Only those with a good command of German will be able to participate actively in school, daily life or at work. Teachers of German as a second language have a key role to play in the language learning process. The project COLD (Competencies of school teachers and adult educators in teaching German as a second language in linguistically diverse classrooms) focuses on the following questions:

• What skills and knowledge do teachers have?
• How do they structure their lessons?
• Are there any differences between school teachers and adult educators?

The project is a cooperation between the DIE (German Institute for Adult Education - Leibniz Centre for Lifelong Learning) and the Mercator Institute for Literacy and Language Education and is led by the DIE.

From April 2019 until March 2022 researchers will focus on professional competencies of school teachers and adult educators in teaching German as a second language in linguistically heterogeneous groups. The project adresses the special needs in teaching and didactics which occured through the immigration of children, teenagers and adults. The surveys take place in real teaching situations in preparatory classes and integration courses.

The interdisciplinary project team includes experts in adult education/further education, didactics of German/German as a second language, empirical educational research, linguistics, computer linguistics, and psychology. The project is mainly performed by PhD students to place a special focus on promoting young researchers.

In addition to the DIE and the Mercator Institute for Literacy and Language Education, the DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education, the IPN - Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education and the universities of Dortmund, Cologne, Tübingen and Zurich are involved. The joint project COLD is funded within the framework of the Cooperative Excellence funding programme from funds of the Leibniz Competition 2019 over a period of three years.