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Canadian Literature Day 2012: Teaching Canada in the EFL-Classroom (22.-23.06.2012)
On June 22-23 the Marburg Centre for Canadian Studies held a conference on the topic of "Teaching Canada in the EFL Classroom". The focus of the conference was teacher training, as the demand to learn more about Canada increased manifold since Canada has become the country of reference for the Hessian A-levels in 2010. The programme consisted of several papers by members of the centre as well as experienced teachers who introduced their teaching ideas about Canada's culture, literature and history. The participants of the conference appreciated that they were presented with tested concepts and media they could use for their lessons. Sarah Shortliffe from the Embassy of Canada to Germany introduced the teachers to the Marshall McLuhan Salon, a multi-media information centre in the Embassy in Berlin which is targeted especially towards school classes. The attendees could also browse through a collection of useful books and lesson plans that were presented in a book display.
One major highlight of the Canadian Literature Day was a reading by the Canadian writer Henry Beissel on Friday. Beissel captivated about 60 listeners with his engaging voice and thoughtful texts. Of special interest were Beissels work about Canadian nature as well as his newest collection of poetry, Coming to Terms with a Child, in which Beissel reflects on his childhood in Nazi Germany.