AKTIV UPB - Ausland, Kompetenz, Toleranz, Internationalisierung, Vielfalt

The DAAD-funded PLAZ project AKTIV UPB aims to promote the mobility of student teachers so that they have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in other cultures and at the same time promote and develop their teaching skills. The project was initiated and coordinated by Prof. Dr. Marc Beutner in his role as a member of the Board of Directors at the Center for Educational Research and Teacher Education - PLAZ-Professional School.

Preparation, support, supervision and follow-up of stays abroad are of particular importance in AKTIV UPB. AKTIV UPB is also concerned with the curricular integration into the teacher training program. Here, fixed links to the practical semester and the aptitude and orientation internship are included so that the experience abroad is firmly integrated into the course.

In the strategy for the internationalization of teacher training at Paderborn University, structures are brought together in a concept and anchored in the long term. Stays abroad by student teachers are combined with advisory services, information and awareness-raising approaches and strengthened by networking via permanent partner structures and curricular integration, including preparatory and follow-up activities.

Migration and globalization make it necessary to prepare student teachers for future challenges in intercultural classes, as changing classes place special demands on teachers. In addition to subject-specific skills, they need didactic, intercultural and communicative skills. At Paderborn University, there are established cooperations in the teaching degree program in foreign language studies abroad (Romance studies or English studies) in economics as well as initial cooperations in German studies and educational science with Africa or South America, but also at the Faculty of Economics with Finland.

Sustainable networking is therefore a logical step for Paderborn University and the goal of the AKTIV UPB project, which focuses on binding coordination and curricular anchoring. Within the university, a teaching-specific advice and support unit will be established, which will also offer didactic preparation courses for teacher trainees.

A focus is placed on preparatory courses and the integration of subject-specific and intercultural preparation for students prior to stays abroad as well as support. Curricular integration is achieved by embedding preparatory courses and stays abroad in existing modules and ECTS structures. For this purpose, embedding modalities are modelled for professional internships as well as aptitude and orientation internships, and fits and organizational implementations are examined and tested. An alternative experience option is also being designed for the practical semester. A permanent information and advice service specifically aimed at student teachers on opportunities to spend time abroad is being rolled out and combined with public relations work to make students aware of the opportunities and possibilities. Digital media are used for public relations work (websites, social media) to present internationalization offers and contacts.

Three complementary regions are selected for the AKTIV UPB. Through the partner universities, sustainable contacts are established with schools abroad, in which students can test themselves in a practical context with theoretical reflection and gain direct intercultural and teaching experience. In return, students from the partner universities can visit Paderborn University and gain experience. The three regions are Turkey, Africa and South America.

Partners:

- University of Paderborn, PLAZ, Germany

ZENTRUM FÜR BILDUNGSFORSCHUNG UND LEHRERBILDUNG - PLAZ-PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL, Germany

(Coordinator Prof. Dr. Marc Beutner, university partner)

- University of Paderborn, Germany

Historisch-systematische und vergleichende Erziehungswissenschaft , Kulturwissenschaftliche Fakultät

- University of Paderborn, Germany

Institut für Germanistik und vergleichende Literaturwissenschaft, Kulturwissenschaftliche Fakultät

- University of Paderborn, Germany

Lehrstuhl für Wirtschaftspädagogik II, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät

- Instituto de Formación Docente, Filadelfia Paraguay

- Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa, Istanbul Turkey

- Université de Lomé, Lomé Togo

- Universite de Yaounde, Yaounde Cameroon.