In order to prepare student teachers for working in inclusive schools in a migration society, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has been supporting the “Lehramtsstudium International” project at the Faculty of Pedagogy and Educational Sciences at the University of Bremen since 2019. Further funding has now been approved for the period from 2025 to 2029 under the title “Lehramtsstudium International: Reflecting Diversity and Inclusion in Teacher Education”. The DAAD is providing 625,000 euros for this purpose.
“I am delighted with the recognition that the DAAD is giving to teacher education in Bremen,” says Yasemin Karakaşoğlu, the faculty's dean and principal investigator of the first project phase. “It confirms our focus on reflecting diversity and inclusion, which we address not only through structural developments in internationalization, but also at the content and subject level – for example, by conducting research and teaching on diversity sensitivity and discrimination criticism.”
In the “International Teacher Education” (“Lehramtsstudium international”) project, in close cooperation with the Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research (ZfLB) and the International Office, the Faculty of Educational Sciences is working with universities in Windhoek (Namibia), Toronto and Winnipeg (Canada), and Vienna (Austria). Natascha Korff, a professor of inclusive education at the University of Bremen, leads the project.
“The international teacher education project offers a wide range of systematic and low-threshold opportunities to bring students into contact with other country contexts – while always keeping an eye on the diversity on their own doorstep. We are pleased that the project will enrich teacher education at the University of Bremen for another five years,” says Professor Maren Petersen, Vice President for Teaching and Studies at the University of Bremen.
How Student Teachers Can Gain Experience Abroad
The project aims to strengthen transcultural competencies in three areas: in teaching, in student internships, and in the exchange between researchers. In the first two project phases, international elements have been established in the teaching curriculum, such as digital cooperation seminars between different universities.
Practical placements in schools are an integral part of teacher training. “However, they are rarely used for international study visits. In particular, students training to become primary school teachers rarely go abroad during their studies,” explains Natascha Korff. This is where the project comes in: The practical semester is being opened up for stays abroad and suitable accompanying concepts are being developed in cooperation with the ZflB and the subjects in primary school teaching. In particular, the project aims to address students who otherwise have little or no experience abroad. In a pilot phase of the new concept in 2024, four students spent practical semesters in Canada and Namibia with the help of scholarships. They not only worked in schools, but also attended lectures at the local partner universities and exchanged ideas with teaching staff members at the respective universities.
The project also strengthens the exchange of specialist knowledge. At networking events such as the International Summer School Diversity and Inclusion in Teacher Education (ISSDITE) and the International Teaching Week (ITW), researchers and teaching staff members exchanged ideas on the topics of diversity and inclusion.
New Plan: International Research Seminars for Students
“In the new project phase, the existing offers will be continued. In addition, further offers will be established, especially for the final phase of teacher training studies,” says project coordinator Jenny Bredull. The aim is to enable students to take part in week-long research-related excursions abroad. In seminar groups, they will address inclusion and diversity and develop possible research topics for their master's theses. In addition, the project leaders want to establish an international research seminar for students. “In this hybrid and digital format, students can exchange ideas about the topics of their master's theses and receive guidance from teaching staff members within the international partner network. The completed theses will then be presented at student summer schools,” says Natascha Korff.
Further scholarships will be awarded for internships abroad - in addition to the existing locations, also in Winnipeg. The International Teaching Week will also continue to take place, with the next edition scheduled for May 12 to 16, 2025. The week will also include lectures on “Reflecting Diversity and Inclusion in Teacher Education” for a broader public.
Further Information:
Contact:
Natascha Korff
Professor of Inclusive Education
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 (0)421 218-69310
Email: nkorffprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
