During the workshop "Unpacking the story behind the Berlin Wall," the most valuable part for me was gaining a deeper understanding of the historical context and significance of the Berlin Wall. My light-bulb moment was realising the profound impact it had on the lives of countless individuals and how it symbolised the ideological division during the Cold War.

As for the workshop on "Tracking down German Castles," the highlight for me was learning about the rich cultural heritage and architectural marvels of these castles. Discovering the diverse histories behind each castle and their role in shaping Germany's past was truly enlightening.

I always love the padlets that go with those workshops. There are so many excellent ideas, it is hard to decide which one is the best one.

My lightbulb moment would be to link Matariki to kite flying. I had thought about the lantern parades before but not about the kites.

There was a number of activities that are really appealing and easy enough to implement, like the blindfolded food degustation to learn adjectives (describing texture and taste), introducing Handball (particularly good for last period) and putting a radio show together (for senior students). I really liked the movie about an escape from East Germany and plan to show it to my senior students when talking about German history.

As a languages teacher, it is important for me to keep on learning another language so that I can explore various second language acquisition theories and put them into practice.