On 12 – 13 February 2018, V.G. Belinsky Institute of Teacher Education, PSU, hosted the workshop for advanced training of German language teachers. This workshop was held within the granted contest application submitted by the Language and Examination Centre, Institute of International Cooperation, to Goethe-Institut, the German Cultural Centre. The participation for teachers in the workshop was free, as Goethe-Institute incurred the expenses for its holding.

The workshop on the topic “Affirmative approach to correction of errors” was attended by 28 German language teachers and academics from Penza and the Penza region. Irina Voevodina, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences and multiplier of Goethe Institute, supervised the workshop. She is the Associate Professor at the department of Foreign Languages and Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages, PSU.

The participants of the workshop got acquainted with the affirmative approach to correction of errors. In the course of the event, the teachers learnt how to analyse errors in oral and written speech of students, to identify the causes of various errors to take advantage of this knowledge while preventing similar errors made by students in the future. They also studied the principles of applying a positive approach to correcting errors.

The workshop was conducted entirely in German, so the teachers could not only extend their knowledge of the theory and methods of teaching the German language, but also improve their foreign language competence. Two days of intensive practice (16 hours) will continue on the online platform of Goethe Institute, where the workshop participants will have to prepare a small research project on the topic of the workshop, using their schools as approbation sites where they work as foreign language teachers.

At the end of the workshop, the participants will receive the Goethe-Institut Certificate on upgrading professional skills in the amount of 24 hours.

We thank teachers for their active participation in the workshop.