This is Ms. Ipsen, a teacher at Elbinselschule. She was constantly creating a classroom focused on diversity because the students she works with are from so many different places! This picture is from a lesson where students were reflecting on their cultures. Here is a list of all of the places her students are from! Germany, Albania, Turkey, Kosovo, India, Togo, Ghana, Kardistan, and the United States...9 different countries!
This blog post is part of my assignment for the UNC School of Education as I explore and learn in Germany.
What professional preparation must someone do to become a teacher?
Preparation for teachers in Germany is definitely more extensive than in the United States. Teachers have to receive their undergraduate degree and then go back to school to get their master’s degree in education. Their courses for undergraduate are based on the content they want to specialize in such as German, English, or Math. On top of that, they must participate in one and a half years of a student teaching internship before they are permitted to teach. And I thought student teaching for 10-15 weeks in the United States was a long time! During that year and a half period, beginning teachers are closely mentored by cooperating teachers and this is where they really get the opportunity to develop and grow in the education field. Throughout this student teaching experience, they are required to be taking seminar courses, similar to what I did during my student teaching. Overall, the road to become a teacher in Germany is much longer and on top of their intensive internship, teachers must compose a thesis essay and take an oral exam to receive official teaching credentials.
What kind of professional development experiences do teachers participate in that enable them to continue to acquire skills after they enter the classroom?
The teachers I worked with at Elbinselschule were constantly trying to create progressive classrooms where new pedagogical ideologies were being implemented. They attended different conferences about kinesthetic movement in the classroom and creating a culturally relevant classroom. These teachers felt such a desire to create a warm, comfortable, happy, and safe environment for their students. Through attending such conferences, these teachers are acquiring the skills they need to teach their twenty first century students. Also, the two teachers I worked most closely with led a course on English immersion classrooms at a symposium hosted at Elbinselschule. The teachers here are not only professionally growing themselves, but are also promoting and assisting in the growth of professional development for other teachers! Teachers also meet with PLCs in their grade levels, just like in the United States. I have always viewed these discourses as forms of development because when you communicate and collaborate with others, you are learning yourself.
What professional preparation must someone do to become a teacher?
Preparation for teachers in Germany is definitely more extensive than in the United States. Teachers have to receive their undergraduate degree and then go back to school to get their master’s degree in education. Their courses for undergraduate are based on the content they want to specialize in such as German, English, or Math. On top of that, they must participate in one and a half years of a student teaching internship before they are permitted to teach. And I thought student teaching for 10-15 weeks in the United States was a long time! During that year and a half period, beginning teachers are closely mentored by cooperating teachers and this is where they really get the opportunity to develop and grow in the education field. Throughout this student teaching experience, they are required to be taking seminar courses, similar to what I did during my student teaching. Overall, the road to become a teacher in Germany is much longer and on top of their intensive internship, teachers must compose a thesis essay and take an oral exam to receive official teaching credentials.
What kind of professional development experiences do teachers participate in that enable them to continue to acquire skills after they enter the classroom?
The teachers I worked with at Elbinselschule were constantly trying to create progressive classrooms where new pedagogical ideologies were being implemented. They attended different conferences about kinesthetic movement in the classroom and creating a culturally relevant classroom. These teachers felt such a desire to create a warm, comfortable, happy, and safe environment for their students. Through attending such conferences, these teachers are acquiring the skills they need to teach their twenty first century students. Also, the two teachers I worked most closely with led a course on English immersion classrooms at a symposium hosted at Elbinselschule. The teachers here are not only professionally growing themselves, but are also promoting and assisting in the growth of professional development for other teachers! Teachers also meet with PLCs in their grade levels, just like in the United States. I have always viewed these discourses as forms of development because when you communicate and collaborate with others, you are learning yourself.