SPARK for German : Texas State German Program : Texas State University

Text: SPARK for GERMAN, with image of sparks coming from the "K" in the word "SPARK"

On September 13th, Trace Kleinecke, Zach Nelson, and Erin Taylor began teaching online German lessons to Central Texas middle school students. Working as a team under Dr. Siwak’s supervision, they plan and teach interactive Zoom lessons on topics ranging from basic communication to geography to school life in Germany.

SPARK is a Professional Internship in German course (GER 4300), developed two years ago by Dr. Ewa Siwak, the Texas State University SPARK LAB Director. SPARK for German is a North American initiative of the Goethe-Institut.

Our SPARK interns gain marketable skills such as teamwork, critical thinking, ability to apply knowledge in real-world settings, problem solving, creativity, communication with varied sets of people, presentation skills, and civic engagement.

Check out Katie Mackey's interview with two of our current SPARKlers, Tori and Joci. Katie was a SPARK instructor herself in Spring 2022.

Previous SPARK for German Cohorts

Spring 2022: Natasha Bundrige, Katie Mackey, and Evan Wilson

Fall 2021: Mara Kelly, Andrew Morgan, and Matthew Wasson

Spring 2021: Issac Caswell and Olivia Duffy