ten students from an InteA class are supported once a week. In addition to homework assistance, the DaFZ students support the young people in the area of oral and literary skills (literacy). During the 90-minute meetings, students play learning games together, do vocabulary and speaking exercises to motivate them to speak, and read shorter texts and prepare their content. The students also have the opportunity to write their own texts, for example about themselves or their aspired professions. Supporting materials include the logbook of the Federal Agency for Civic Education, readings for DaZ learners, and learning materials designed by the students. In view of the upcoming examinations for the lower secondary school leaving certificate, initial preparatory task formats are also specifically trained. The teaching of learning strategies also serves to promote learner autonomy.

On February 7, 2017, FörLeSch was presented at the symposium "Unterstützende Maßnahmen für Geflüchtete an der Universität Kassel" (Supporting Measures for Refugees at the University of Kassel) and on February 21, 2017, at an information event for Thuringian DaZ teachers.

In addition, the project presented itself at the conference "Multilingualism as an Opportunity", which took place from July 3 to 5, 2017 at the VHS Kassel, as part of the poster session.

Text and photo: Carina Reez and Anne-Christin Schumacher