Future of teacher training: Minister Olschowski in dialogue with students

Future of teacher training: Minister Olschowski in dialogue with students

On June 4th, an important sofa talk with the Minister of Science Petra Olschowski took place at the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Education. This event, which was organized as part of the anniversary “200 years of teacher training in Schwäbisch Gmünd”, was a forum for exchange about the future-proof training of teachers. The university department of political science under the direction of Prof. Dr. Helmar Schöne and the student department representatives initiated the discussion, which focused on various topics.

The discussions focused on topics such as democracy education, the effects of artificial intelligence on the education system and reform ideas for integrating theory and practice in teacher training courses. Minister Olschowski emphasized the importance of direct dialogue with students. During the discussion, they expressed their concerns about the risk of poverty and wanted more flexible traineeship changes.

Democracy education as a central challenge

The minister informed those present about the collaboration with the Minister of Education and current reform projects, including a dual course of study to attract teachers. The strengths of the teacher training course in Baden-Württemberg, in particular the practical phases and the subject didactics, were emphasized. The universities of teacher education play a key role as contacts for educational policy and sources of inspiration in public debates.

One of Prof. Schöne's central concerns was to strengthen democracy education in schools and universities. This issue is increasingly recognized as a socio-political and educational policy challenge. The activities of the Center for Teacher Training at the University of Trier in particular show that democracy education must be brought into the focus of training. These include concepts such as Lehramt3D, which aims to show democracy education as a central educational mission at schools and universities.

An example of the challenges facing democratic education is the rise in anti-Semitic crimes and the spread of fake news on social media. The ZFL at the University of Trier prepares theories and didactic tools to sensitize and train teachers on this topic. The focus is on promoting civic education and student participation in democratic processes.

Historical perspectives and current developments

The discussion about the political socialization function of schools has a long history, going back to the 1970s. Topics such as censorship and equal opportunities in the education system were central elements of the discussion. The founding of new types of schools, especially comprehensive schools, demonstrated the desire for a “democratic performance school”. But the implementation of student participation often fell short of expectations.

In the following decades, various programs were developed to strengthen democracy education, including the BLK model program “Learn & Live Democracy”. This program represented a significant initiative to motivate schools to actively participate in democratic processes. Despite this progress, however, challenges remain, such as the inadequate implementation of democratic educational concepts and the need for reliable financial framework conditions.

The most recent initiatives, such as the “ADiLA – Active for Democracy Education in Teaching” project, which has existed since March 2023, are part of these efforts. The aim is to develop a wide range of offerings for schools and teaching practice. These approaches are intended to help effectively integrate democracy education into teacher training and thus promote the democratic awareness of young people in the long term.

The sofa talk ended with applause from the audience and underlined the importance of dialogue between politics, universities and students. Given the complexity and challenges in democracy education, it remains essential to place the issues at the center of teacher training and to find innovative solutions.

Democracy education is not just a buzzword, but a central concern for the future of the education systems in Germany. The responsibility lies with the institutions, the teachers and, above all, with the students, who should actively participate in shaping their education.