Standing Conference on ab initio German in the UK and Ireland

The Standing Conference, constituted in 1995, was formed by a group of committed professionals drawn from a range of tertiary level educational institutions in the UK and Ireland, who were prompted by the recognition that there is an increasing demand for the ab initio teaching of German at tertiary level and that this demand has created new needs with respect to the teaching and learning as well as research into the whole new field of ab inbitio German.

The goal of the Standing Conference was to encourage and stimulate interest in all aspects of the teaching and learning of ab initio German at tertiary level in the UK and Ireland. It sought to achieve this goal in a variety of ways: for example, by investigating aspects of methodology, assessment and teaching aids, by encouraging research into all aspects of German ab initio teaching and learning, by producing publications - such as Leder, G.; Reimann, N. and Walsh, R. (eds) (1996) Ab initio language learning: A guide to good practice in universities and colleges. The example of German. Goethe-Institut/CILT/DAAD - and by organising regular events such as conferences, workshops etc. concerning the teaching and learning of ab initio German. The Standing Conference met on a national level twice a year, usually in a 'workshop' format, whislt a dedicated mailbase network enabled electronic contact to be maintained between members at all times between meetings.

The Standing Conference joined forces with the AMGS in 2000. The AMGS will promote the aims of the Standing Conference and look after its interests by running a Sepcial Interest Group (SIG) on ab initio German teaching as well as by organising a conference on related matters in the near future.