werkSTATTtagung - Ideas for the teacher preparation service in Saxony

For two years, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Matthias Schmidt and Dipl.-Psych Katharina Roitzsch monitored the teacher training program in Saxony in order to evaluate it.Following interviews, document analyses, online surveys, and tests, the results have now been submitted to the Saxon State Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs.

In the teaching profession, the pre-service training program serves as a crucial bridge between university education and independent professional practice: Four days a week, student teachers work at their schools under the guidance of their mentors; one day a week, they spend time with other student teachers at the teacher training center in Dresden, Chemnitz, or Leipzig. In recent years, the teacher training program in Saxony has undergone various changes. For example, the duration of training was shortened from 24 to 12 months, and later extended back to 18 months. In this context, the curriculum was also fundamentally revised. Currently, the issue of career changers is playing an increasingly important role. Their training takes place alongside student teachers and teacher candidates—often in mixed groups—but lasts only 12 months.

Overall, the evaluation results can be described as thoroughly positive. The training is implemented professionally by those responsible. Likewise, many training tools and examination formats received good marks from the participants. At the same time, areas requiring further refinement became apparent.

The evaluation results also include a large number of proposals regarding various components of the preparatory service. These were the focus of the werkSTATT conference held on September 27, 2019, in Dresden.

In addition to instructors and directors from the twelve teacher training centers in Saxony, representatives from the State Office for Schools and Education and the Ministry of Culture gathered to examine the individual proposals more closely: What makes sense in terms of content, and where can actual improvements be made? What effort and risks are associated with each proposal? What specific decisions and steps are necessary for implementation?

Based on the evaluation results, individual topics were prioritized and addressed in greater depth through a gallery session and five parallel workshops. In November, the results of the werkSTATT conference will be reviewed and discussed once again at the Saxon State Office for Schools and Education, and the next steps will be coordinated.