Learn German While You Do Something You Enjoy – Part 2

What happens when we take students to a London or Freiburg museum? Let me walk you through it step by step. We usually meet at the main entrance of the museum at 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday. The first 10 minutes or so are spent getting to know each other.

If I am the tutor, we often—though not exclusively—visit the National Portrait Gallery. It’s one of my favourite places in London, and discussing portraits means talking about people—something that works for students at every level of German. Plus, everyone enjoys spotting celebrities like Queen Elizabeth I or II, Winston Churchill, Amy Winehouse, or David Beckham…

Standing in front of a portrait, we describe what we see in detail. This process anchors vocabulary to the images in our minds. Our groups are kept small—typically one tutor and three students, never more than five. We split into pairs for 15 to 20 minutes at a time to maximize speaking time for each participant. Then, we regroup, ensuring everyone gets to speak with everyone else. At the end, each student presents their favourite portrait and explains their choice. After 90 minutes, most of us are exhausted but happy—and we celebrate with a well-deserved coffee (and cake!) while reviewing the new vocabulary we’ve picked up.

Mistakes? Absolutely part of the experience! The only aim is to speak German for the entire two hours. Most students notice a tangible shift in their fluency by the end and leave with a big smile, proud of what they’ve achieved. Speaking German in a London museum is efficient and enjoyable, whether you’re an A2 learner or a C2. What changes is the depth of the discussion. This is why we offer workshops tailored to different levels: A2/B1 and B2/C1.

We’ve been running these workshops for decades. However, what’s new is that we now offer one session per year per level free of charge. My way of saying thank you for 31 teaching German in London and 21 years in Freiburg.

The next free workshops in London and Freiburg will take place in September 2026.

Final info: Museum workshops can be booked just for you or you and and a friend.

© Copyright Barbara Classen and Melker Scott