The latest results of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation's "Mitte Studie" have clearly shown that there is an urgent need to catch up on civic education both inside and outside of the classroom. One step in the right direction is the appropriate training of teachers – irrespective of which subjects they teach, they must be able to contribute to democratic school development.  

This is where TU Dresden comes in with the new module "Political Education for Everyone (in Teacher Training)." Starting in the 2023/24 winter semester, this module has been made compulsory in the supplementary studies area and integrated into the study regulations of all TU Dresden teacher training programs. It will thus be completed by all newly enrolled prospective teachers from now on. This holds true regardless of the type of school and the subjects chosen, and thus affects students in teacher training for elementary schools as well as those who have chosen teacher training for secondary schools or vocational schools.  

The fact that teachers also have a mandate to provide civic education is not a new idea. The Saxon School Act defines the teaching of a liberal democratic attitude as part of the educational mission of schools. As a result, all teachers are also responsible for young people’s civic education. However, this aspect has hardly been taken into account in teacher training outside of the social science subjects. By introducing the new compulsory module, TU Dresden is therefore taking an important and long-awaited step towards democratic school development which is supported jointly by all teachers.  

During the classes of the module "Civic Education for Everybody (in Teacher Training)", the prospective teachers explore how pupils can be supported in judging and acting politically in a self-determined and critical way. Students analyze and test different ways of participation and practice how to react to racist, revisionist or generally misanthropic incidents in schools.  

The classes are provided by TU Dresden's Chair of Didactics of Civic Education. The holder of the Chair, Prof. Anja Besand, is also the director of the John Dewey Research Center for the Didactics of Democracy (JoDDiD) and has extensive theoretical and practical experience in civic education, especially for young people. She is therefore aware of the importance of schools as a place where opinions and attitudes are formed. Prof. Besand emphasizes: "Democratic school development will only succeed if all teachers work together on this major task." 

A total of around 4,300 prospective teachers are currently studying at TU Dresden. The degree programs are divided into the corresponding types of schools: elementary schools, secondary schools (Oberschule & Gymnasium), and vocational schools. The newly launched module "Civic Education for Everybody (in Teacher Training)" is compulsory in all four degree programs for all newly enrolled students from the 2023/24 winter semester onwards, and thus currently for around 800 first-year students who began their studies in October, as well as for around 90 students who changed their subject, subject area, or degree program in the winter semester.  

Link: Andreas Zick, Beate Küpper, Nico Mokros (ed.) (2023): Die distanzierte Mitte. Rechtsextreme und demokratiegefährdende Einstellungen in Deutschland 2022/23. 

Contact:
Prof. Anja Besand
Chair of Didactics of Civic Education 
Tel.: +49 351 463-35050