Research-Based Professionalisation of Teacher Education

Applicants

Prof. Dr. Hedda Bennewitz
Faculty of Education, Institute of Educational Science, Chair of School Pedagogy: School Research, Technische Universität Dresden

Prof. Dr. Jeanette Hoffmann
Faculty of Education, Institute of Educational Science, Chair of Primary School Pedagogy/German, Technische Universität Dresden

Prof. Dr. Martina Knörzer
Faculty of Education, Institute of Educational Science, Chair of Primary School Pedagogy/General Studies, Technische Universität Dresden

Prof. Dr. Anke Langner
Faculty of Education, Institute of Educational Science, Chair of Educational Science with a focus on Inclusive Education, Technische Universität Dresden

Prof. Dr. Marcus Schütte
Faculty of Education, Institute of Educational Science, Chair of Primary School Pedagogy/Mathematics, Technische Universität Dresden

Prof. Dr. Matthea Wagener
Faculty of Education, Institute of Educational Science, Chair of Educational Science with a focus on Primary School Pedagogy, Technische Universität Dresden

Institution

TU Dresden

Duration

01.01.2016 – 30.06.2019

Funding volume

311,000 € (Quality Initiative Teacher Education, BMBF)

Initial situation

In teacher education, the question of how to design the relationship between theoretical and practical training elements is recurringly discussed. There is consensus that "practical" elements are to be promoted in particular when they are appropriately accompanied and when students can reflect on their experiences and place them in the horizon of existing professional standards and theoretical knowledge bases. One way of linking academic disciplinary knowledge with practice-based case work is offered by "workshops" (Werkstätten). Within educational science, the term "workshop" stands for a form of learning in which self-directed and inquiry-based learning, experience- and case-based work, as well as the academically guided exploration, analysis and reflection of the experiences gathered, are at the centre (cf. Franz 2012).

Aims

The project aims to foster pedagogical professionality from multiple perspectives in workshops set up for this purpose

• by reflecting on teaching and learning experiences and offering profession-related counselling and support to students, a certificate "Learning to Teach", peer case consultation, competency training and a tutor programme;
• by providing students with space for self-organised, exploratory and inquiry-based learning. They are offered a learning environment rich in materials in order to get to know pupil-activating methods and teaching materials and thereby to support forms of self-determined learning;
• by realising concepts of peer learning and peer coaching;

• by developing and realising student research questions and research projects.

Approach

The workshop concept responds with its offer to the fact that students often cannot identify a recognisable connection between the contents of their studies and their later activity as teachers. At the same time, from a scientific perspective, a "gap between knowledge and action" is also lamented (Mandl & Gerstenmaier, 2000). Knowledge that has been learned cannot be applied directly to school-practical situations, but must be recognised and interpreted in its case-specific nature. On the one hand, students are required to describe and analyse professional situations in the spirit of an inquiring habitus. On the other hand, the work in workshops itself is to be captured.

Work programme

Phase 1: Further development and networking of the workshop concepts of the participating chairs; equipping of the workshop rooms; coordination of the seminar and workshop offers, also with the participating schools and other extra-university cooperation partners (museums, libraries, literature houses, etc.). Planning of workshop offers;

Phase 2: Implementation and reflection of the workshop offers (development of student empirical research projects in the format of "research-based learning"; running of colloquia and regular, annual evaluation and publication of the work results so far);

Phase 3: Consolidation of the empirical findings on the workshop concept, final phase of the academic monitoring, continuation of the workshop activities.

Dissemination plan

The results benefit both the students and the participating schools, i.e. the teachers, pupils. In addition to practical experience in organising and implementing offers, the academic findings on the three thematic areas of inquiry-based learning, peer learning in teacher education, learning effects and learning processes in school practice contribute to the sustainable innovation of teacher education. Possibilities for transfer arise in the establishment of the workshop concepts also in primary schools.

Outlook

The experiences and findings of the multi-perspective workshop activities will be used to integrate the workshop activities permanently and structurally into the modules of teacher education in the second funding period of the Quality Initiative, and thus to strengthen the entire teacher education at TU Dresden sustainably with regard to the linking of theory and practice.