Deutschunterricht unter den Voraussetzungen von posttraumatischen Belastungsstörungen

Abstract

People suffering from trauma due to torture and war have specific difficulties in learning a foreign language. German teaching under the conditions of posttraumatic stress disorders therefore means, above all, to offer helpful support to the participants, especially since their attention and short-term memory are impaired by the physical consequences of their traumatization. For this reason, the courses in “German as a Second Language” at the Ambulatory for Torture and War Victims (AFK) at the University Hospital of Zurich follow methods of trauma pedagogy, in order to create a pedagogic-therapeutic learning environment centered on needs-oriented and individual learning processes as well as on the social and emotional aspects of learning.