About

Foreign languages and linguistics mean the world to me.

I graduated in English and Scandinavian Studies at the University of Bonn. During my studies I was able to deepen and develop my knowledge in various languages as well as in the fields of historical linguistics, dialectology, etymology, semantic change, morphology, phonology, cognitive linguistics, cultural studies and foreign language didactics. I gained my first experience in foreign language didactics during my studies, especially in the field of teaching German as a foreign language. Furthermore, I successfully completed a teacher education programme for German as a second language at the University of Jena, which made it possible for me to further develop my teaching methods.

After my graduation I left the lively Rhineland and moved to the multicultural and colourful city of Berlin, where I lived and taught German for a couple of years. In 2020 I moved back to my beloved Cologne and have been carrying on with my German classes (from) here ever since.

Working with people from different cultures and countries is another aspect that plays a major role for me as a language teacher and enriches me not only as a teacher but above all as a human being. I love to learn new things from my students about their home countries and languages that they speak.

I can communicate in the following languages:

Germanic languages: German (C2)*, English (C1), Swedish (C1), Danish (B1)
Romance languages: Spanish (B2), Italian (A2), French (A2)
Slavic languages: Polish (C2), Czech (B1), Slovak (B1)

*Language levels according to the Common European Framework for Reference of Languages (CEFR)

My teaching method

Knowledge of many languages enables me to make language comparisons in my classes, which not only allows me to explain German grammar better to the students, but also makes the acquisition process of both grammatical and lexical topics as efficient, optimal and fast as possible. This means that other foreign languages that my students speak, be it their mother tongue or a first/second/third foreign language, also play a central role in my teaching method which is based on the principles of multilingual didactics.


I consider myself a director and my students as actors. I let them explore linguistic phenomena, I challenge them in order to get the best out of them. I show them the path as well as the means to reach their goals. In my teaching method, I also place great emphasis on communication, open exchange of ideas and personalisation. My classes are held online and include following learning activities: partner work, group work, individual work, discussions on current topics, language projects and games, use of digital media (videos, audio files, digital whiteboard, etc.) and much more.


Last but not least: Empathy - another aspect that facilitates a successful teaching, which should not be a foreign word for a teacher. I am empathic and carefully observe each student in my class. I perceive all signals coming from my students and try to respond to each one individually at any time. Not only a good knowledge of human nature, but also a strong intercultural competence enables a teacher to support and motivate his students individually during the learning process.


So what is the magic formula for the success of my teaching? 

I simply love what I do. Languages, cultures and people are my greatest passion.

See you soon in my virtual classroom!

Damian