Education in transition: Experts call for new curricula and digital skills!

Education in transition: Experts call for new curricula and digital skills!

On April 25, 2025, experts from the University of Trier presented a comprehensive report that calls for an urgent redesign of the curricula in the area of ​​English teaching. In this report, in which Prof. Dr. Henning Rossa was significantly involved, the need for clear guidelines for basic education before the 7th grade is particularly emphasized. The experts call for greater integration of digital working techniques as well as measures for career orientation in lessons in order to promote the students' ability to act professionally. The recommendations are aimed specifically at schools, ministries and teacher training.

A central aspect of the recommendations is improving the quality of teaching in English, as this is crucial for achieving appropriate language skills. Despite some progress in the English language skills of students in Germany over the last 15 years, reality shows that a large group of learners do not achieve minimum standards at the end of lower secondary school. In order to change this, a focus on practical skills is suggested and low-threshold access to the foreign language via digital media and online games is recommended.

Digital media in the curriculum

The variability of the curricula in the different federal states is another issue that is reflected in the recommendations. The different consideration of digital media and digitalization in the curricula is highlighted. English lessons in particular should focus more on media education and text and media skills. Loud Velcro Media literacy includes knowledge and skills that are essential for participation in an increasingly digitalized society. The Media Pass NRW represents an overarching framework for media literacy and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration in the development of media concepts for schools.

In this context, central areas of competence are identified, including operating and using media, communicating and cooperating, and producing and presenting content. The development of these skills should initially take place under supervision in order to enable students to use the media independently and critically.

The role of digitalization and diversity

Another point of the report is the need to understand digital literacy as a basic requirement for professional and social participation. This is also part of the measures that the University of Trier implements as part of its teacher training. An innovative profile “Lehramt3D” is pursued, which integrates digitalization, democracy education and diversity into teacher training. Students are encouraged to set priorities in their studies, which means they should see the diversity in school classes as an enrichment.

The relevance of digital skills is also reflected in the need to promote critical thinking when dealing with artificial intelligence (AI). In the educational discussion it is becoming increasingly clear that teachers and students have to face challenges and take advantage of opportunities when dealing with AI. There is consensus that education policy should aim to promote critical thinking in the classroom and that responsibility for the impact of AI lies not only with developers but also with educational institutions themselves. The discussion about the integration of values ​​into AI systems highlights how important it is to anchor such topics in the curricula.

In summary, the report calls for a comprehensive reform of the curricula that considers media literacy, digitalization and diversity as central elements of recognized education in order to best prepare students for their future challenges. It remains to be seen how politicians and the responsible institutions will react to these important recommendations.