Language promotion through literature: Katharina Ehrenfried gives lecture as part of the AMIF project ‘School in Hub’
On 11 March 2025, Katharina Ehrenfried gave a ground-breaking presentation on language development as part of the AMIF ‘School in Hub’ project’s teacher training course. Under the title ‘Language Acquisition and Literature: A Transdisciplinary, Neurodivergent Affirming, and Diversity-Sensitive Approach’, she presented practical methods for promoting language through literature. The event is aimed at teachers from all over the EU who work with children aged 4 to 8 and support them in acquiring a new language.
The lecture took place as part of a multi-day training course on language development organised by the Berlin Cosmopolitan School at Müggelsee. 26 participants from 13 EU organisations gained practical insights into innovative teaching methods to overcome language barriers in multicultural classrooms.
A transdisciplinary and inclusive approach
In her presentation, Katharina Ehrenfried focussed on a transdisciplinary, neurodivergent-affirming and diversity-sensitive approach. She showed how literature can be used specifically as a tool to promote children’s language skills. A particular focus here is on supporting children with neurodivergent characteristics such as autism or ADHD as well as children with a migration background.
Tried-and-tested methods for teachers
Background: The AMIF project ‘School in Hub’
About the Berlin Cosmopolitan School, Preschool and Kindergarten
The Berlin Cosmopolitan School is changing the traditional way schools and kindergartens work with different approaches to learning in the areas of nature and environmental protection, sports, new work, culture, dance, music and art and much more. The aim of the independent school, preschool and kindergarten is to bring all students along according to their abilities.
“When school motivates, everyone learns more” is the conviction of the Berlin Cosmopolitan School. Regular outdoor learning, sports activities and competitions, digital projects such as robotics, internships from grade 6, music-making from kindergarten age, dance clubs, bilingual education and much more help the children to discover and develop their own preferences and abilities.
Important concerns of the Berlin Cosmopolitan School, Kindergarten and Preschool are social justice, equal opportunities in education and a balanced community. The school regularly awards scholarships to students and accepts refugees. Through its established network and internationally trained staff, the educational institution has the opportunity to explore new educational paths for every age group.
The Berlin Cosmopolitan School was founded in 2003 as a non-profit organisation by Yvonne Wende. In 2004, the first bilingual (English-German) kindergarten and preschool opened for Berlin-Mitte with 18 children. Shortly after, the primary school started and most recently, in 2009, the accredited bilingual Gymnasium of Berlin Cosmopolitan School 01P22. Since then, the number of students has steadily increased. Approximately 1,000 students from all over the world are now being taught on the Rückerstraße and Invalidenstraße campuses. The kindergarten has grown to a number of more than 300 children between the ages of 1 and 6.
In 2013, Berlin Cosmopolitan School was accredited as an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, first for primary school and also for the Gymnasium. The IB Learner Profile is about developing children and young people into lifelong learners. The school and kindergarten use primary experiences to design lessons.
