Earlier this month a group of our S3 German pupils had a fantastic learning experience during their exchange programme with partner school Gymnasium Langen in Northern Germany.

Participating in lessons as well as multiple excursions, they truly immersed themselves into German culture and school life, making memories to last a lifetime.

Our pupils were partnered with a pupil of similar age from Gymnasium Langen, who they have kept in regular contact with before embarking on this trip. They have also had the opportunity to stay with host families, fully immersing themselves in the exchange programme and using their German vocabulary. 

They spent their first day visiting The Wadden Sea, a unesco heritage site with a unique landscape that is home to various sea creatures. The guided tour saw them learning many interesting facts about this fascinating environment and gave them the opportunity to bond with their exchange partners through a range of games and activities.

On day two of the trip, the pupils got to embark on a journey through all the climate zones along 8 degrees east longitude at Klimahaus Bremerhaven. In this fascinating adventure around the world pupils were able to experience the different climates and learn about the people and animals that live there. This was followed by an afternoon of free time in the city of Bremerhaven with their exchange partners.

In order to give the pupils an opportunity to experience a typical school day of a German pupil, the third day of the trip was spend in lessons along with their exchange partners. The Scottish pupils' German was really put to a test here, trying to learn about History, Chemistry and Latin in German! Some of our pupils even got involved in a practical photography project around the school in an Art lesson. This exciting day was finished with a final gathering at the school canteen where we enjoyed everyone's home baked goods they had made the previous day. A great day for everyone!

Before leaving to return home, the pupils got to spend an entire Saturday with their host families and embarked on many different adventures from Stand-Up Paddle Boarding to Trampolining and a visit to the nearby city of Bremen. This was an amazing opportunity for the German pupils to show their partners their favourite places and activities in their home area.

Ms Speidel, Teacher of Modern Languages, shared: “We are delighted that we were able to go into This second round of the exchange, which was a great opportunity for our school to strengthen our partnership with Gymnasium Langen in Niedersachsen and for our pupils to forge new friendships and make life-long memories."

Amelie (S3) said: “The German exchange was one of the best things I have ever experienced. It was really fun making friends with my exchange partner and hanging out with her! I’d definitely recommend it, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and totally worth it.”

Tobe (S3) commented: “My experience with my exchange partner was good, as their family was welcoming and helpful throughout my visit. The activities were fun and when I needed a translation my exchange partner would help me in what was going on or what was going to happen. The exchange on a whole was good, as I got to see the German lifestyle and how it differed from Scotland. Learning about the culture to the food to the passionate football fans located in Hannover was exciting and fascinating.”

Mr Campbell, Head of Languages, added: “Setting off on an exchange, whilst initially intimidating, is definitely one of the most effective methods to deeply immerse yourself in another country's culture and way of life, and to develop your linguistic proficiencies. Creating opportunities for students to engage in real-world interactions breathes life into classroom learning and sees pupils’ confidence soar. It really is fantastic to see students making use of their language skills to create new, meaningful connections and relationships that extend far beyond the confines of the classroom. 

At Robert Gordon’s College, German is a language which has grown hugely in recent years. Whilst many schools have unfortunately seen their numbers fall, or indeed may have phased it out completely, we are very pleased to have so many pupils who are studying Europe’s second most commonly spoken language after Russian.  Pupils very much enjoy their time in class with Frau Speidel, not just learning vocabulary and studying grammatical structures, but also learning about different cultures, countries, people and communities. 

German, like Mandarin, Spanish, French and Latin can be studied from S1 all the way through to Advanced Higher level, and we are very pleased that every year a high number of pupils continue their language studies to university level, either as a languages degree, or as part of a joint degree with other subjects such as law, international relations, engineering or business. We also offer Classical Studies and Ancient Greek. Studying a language teaches pupils to be open-minded, global citizens who respect and celebrate differences and who flourish in a world in which we treat each other with mutual tolerance and respect.”

We are looking forward to welcoming our German partners to Robert Gordon's College in September 2024.