Karen Bauer

Karen Bauer is an Associate Professor in Foreign Language Didactics at the Department of Teacher Education, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). She has been working at NTNU since 2015 and serves as course leader for multiple teacher education programs including PPU4656 (German subject didactics - part 1), PPU4657 (German subject didactics - part 2), PPU4246 (subject didactics foreign languages - full-time), and PPU4540 (subject didactics English and foreign languages).

Dr. Bauer received her doctorate in Germanic literature from Freie Universität Berlin in 2001. Prior to her position at NTNU, she worked as a lecturer in French, German and German as a foreign language at Freie Universität in Berlin, and as a cultural trainer at various institutions including the Goethe-Institut across multiple countries (France, Netherlands, Norway, Germany, and USA).

Her research focuses on innovative approaches to language teaching, with particular emphasis on physical learning methods in language education. She heads the teaching materials research group at ILU and is an active member of NTNU's research group for physical learning. Her work explores the integration of movement into language instruction, word learning strategies with movement, and the analysis of teaching materials for German as a foreign language. She is particularly interested in how bodily engagement enhances language acquisition processes and student engagement.

Bauer's publication record demonstrates a clear trajectory toward embodied learning approaches in language education. Her recent work shows increasing focus on physical learning methods, with numerous publications from 2021-2025 examining movement integration in language classrooms. Her research spans theoretical frameworks of bodily learning while maintaining strong practical applications for language teachers. Collaborative work with Beate Lindemann on German teacher training in Norway and with Gerard Doetjes on German textbooks reveals her commitment to improving language education through empirical research.

As an academic leader, Bauer currently supervises one PhD fellow, Nico Schlösser, and serves as co-supervisor for a master's student at the University of Jena in Germany. She has been instrumental in developing teacher training programs and actively participates in international research collaborations focused on foreign language education in Nordic countries.

Her work extends to practical applications through workshops and professional development activities for language teachers, focusing on digital storytelling, movement integration, and improvisational theater techniques to reduce language anxiety. She has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences, demonstrating her active engagement with the broader academic community.