Global Literature Circles for Teens | Christian Fischer

From outgrowing textbooks to collaborating across continents. Christian Fischer, Head of English at Gymnasium Schillerschule Hannover, shares how the Global Literature Circle project is transforming how teenagers engage with reading. From digital collaboration using Padlet to fostering student agency, Christian explains how giving learners creative freedom and a global audience can turn reading into a powerful, social experience.

Watch with closed captions.

TALKING POINTSThe challenge of students who outperform traditional textbooksWhy 'resilience' is the missing key in modern teenage reading habitsHow Global Literature Circles connect classrooms worldwideUsing 'freeze frames' and digital tools for meaningful communicationWhy letting 'good players play' is the secret to engagement

ABOUT

Christian Fischer teaches English and History at Gymnasium Schillerschule Hannover in Germany, which also offers the IB Diploma program. He is the head of the department of English and faces a growing number of students whose English proficiency has outgrown standard ESL textbooks. He is, to quote him, baffled that so many English teachers around the world teach English to students who could, technically, in their respective classrooms go back to speaking their Native language when teachers around the world could connect students to work in English only. That is the main idea behind his project “Global Literature Circle”, in which he connects students from around the world to work on literature through collaborative, creative, and engaging tasks.

RESOURCES & REFERENCES

🔗 Substack @christianfischer1

🔗 Contact Christian for more details about the Global Literature Circle: globalliteraturecircle@gmail.com

Backman, F. (2016) My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. Atria Books

Ganda, M., Alifirenka, C., and Welch, L. (2016) I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Nazario, S. (2014) Enrique's Journey. Random House

Noah, T. (2016) Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Random House Publishing Group