German Tutoring Zurich
Tutoring in German can work wonders at all levels, as German is a challenging language for all non-native speakers. In particular, the four cases, punctuation or, for younger students, parts of speech and spelling can cause headaches. Every level has its pitfalls, which can be countered with targeted tutoring.
Tutoring in German — the challenges
In primary school, difficulties in German often lie in spelling. For some years now, lower school students have been allowed to write “by ear” until the 3rd grade, as this is said to reduce the “fear” of writing. Now, however, it is becoming clear that a widespread spelling weakness persists until the end of school and young adults can no longer write as well as school leavers used to.
At the latest when transferring to a gymnasium, spelling weaknesses become a stumbling block for the first time when it comes to writing a good essay for the Gymi exam. Even if the transfer is successful, challenging topics arise again: now it’s about particles, syntax, writing different types of texts, interpreting texts and other complex subject areas. The level of difficulty increases significantly again and requires intensive engagement with the subject of German. Those who still struggle with spelling, grammar and stylistics at this level sell their intellectual potential short — and pull down their grade point average with every new exam.
When is German tutoring successful?
Teachers often use teaching materials that are not very clear and in which the topics are not communicated very distinctly. Experience shows that children and young people with problems in German have often lost their overview. Using good materials that are structured by topic, we can demonstrate the system of the subject and specifically work through difficult subject areas. Our teachers explain the theory using worksheets and texts and provide many exercises, because now it’s a matter of practice, practice and more practice! In school, there is often too little repetition, which leads to many uncertainties. In our German tutoring in Zurich, we take the time for repetition.
A case study:
Daniele (5th grade): Daniele’s parents came to Switzerland shortly before his birth to work in the financial sector. Italian and English are spoken at home, but almost no German. Daniele often finds the exercises in German lessons quite difficult and usually only shows barely sufficient performance in exams. He is actually ambitious, mathematics suits him, and he also likes the other subjects and shows strong performance. Long-term gymnasium would be realistic, but not with mediocre German grades. Weekly tutoring during the 5th grade is necessary to increase the German grade from 4 to 4.5. He gets a grip on the parts of speech quickly, but he will continue to have a lot to do with the four case forms in the 6th grade, as his linguistic intuition is insufficiently developed due to a lack of language use. Through a lot of practice using worksheets, texts and writing exercises, the goal is to increase the German grade to at least a 5, so that the chances for the Gymi entrance exam next year would remain intact.
Who are our tutors?
At Open Learning Space Zurich, teachers who can convey joy in the subject and value positive interpersonal experiences provide the instruction. A motivating learning atmosphere, alongside the teacher’s professional competence, is the key to learning success in tutoring, especially for younger students. For German tutors for gymnasium students, an ongoing or completed degree in languages is a prerequisite because the technical content carries more weight.
Would you like to book a trial lesson?
Please contact us by phone, email or via the contact form. Please let us know the following:
- School level
- Subject area
- Possible times for lessons
- Desired teaching location (Open Learning Space, at home or online?)
We will get back to you within 1–2 days with a proposal. After a successful free trial lesson, we will discuss the further procedure. You can choose between a subscription for 10 lessons (with a discount) or monthly billing.
We would be happy to provide you with information free of charge and without obligation!