There is some confusion to the translation of ‘Kindergarten’ into English language. The English use the term ‘Kindergarten’ for the one year before elementary school. This kind of Kindergarten is limited to this last year. The semantics of German ‘Kindergarten’ doesn’t seem to know these limitation. It doesn’t easily allow a different form of nursery school, toddler groups and pre-school offers. Anyway, all terms refer to a pre-school offer.
However, in my opinion there are such offers in Ruhr. Some language schools set up schools for children, and there are toddler groups and Kindgarten with a profile that includes introduction into English language. On the internet I also find classifieds looking for nurses that speak German and English. Some school projects offer or plan to offer an English language nursery. Further (private) offers are an English language toddler group in Dortmund (Krabbelgruppe Dortmund) and an additional offer for pre-school children in Essen by Dreistein. The last one I found via a newspaper article in the NRZ which also mentions prices.
In Dortmund exists a comprehensive school that offers a bilingual branch for interested pupils which is called ‘Big English’. These pupils at the Heinrich Böll-Gesamtschule get additionally two more English lessons in 5th and 6th grade. From 7th grade on they get subjects like geography, biology and history taught in English language. The aim ist to develop the special vocabulary needed for these subjects.
After a meeting with the people from Bochumer Bildungszentrum e.V. (BBZ) about their work and project of an English or international school, I realized that there are demand and offers for bilingual offers at the different German school types. There is not only a comprehensive school. Traditionally, the secondary school in German knows three different types of schools: the Hauptschule (literally: main school), the secondary modern school (Realschule) and the German Grammar School (called Gymnasium). The school project of the BBZ could end up with such a secondary school. Different from the British system, pupils go to different secondary schools in Germany.
Today I want to focus on an existing secondary modern school: the Elsa-Brändström-Realschule in Essen. The school bilingual branch offers a biliginual class where in grade 5 and 6 two additional lessons English are taught per week. From the 7th grade on additionally another subject – later two – are taught with more lessons per week and in English language. The class aims at strengthening the English language skills of pupils either to get more easily into job which need English or to more easily attend a high school afterwards.
Since the 1980s the Ruhr Regional Asssociation and its predecessors publish condensed information about the Ruhr Area. ‘Facts and figures’ is the title of a frequently updated report that focusses different aspects of the region, e.g. landscape and nature. ‘Facts and figures’ is the English translation of “Daten und Fakten” and is available via the RVR shop for free. It contains 121 pages and color pictures. It’s gives a good introduction about Ruhr and I know about people who used it while visiting foreign countries to explain where they live.
Finally, General Motors published some media information and its plan for restructuring, named Plan for a Viable, Sustainable Company. The main quote for Bochum and Ruhr is in the press release. It’s a quote form the plan (see link below). There doesn’t seem to be more details in the plan.
Europe – Europe is a highly competitive environment that is unprofitable for many vehicle manufacturers, and has a relatively costly restructuring environment. GM has engaged its European labor partners to achieve $1.2 billion in cost reductions, which include several possible closures or spinoffs of manufacturing facilities in high cost locations. In addition, GM is restructuring its sales organization to become more brand focused and better optimize its advertising. GM is also in discussions with the German government for operating and balance sheet support. A sustainable strategy for GM’s European operations may include support from partnerships with the German government and/or other European governments. The company expects to resolve solvency issues for its European operations prior to Mar. 31, 2009.
We know the deadline and we know the state’s first minister is in the USA. The topic General Motors and Opel will be in the media for the rest of the week. Tomorrow European and German officals will talk, we will get reactions from the USA and so on.
During 2009-2014, GM also is requesting funding support from the governments of Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Thailand, and has included an estimate of $6 billion in funding support by 2010 to provide liquidity specifically for GM’s operations in these countries.
Here’s the press release from General Motors which contains the link to the following PDF document.
Looking at the regional newspapers, listening to local radio stations, reading blogs and watching news, there is an important topic today: “General Motors” is finanlizing its restructuring program wich has to be delivered to the US Treasury by the end of Tuesday. At first look, this sound like a pure US topic. It isn’t because General Motors needs to save money and to show how it will use the money it receives from the US government to keep jobs – jobs in the USA, not in Europe. Therefore, experts and due to media reports insiders expect that General Motos will close or sell some factories in Europe. Publicly discussed, German states are thinking about bailing out Opel. After 80 years it would become a German company again.
After the restructuring program will be public, I want to watch the reactions of the US and the European public, reactions in regard on the program and the reaction of the US government. The first minister of North Rhine-Westfalia is already in the USA.
The restructuring programm is expected to be presented to the public at 6 p.m. EST. This would around midnight.
As you surely have heard, Ruhr will be European Culturual Capital in 2010, calles Ruhr.2010. The Ruhr.2010 company is in charge of developing and coordinating the program for 2010. You can follow it activities and plan on the website www.ruhr2010.de. The website is available with a complete English translation. The program will also be printed in several books. ‘Book one’ is available since autumn 2008. A PDF document can be found under ‘Downloads’. The English version of the website contains the translation of book one – the international version.
If you have friends who want to visit Ruhr, tell them to come now or in 2010. The programme book gives a brief overview what is happening here and is hoing to happen for the next years. The book is an advertisment for Ruhr and its vived cultural development. It’s fun to read and to decide where to go and what to see.
I just heard of another bilingual ‘Gymnasium’ in Dortmund besides the Leibniz-Gymnasium: the Heisenberg-Gymnasium. The Heisenberg-Gymnasium doesn’t offer an optional International Baccalaureate like the other one. An article about this offer is available here in this blog: “International Baccalaureate (IB) at German bilingual public schools“.
The Heisenberg-Gymnasium offers a bilingual class since the academic year 2002/03. The 5th and 6th grade get two additional English lessons per week. Fort the 5th grade this means 7 English lessons and for the 6th grade 6 lessons. Beginning with the 7th grade upto two subjects are taught in English and German language: Two of 3 lessons per week are in English, one is in German. While preparing the German baccalaureate (Abitur) In 11th and 12th grade, there is an offer of English as an advanced course (Leistungskurs) and an basic course of one subject taught in English language. Pupils achieving the German baccalaureate will get an additional certificate from the school telling about the bilingual education done.
Trailer is the name of a free magazine with movie reviews, hints and cinema programs in Ruhr. You can get it in most cinemas. Trailer has a website, too. This website contains a page which lists all movies which are currently shown as originial version, as originial version (OV) with English subtiltles (OmeU) and as original with German subtitles (OmU). This is a really useful service. Else I had to look through a lot of websites to find something appropiate.
This ist the link: http://www.trailer-ruhrgebiet.de/originale.php
Due to Thursday’s list with the stops of the mobile food store, I realized that there is another International School in Duisburg. I had thought this one is in Düsseldorf being a branch of Cologne what would be funny because of the traditional conflict between the two cities. No, they are different schools.
In Duisburg exists the The English Internationl School St. George’s which is an sister to the school in Cologne and Aachen. The school seems to be an additional school. Therefore it doesn’t receive state funding. I’m no longer in the mood to describe the pedagogical concept. Have a look at their page. They seem to use the IBO curriculum.
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