Reflection on the 30th DGFF Congress “Grenzen-Grenzräume-Entgrenzungen” (27-29 September 2023, PH Freiburg)

From inspiring plenary lectures to section meetings, these days were informative and effective for professional development, academic networking and perspective research focuses.

Prof. Maria Eisenmann, together with Prof. Lena Heine (Ruhr-Universität Bochum), chaired Section 2a entitled "Research Methods" on 27 September, where speakers Prof. Frauke Matz (Münster University) and Prof. Werner Delanoy (Klagenfurt University, Austria) gave a lively and innovative presentation on the integration of theoretical knowledge in the field of foreign language teaching.  Dr. Malgorzata Barras (University of Fribourg, Switzerland) presented her research on testing, assessment and stimulated recall.

In addition, Prof. Eisenmann gave a lecture together with Jeanine Steinbock entitled "Virtual Reality in Modern English Teaching and the Potential for Inter- and Transcultural Learning". The speakers presented the results of the student survey on the possibilities and limits of VR for inter- and transcultural learning in English classes. They showed examples of VR teaching activities carried out as part of the cooperation between the Chair of TEFL and the Chair of Human-Computer Interaction in the QLB project "CoTeach - Connected Teacher Education" at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg.

Our team has gained a lot of experience in relevant competences of foreign language teachers in the 21st century. Focusing on digital transformation, heterogeneity and inclusion, identity development of foreign language teachers, as well as many other current and critical aspects of modern teaching in different educational institutions, the participants of the congress created their own unique and colourful range of ideas.