After a welcome speech by Professor Christian Palentien, Director of the Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research, Parliament President Antje Grotheer addressed the graduates with a personal message. Mark Rackles, the newly appointed Senator for Children and Education, also paid tribute to the new teachers. In his opening remarks, he emphasized: "I am very pleased that our dedicated teacher education graduates are now going into schools and supporting their colleagues there. With their knowledge, motivation, and pedagogical commitment, they are bringing new energy to the classroom and making an important contribution to good education in Bremen. Incidentally, more than half of these successful young people have a migration background. For me, this is a sign that Bremen is colorful, diverse, and that educational equality is not just a buzzword here."
Professor Maren Petersen, Vice President for Teaching and Studies at the University of Bremen, who is herself involved in teacher education, encouraged the graduates to remain true to themselves and to retain their joy of learning: “I wish all graduates joy, inspiration, and confidence in their careers. You have already achieved a great deal during your degrees, and at the same time, you still have a lot ahead of you during the practical training period and beyond: new experiences in the classroom, many encounters with young people, and plenty of opportunities to learn. All the best for your future!”
From Command Didactics to Microcontrollers: Awards for Outstanding Master's Theses
The event then focused on the presentation of two awards for outstanding master's theses, each endowed with 750 euros. These awards honor the academic part of teacher education and the award-winning theses exemplify transfer, development, and innovation in teacher training. This year, they were donated by the “unifreunde” Association and the University of Bremen Alumni Network and supported by the Faculty of Pedagogy and Educational Sciences and the Faculty of Linguistics and Literary Studies.
One of the two awards went to Marie Bothmer for her thesis in the subject area of German, entitled: “Command Didactics in the Crossfire: A Phonological-Semantic, Lexical, Intuitive, or Syntax-Based Approach? An Empirical Study“ ("Kommadidaktik im Kreuzfeuer: Phonologisch-semantischer, lexikalischer, intuitiver oder syntaxbasierter Ansatz? Eine empirische Studie"). The second award was presented to Annica Schönfeld for her work in the field of general studies: “Children’s Ideas about the Technical Functioning of Microcontrollers Using the Example of the Calliope Mini” (“Kindervorstellungen zur technischen Funktionsweise von Mikrocontrollern am Beispiel des Calliope Mini”). Both works combine current scientific findings with innovative didactic concepts.
