Teaching the Teachers – A report on key events and activities run by the UAS Wildau Centre of Competence for Teaching in English

Ziel dieses Berichts ist es, die Ergebnisse der wichtigsten Aktivitäten des Kompetenzzentrums Lehrsprache Englisch der Technischen Hochschule Wildau [FH] zu präsentieren, um zu illustrieren, wie wichtig es ist, das Lehrpersonal im tertiären Bildungsbereich im Umgang mit der englischen Sprache zu unterstützen. Der Artikel wird sich auf vier Hauptthemen konzentrieren: Gründe für den Aufbau des Kompetenzzentrums Lehrsprache Englisch, Die Rolle und Position des Zentrums auf lokaler, nationaler und europaweiter Ebene, Schlüsselthemen in Bezug auf Englisch als Lehrsprache im tertiären Bildungsbereich, Zukünftige Aktivitäten. Im Bericht wird dargelegt, dass die Unterstützung für die Lehrenden notwendig ist, nicht nur um den Anforderungen der Internationalisierung der Hochschulen gerecht zu werden, sondern auch den Anforderungen der Studierenden, die in englischer Sprache studieren wollen. Ohne ein nachhaltiges Sprachprogramm und ohne Unterstützung für die Lehrenden besteht die Gefahr, dass einige Universitäten nicht in der Lage sind, vom Wunsch der ausländischen Studierenden in Deutschland zu studieren, zu profitieren.The aim of this report is to present the results of activities recently undertaken by the UAS Wildau Centre of Competence for Teaching in English in order to illustrate the importance of the provision of English language support to the teaching staff in tertiary education. The article will focus on four main subjects: Reasons for setting up the Centre of Competence for Teaching in English, The role and position of the Centre, locally, nationally and Europe-wide, Key issues concerning teaching in English at tertiary level, Future activities. The report will argue that support for teachers is needed in order to not only meet the demands of universities for internationalization but also the demands of students who want to study in English. English language support for the teaching staff is therefore an issue that should take a high priority at universities where the traditional focus has been on the students’ language needs and not on the teachers’ language needs. Without a sustainable language programme and support for teachers there is a danger that some universities will not be able to benefit properly from the desire of foreign students to come to Germany to study

Aktivierende Methodik im Fremdsprachenunterricht – Nutzen, Wirkung, praktische Beispiele

"Spielen im Unterricht macht Spaß, aber dafür fehlt uns die Zeit, wir haben in einem Semester so viel Stoff zu bewältigen, dass wir kaum Zeit für Spiele haben, außerdem finden die Studierenden das eher kindisch." Im Folgenden zeigen wir anhand theoretischer Überlegungen und praktischer Beispiele, dass man gerade bei spielerischen, aktivierenden Methoden lernt. Im ersten Teil dieses Beitrags werden theoretische Grundlagen für das aktivierende, spielerische Lernen vorgestellt. Im zweiten Teil werden methodische Grundsätze präsentiert, und im dritten und letzten Teil berichten wir von praktischen Beispielen aus unserem Unterricht. Die Tatsache, dass die Beispiele dem Fremdsprachenunterricht entnommen sind, bedeutet jedoch nicht, dass aktivierende Methodik nur dort sinnvoll eingesetzt werden kann. Vielmehr hat sie einen allgemeinen Nutzen für die Hochschuldidaktik in allen Fachgebieten. Gerade heute, wo Lernziele an Hochschulen zunehmend nicht nur über den „Stoff“ definiert werden, sondern kompetenzorientiert sein und die Autonomie der Lernenden fördern sollen, können aktivierende Methoden in jedem Fachgebiet und in jeder Art von Lehrveranstaltung bedeutsam sein

‘None of Us Sets Out To Hurt People’: The Ethical Geographer and Geography Curricula in Higher Education

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Geography in Higher Education on 22nd January 2008, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/03098260701731462This paper examines ethics in learning and teaching geography in higher education. It proposes a pathway towards curriculum and pedagogy that better incorporates ethics in university geography education. By focusing on the central but problematic relationships between (i) teaching and learning on the one hand and research on the other, and (ii) ethics and geography curricula, the authors’ reflections illustrate how ethics may be better recognized within those curricula. They discuss issues affecting teaching and learning about ethics in geography, and through identification of a range of examples identify ways to enhance the integration of ethical issues into university geography curricula

Widespread colonisation of Tanzanian catchments by introduced Oreochromis tilapia fishes: the legacy from decades of deliberate introduction

From the 1950s onwards, programmes to promote aquaculture and improve capture fisheries in East Africa have relied heavily on the promise held by introduced species. In Tanzania these introductions have been poorly documented. Here we report the findings of surveys of inland water bodies across Tanzania between 2011 and 2017 that clarify distributions of tilapiine cichlids of the genus Oreochromis. We identified Oreochromis from 123 sampling locations, including 14 taxa restricted to their native range and three species that have established populations beyond their native range. Of these three species, the only exotic species found was blue-spotted tilapia (Oreochromis leucostictus), while Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Singida tilapia (Oreochromis esculentus), which are both naturally found within the country of Tanzania, have been translocated beyond their native range. Using our records, we developed models of suitable habitat for the introduced species based on recent (1960–1990) and projected (2050, 2070) East African climate. These models indicated that presence of suitable habitat for these introduced species will persist and potentially expand across the region. The clarification of distributions provided here can help inform the monitoring and management of biodiversity, and inform policy related to the future role of introduced species in fisheries and aquaculture

You're not going to give me the umbrella, are you?

The “umbrella test” is a longstanding urban myth that still bothers men who present for testing at sexual health clinic

Data from: Losing cichlid fish biodiversity: genetic and morphological homogenization of tilapia following colonization by introduced species

Among the many negative impacts of invasive species, hybridization with indigenous species has increasingly become recognized as a major issue. However, few studies have characterized the phenotypic outcomes of hybridization following biological invasions. Here we investigate the genetic and morphological consequences of stocking invasive tilapia species in two water bodies in central Tanzania. We sampled individuals from Mindu Reservoir on the Ruvu river system, and at Kidatu on the Great Ruaha-Rufiji river system. We screened individuals at 16 microsatellite loci, and quantified morphology using geometric morphometrics and linear measurements. In both the Mindu and Kidatu systems, we identified evidence of hybridization between indigenous Wami tilapia (Oreochromis urolepis) and the introduced Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) or blue-spotted tilapia (Oreochromis leucostictus). At both sites, purebred individuals could largely be separated using geometric morphometric variables, with hybrids occupying a broad morphospace among the parental species. Our data demonstrate that the gene pools and phenotypic identity of the indigenous O. urolepis have been severely impacted by the stocking of the invasive species. Given the lack of evidence for clear commercial benefits from stocking invasive tilapia species in waters already populated by indigenous congenerics, we suggest further spread of introduced species should be undertaken with considerable caution

Shechonge_GeometricMorphometricData

Landmark coordinates, tps fil

Morphometric data

Linear measurements. Included are species assignments based on the genetic data (Structure output)