From outgrowing textbooks to collaborating across continents. Christian Fischer, Head of English at Gymnasium Schillerschule Hannover, shares how the Global Literature Circle project is transforming how teenagers engage with reading. From digital collaboration using Padlet to fostering student agency, Christian explains how giving learners creative freedom and a global audience can turn reading into a powerful, social experience.
Watch with closed captions.
TALKING POINTS
- The challenge of students who outperform traditional textbooks
- Why 'resilience' is the missing key in modern teenage reading habits
- How Global Literature Circles connect classrooms worldwide
- Using 'freeze frames' and digital tools for meaningful communication
- Why letting 'good players play' is the secret to engagement
ABOUT
Christian Fischer teaches English and History at Gymnasium Schillerschule Hannover in Germany, which also offers the IB Diploma program. He is the head of the department of English and faces a growing number of students whose English proficiency has outgrown standard ESL textbooks. He is, to quote him, baffled that so many English teachers around the world teach English to students who could, technically, in their respective classrooms go back to speaking their Native language when teachers around the world could connect students to work in English only. That is the main idea behind his project “Global Literature Circle”, in which he connects students from around the world to work on literature through collaborative, creative, and engaging tasks.
RESOURCES & REFERENCES
🔗 Substack @christianfischer1
🔗 Contact Christian for more details about the Global Literature Circle: globalliteraturecircle@gmail.com
Backman, F. (2016) My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. Atria Books
Ganda, M., Alifirenka, C., and Welch, L. (2016) I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Nazario, S. (2014) Enrique's Journey. Random House
Noah, T. (2016) Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Random House Publishing Group
SUPPORT US
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CREDITS
Producer: Laura Wilkes
Editor: Haven Tsang
Special thanks to our guest, Christian Fischer
Production by Communicating for Impact
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