Meet Golo!
Transmitter: Dear Golo, how did you come to work as a DaF teacher?
Golo: The idea had been in the air for me for a long time. I always enjoyed sharing knowledge, explaining things and finding simple words for them. The job as a DaF teacher gives me the opportunity to do a nice, fulfilling job – not only in my home country, but in and from all over the world. When life came to a standstill during the pandemic, the moment was right for me to make the move.
Transmitter: Your first teaching experience was online – due to the pandemic – how is it now for you to teach face-to-face? What are the advantages or disadvantages of both formats?
I like both formats. The advantages of face-to-face teaching are obvious. We can interact with the room, the whole body, the whole group – 360 degrees, so to speak. For many learners, presence is a „must“ in order to have fun and success in learning.
At the same time, I discovered that even online classes can have an intense atmosphere if everyone participates. Group and partner work in undisturbed rooms (breakout sessions) can be very effective. Also, online classes give people a chance to participate even though they are far away or don’t have time to go to school.
Transmitter: How did you hear about Transmitter?
I became aware of Transmitter through word of mouth – I’m sure it was the same for many of Transmitter’s students. My former roommate used to be a teacher at Transmitter and was totally happy there. She made the contact.
Transmitter: You are currently teaching our conversation course. What do you like about the conversation course format and what is challenging about this new course format for you?
I like to talk and share details and fun-facts about the German language. At first glance, that fits well in the conversation course. Here, we don’t need a textbook and don’t have to deal with big grammar lessons. But in reality, that’s not all. After all, in this format, it is the participants in the course who are supposed to speak a lot – not the teacher. The challenge is to create a situation as often as possible in which everyone can and wants to communicate a lot. The topics should be interesting and at the same time leave room for opinions and discussions. You have to come up with something new every time.
Transmitter: What makes you a teacher or what made you want to become a German teacher?
I think that life is a big adventure. To keep that in mind, I always like to get on my bike and seek out the faraway places and landscapes far outside the city. Discovering a new language can also be a great adventure. As teachers of German as a foreign language, we have the beautiful task of showing our students the way to new landscapes of the language again and again and to be there for a while in their small and big adventures.
Transmitter: Thank you for your great work and for taking the time, Golo. We are glad to have you on board 🙂
