ABSTRACT
Until 1964, students in the lowest tier of the hierarchical three-tier German school system were barred from learning a foreign language. But once secondary schools were reorganised and foreign-language learning was made mandatory, the students' widely differing language aptitude—their heterogeneity—brought new pedagogical and methodological challenges. ‘Heterogenität’ (heterogeneity) has evolved as a central concept in the German education system, particularly over the past 15 years. The acknowledgment that all schools, classes and students are heterogeneous has led to reforms and a reshaping of the school system—as well as a rethinking of foreign-language learning. As a sequential subject, foreign-language learning poses particular challenges in highly diverse classes, especially in the first two years when the main objective is the creation of a common linguistic foundation for all. This chapter will look at recent developments in foreign language teaching in Germany, with a particular focus on the challenges of heterogeneous learning groups.
