4th Senftenberg Workshop - BTU and schools in constructive exchange on the new teacher training program

The primary school teaching degree study programme at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) was launched in October 2023 with 61 future primary school teachers. Since then, the innovative study programme with its particular practical relevance has developed successfully. One key to its success is the Senftenberg workshops, which encourage a close exchange with various stakeholders in teacher training. This time - the principals and deputy principals of the schools for the practical placement of our students.

From the very beginning, the teacher training course at BTU has been characterized by aclose link with school practice - students complete a practical day at a school every week. The first network event was aimed in particular at close cooperation and collaboration with the principals and teachers of the elementary school involved in the teacher training program. As network coordinator , Dr. Irene Heidt,deputy professor of English and English didactics, therefore designed the network event in a dialog-oriented manner by focusing on the exchange of potentials and challenges in the supervisor of student teachers, wishes and future potentials regarding school internships as well as networking with the participating schools.

Prof. Dr. Peer Schmidt, Vice-President for Academic Affairs at BTU, made it clear that the experience of many partners had been incorporated into the development of the teacher training course - for example from the Brandenburg Teachers' Association, school authorities, the schools themselves and the Centre for Teacher Training and Educational Research at the University of Potsdam, and that this was done in close contact with the Brandenburg Ministries of Science and Education. In addition to the practical relevance of the course, he emphasized, among other things, the combination of subject-specific science and subject-specific didactics. From the winter semester 2024/25, in addition to the current subject combination of German and Mathematics, further subject combinations will be possible with the subjects English, subject teaching with a focus on social and natural sciences.

Head of degree course Prof. Dr. Juliane Noack Napoles presented the teacher training course in detail, from the introduction to the subjects to the Bachelor's thesis in the sixth semester. She went into the various modules and the practical school studies, which were of particular interest to the participants. The integrated introductory internship in the first and second semesters, an observation internship that is reflected on at the university, is followed by subject-specific didactic day internships in the fourth and fifth semesters and an internship in pedagogical-psychological fields of action in the sixth semester.

In the subsequent discussion and, in particular, during the exchange in five working groups moderated by BTU members, the participants from the schools formulated their assessments and wishes with regard to the new teacher training program and, in particular, the supervision of students in the school internship.
There was clearly a great deal of approval for the establishment of the primary school teaching degree study programme and its practical relevance.

Dr. Irene Heidt and Prof. Dr. Juliane Noack Napoles emphasize: "We are very pleased about the great approval, the interest in close cooperation and the valuable suggestions from principals and teachers, which we are integrating into the development phase of the teacher training course. Specifically, we will further clarify the tasks of students, their rights and duties in the school internship and anchor them in a handout for head teachers. We are also planning regular information events on the content of the course and internship as well as further network meetings with teachers and school administrators in order to further fund close links with school practice."

Background
Brandenburg's Science Minister Dr. Manja Schüle, Education Minister Steffen Freiberg and Senftenberg's Mayor Andreas Pfeiffer joined BTU President Prof. Dr. Gesine Grande on 9 October 2023 to open the new primary school teacher training study programme at the BTU in Senftenberg. The innovative and practice-oriented study programme for primary school teaching was set up in record time of less than a year to counteract the acute shortage of teachers.
The BTU offers student teachers a completely new approach to their future profession as a primary school teacher by allowing them to be active in selected partner schools from the outset and learn the job in a real-life environment - flanked by theoretical and pedagogical knowledge that is professionally taught to them in so-called learning workshops at the BTU.
The Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany) has already awarded the study program the University Pearl of the Month for October 2023. The jury's statement said:
"It is very attractive for students to work in schools from the very first semester. From the winter semester 2026/27, the Bachelor's degree course that has now started will be followed by a practice-integrated Master's degree course in the same way. It will then be the first dual Master's degree course in the teaching profession. This concept is contemporary and exemplary for further courageous approaches in teacher training."
In January 2024, the primary school teacher training study programme emerged as the winner of the Germany-wide vote for University Pearl of the Year.

Further information: https://www.b-tu.de/lehramt-primarstufe-bed/