German language trip to Hellenthal - teacher report

We had the pleasure of joining Bradford Grammar School on their German language immersion trip to Hellenthal this month to see the programme in action and receive first-hand feedback from the students and teachers on the trip.

To gain a greater understanding of just what teachers are looking to get out of a trip like this and how we can best support them and their students, we interviewed Pippa Sugden, an MFL teacher at Bradford Grammar School who organised the trip.

Last year we arranged for Pippa to stay at the centre, Jugendherberge Hellenthal, with her family to experience the programme for herself and conduct risk assessments on an inspection visit before offering the trip to her students. She explained that this was a valuable experience that meant that she could give her students a clear idea of what to expect and resulted in the trip being "massively oversubscribed".

"We had around 90 children that wanted to come and we brought 40. Certainly in the future we'll be bringing two coach loads."

Native-speaking German staff make all the difference

Everything at the centre, from the learning & activities to mealtimes and evening entertainment, is led in German by a native-speaking Betreuer. Pippa emphasised that having the Betreuer handle the logistics and lead activities allowed the teaching staff to actively participate in the trip, something which isn't as simple on self-organised trips. "It’s been really nice to get here and have things taken care of. It means that when the staff are here they are actually able to get involved in the activities and enjoy the trip, which makes a huge difference."

This immersive approach is different to the typical classroom environment, where Pippa says "As their teacher you’re tempted to flip back into English when you can tell that they’re not really understanding it."

It was a thought echoed by one of her students, Jemena. "When you're in the classroom it's very much like you just answer a question the teacher asks you. Coming here puts you out into the world and teaches you how to use the German you've learned in school in real situations."

Pippa also appreciated the personal touch the Betreuers offer on the trip, communicating with the teachers to adapt their approach as they wish "We've got the Betreuer here saying to us 'Would you like to do it this way?' there's quite a lot of flexibility."

All of our language instructors undergo a training programme led by senior instructors and meet for regular reviews to ensure standards are maintained. They even convene at Château de la Baudonnière, our immersive French centre in Normandy, as an exercise in teambuilding and to share their experience and best practises. This ensure teachers and students recieve the same level of instruction and care across the board, whether you're taking a language immersion school trip to France, Spain or Germany. 

 

 

Roop: "You end up picking up phrases people use day to day without thinking about it."

or as Freddie put it "Hearing the language from people who are actually trying to tell you something rather than teach you something."

Pippa’s top tip for teachers taking a school trip? Take the students’ phones at night!

"A lot of them haven’t been to a youth hostel before, so working out how to put a duvet on & making their own beds is an activity in itself."