Alternative teaching internship - News
Registration for the 2026/27 school year
Please note: Registration has been extended until June 15, 2026.
An information session for students took place on June 1, 2026. The recording is available in the OPAL course (see link below). Find out more in the news article : Deadline extended: Register by June 15 for ALSO - Alternative Lehr⁞amts⁞prakti⁞kum in the 2026/27 school year
What sets the ALSO internship apart from a traditional block internship and how do future teachers benefit from it? In the interview "That's exactly what I want—to be a teacher", students Estelle Klinnert and Tom Kluge explain.
In the coming school year, the semester-accompanying teaching internship will enter its third round. TU Dresden students can register for the OPAL course ALSO - Alternative Teaching Internship East Saxony until 15 May 2026. In the first week of lectures, various information events will take place from 13 April 2026 in the regular lectures for primary and secondary schools and grammar schools. Numerous questions are answered in the information for students on the ALSO project website.
ZDF, DLF and Bildung+ spezial - media reports about ALSO
Microphones and cameras were out and about at the ALSO schools in Seifhennersdorf and Weißwasser in February 2026. On February 17, the Bruno Bürgel Secondary School in Weißwasser showed how the students, pupils and school management started the school year together in the ZDF program heute - in Deutschland.
The secondary school and the Oberlandgymnasium Seifhennersdorf opened their doors for the Deutschlandfunk Kultur country report on February 20.
All visitors to the "didacta - the education trade fair" in Cologne will be able to read a compact summary of the idea and implementation of the alternative teaching internship in the Bildung+ spezial issue in March. All articles are also available online in the ALSO media review .
Schools and students at the ALSO project meeting at Dresden University School
On January 21, 2026, the head teachers and other representatives of the 15 participating schools as well as students in the "Alternative Teaching Internship" (ALSO) project met at the University Community School in Dresden to share their experiences. The University Community School Dresden is a school for children and young people in Dresden, a research project on the "School of the Future" and a place for teacher training at TU Dresden. Here, the semester-accompanying school internship for an early and intensive theory-practice link in the teacher training course has been tested since 2022 and is scientifically supported by the University School Research Center (ForUS).
You can find a report on the project meeting in the news of the Chair of Education / Inclusive Education (EWIB).
Schulleiterin Maxi Heß präsentierte das Konzept der Univesitätsschule Dresden. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
© Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Prof'in Anke Langner, wissenschaftliche Leiterin des Schulversuchs Universitätsschule Dresden und ALSO-Projektleiterin an der TU Dresden, brachte die Perspektive der Begleitforschung ein. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Schulpraxis und Bildungsforschung kamen beim ALSO-Projekttreffen zusammen. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Maxi Heß, Schulleiterin der Universitätsschule Dresden, im Gespräch mit Schulleiter Thomas Warkus aus Görlitz und Schulleiter Mai aus Breitenbrunn. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Projektleiterin Anke Langner, Schulleiterin Sabrina Hälschke und einer Seniormentorin aus Zittau im Gespräch über die USD-Lerntagebücher. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Bei einer Schulführung durch alle Klassen kamen die ALSO-Besucherinnen ins Gespräch mit Schülerinnen und Schülern der verschiedenen Stufen. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Eine Schülerin der Mittelstufe zeigt ihr Logbuch. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Schulleiterin Frau Keller aus Seifhennersdorf mit einer Mitarbeiterin im Gespräch mit einem Lernbegleiter in der Jugend- und Qualifizierungsstufe © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Bei der Austauschrunde ging es um die Entwicklung der Studierenden, aber auch um Herausforderungen im Projekt ALSO. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Schulleiter:innen und weitere Vertreter:innen der ALSO-Schulen trafen sich mit dem Projektteam an der Universitätsschule Dresden. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Projektleiterin Prof'in Anke Langner in der Austauschrunde. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
© Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Etwa 20 Studierende kamen zusammen, um von ihren Erfahrungen zu berichten. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Bei einer Schulführung erklärt eine Projektmitarbeiterin die Umsetzung des Konzepts in der Jugend- und Qualifizierungsstufe der USD. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
In jedem Lernraum steht ein Terminal. Über dieses können die Schülerinnen und Schüler zum Beispiel die gewählten Lernbausteine in der Lern- und Schulmanagementsoftware mit ihrem persönlichen Stundenplan verknüpfen. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Die Lernmaterialien stehen für die Schüler:innen der Jugend- und Qualifizierungsstufe in einer von den Lernenden selbst geführten Bibliothek zur Verfügung. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Als visuelle Unterstützung helfen bei der Orientierung die sogenannten Lernhäuser, erklärt eine Projektmitarbeiterin bei der Führung für die ALSO-Gäste aus den teilnehmenden Schulen. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
Wie sehen die Materialien aus, die die Lernbegleiter:innen für die Schüler:innen an der Universitätsschule Dresden erstellen? Die ALSO-Praktikant:innen gewinnen einen Einblick in der Materialbibliothek. © Maria Neuland Agüero | TU Dresden
ALSO team seeks support - call for applications until 29.01.2026
At TU Dresden, students can complete their internship during the semester to improve the theory-practice link in their teacher training course. The ALSO - Alternative Teaching Internship project is scientifically supported by the Chair of Education / Inclusive Education (EWIB). A position as Research Associate (WMA) is available with immediate effect.
Tasks: scientific research activities
- evidence-based and co-constructive monitoring of school development processes at schools of the ALSO project and the University School Dresden
- Scientific development, implementation and evaluation of questionnaire surveys
- Writing reports and publications
More information can be found in the EWIB-News and in the TUD job advertisement.
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ALSO at the SLV conference on teacher training in Eastern Saxony
On January 14, 2026, the Saxon Teachers' Association (SLV) hosted the East Saxony Teacher Training Conference at the Löbau Teacher Training Center. The topic was the stages of teacher training as well as approaches to overcoming the shortage of teachers and strengthening the educational location in Upper Lusatia. Representatives from the individual stages of training, politics, administration and school practice came together and were able to see for themselves that a lot has happened in the region.
Prof. Anke Langner reported on the start of the alternative teaching internship at schools in East Saxony (ALSO) in round 3, followed by presentations about the start of the first semester of university studies at the Zittau Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG) and the expansion of the teacher training center in Löbau for teachers in the preparatory service for special and secondary schools.
The report on the conference on teacher training in East Saxony: Strong together for the region was published in issue 1/2026 of the NSLZ - Neue Sächsische Lehrerzeitung. We would like to thank the editors for allowing it to be published on the ALSO project pages.
Von links: Clemens Kuche (SLV Niesky-Görlitz), Franka Schneider (Referentin für Lehrerbildung des SLV), Conrad Clemens (Sächsischer Kultusminister), Sabine Köhler (SLV Löbau-Zittau), Prof’in Anke Langner (TU Dresden), Martin Goldfriedrich (HSZG)
Project kick-off 2025 - ministries and project supporters on site
At the ALSO project kick-off in Breitenbrunn in November 2025, the Saxon Minister of Culture Conrad Clemens, representatives of the Saxon State Ministry of Science and the Arts, the local authority, the state parents' council and TU Dresden came to see how four students support their fifth grade class at Goethe Secondary School.
In addition to a school tour and insights into the shared learning time, there was the opportunity to exchange ideas with the students. Project manager Anke Langner and staff member Katja Kuritz also explained how the project has developed since May 2024 and the benefits and challenges for the schools and students in the project. They support the implementation at schools in rural areas with regular visits and through preparation and follow-up work at TU Dresden.
The press reports (e.g. mdr Sachsenspiegel on 14.11.25, see below) can be found in the ALSO media review.
On June 5, 2024, the news outlet MDR Sachsenspiegel reported on the first pilot phase of the project, highlighting the beneficial practical experience for the students and the resulting mitigation of the teacher shortage. © MDR Saxony
Support for mentors in the semester-accompanying block internship A
Nach der Fortbildung können die Mentor:innen den Austausch in regelmäßig angebotenen Onlinekonferenzen fortsetzen.
On November 11, 2025, TU Dresden hosted a mentor training event at the State Office for Schools and Education in Bautzen. The event prepared (former) teachers in a targeted manner to professionally accompany student teachers in the newly designed, semester-accompanying internship. In addition to reflecting on their own role as mentors and developing strategies for constructive support, the participants received comprehensive information on the structure, procedure and objectives of the internship structure. This clear orientation framework enables both mentors and students to receive continuous and transparent support during the internship.
The mentor training is a support service offered by the project staff at the Chair of Education / Inclusive Education (EWIB), who also supervise the students on the ALSO internship. Over the course of the school year, they offer regular virtual meetings that can be attended by the mentors depending on the need for exchange and coordination.
Combating the shortage of teachers: alternative teaching internship starts in eastern Saxony and the Ore Mountains
Schulleiterin Sabrina Hälschke und ein Student programmieren zusammen mit Schülern der Richard-von-Schlieben-Oberschule in Zittau Ozobot-Minicomputer.
TUD News, 5.11.25
116 students from the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) have started their semester-long school internship at 15 schools in rural areas in Saxony. In the 2025/26 school year, they will accompany their 5th grade class at a secondary school every week as part of a four-person team. The future teachers will complete their mandatory internship on ten days. On the remaining days until the end of the school year, they gain practical experience on their way to graduation. This work is remunerated.
Following the pilot phase with four schools in the Görlitz district, the alternative teaching placement has now been extended to include 15 schools in four districts.
Onboarding for trainee teachers begins at schools in the Saxon regions of East Saxony
In the 2025/26 school year, 116 TU Dresden students will complete a teaching internship during the semester. After the fall break, they will start at 15 schools in Eastern Saxony, the Saxon Switzerland / Eastern Ore Mountains district and the Ore Mountains district. Preparation began in September with seminars at the TUD. Together with the project managers, they also visited their host schools, where the future teachers got to know each other in the 4-person class team and their colleagues. Many local authorities welcomed the students in the town halls and showed them not only the participating schools and the internship shared flats provided, but also the advantages of schools in rural regions. The students will then get to know their classes from 5 November 2025.
New in the current school year are the 11 additional schools in rural areas, as well as Wednesday and Thursday as additional internship days. They will supplement Friday, which will remain a day of work. For students, the choice of more municipalities, schools and days of the week means more flexibility and makes it easier to integrate the teaching internship into their everyday studies.
Internship for teachers Students accompany pupils: project to combat teacher shortage in Saxony is being expanded
mdr Saxony, 15.10.25
After positive experiences in Görlitz and Bautzen, the "alternative teaching internship" (ALSO) will be extended to other schools after the fall break. This has been decided by the Saxon cabinet, as announced by the Ministry of Education. In addition to other secondary schools in eastern Saxony, students will also be able to gain practical experience in the Erzgebirge and Sächsische Schweiz/Osterzgebirge districts.
Teaching internship to be expanded: Students help out at more secondary schools
Saxon newspaper, 16.10.2025
Measure to combat teacher shortage in rural areas: Saxony wants to recruit more teachers for schools in rural areas. With a new form of internship, prospective teachers can regularly gain practical experience at secondary schools during their studies at TU Dresden. Saxony is now extending the successful model project from Upper Lusatia to other secondary schools in rural areas, as decided by the cabinet.
Further current reports can be found in the ALSO media review.
© ZDF / Collage TU Dresden
© Friedrich Verlag / Bildung+ Spezial
© Deutschlandfunk Kultur
© Rafael Sampedro für DER SPIEGEL
© Sächsische Zeitung
© Sächsische Zeitung
© Dresdner Morgenpost / TAG24
