Bavaria is planning revolutionary changes in teacher training: This is what awaits you!

Bavaria is planning revolutionary changes in teacher training: This is what awaits you!

The Free State of Bavaria has commissioned a commission of experts to develop proposals for the contemporary further development of teacher training. The report, which contains 13 specific recommendations, was presented in Munich. The commission consists of well-known members: Prof. Dr. Cordula Artelt, Elias Stubenvoll and OStD Pankraz Männlein. A central point of the report is the call for an expansion of practical orientation in studies in order to make training for teachers more relevant and application-oriented.

The recommendations include further development of school internships and increased attention to inclusion in teacher training. According to Elias Stubenvoll, there is an opportunity to improve the quality of teacher training by integrating studies, traineeships and further training more closely. In addition, the commission is committed to existing pillars of Bavarian teacher training and speaks out against comprehensive structural reform.

Necessary changes

Furthermore, improving the data situation is considered essential in order to achieve targeted progress. Particular emphasis is placed on the need for fundamental changes in teacher training after 30-40 years, as many young teacher training students feel inadequately prepared for the profession. Commission head Martin Huber emphasizes that in the future the focus should be placed more on skills than on content.

As part of this change, teacher training students should learn how to convey specialist knowledge didactically and give student feedback effectively. The improved teaching of an inclusive approach to heterogeneity for all teacher training students is also a central aspect. The educational goals aim to ensure that teachers recognize diversity as an opportunity and adapt lessons to the needs of all students.

Digitalization in teacher training

Digitalization is playing an increasingly important role in teacher training. Teachers must acquire skills in critical and creative use of digital media during their studies and further training. The “Teacher Training Quality Offensive” complements innovative measures for digitalization in teacher training that have been pursued since 2020. The projects aim to develop digitally supported teaching-learning concepts that are tested in training and further education.

One example is the CODIP project at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, which provides teaching concepts in various subjects as Open Educational Resources (OER). Digital textbooks and videos for analyzing teaching processes are further means of modernizing teacher training and adapting it to modern learning needs. According to the University of Münster's meta-video portal, numerous projects are working to promote and further develop digital skills in teacher training.

By implementing the Commission's proposals, Bavarian teacher training could be made more attractive and thus reduce dropouts during studies and traineeships. There are currently 35,000 teacher candidates studying in Bavaria, with many of them dropping out early. The education policy should enable a programmatic orientation, which is to be presented in the government's master plan in spring 2026. Science Minister Markus Blume describes these efforts as “evolution instead of a revolution” in teacher training.

The expert reports on teacher training can be viewed under a link provided and offer a comprehensive overview of the future direction of teacher training in Bavaria. Further information on the challenges and progress in the digitalization of teacher training is also available at qualitaetsoffensive-lehrbildung.de and sueddeutsche.de.