Ideas for tackling the education crisis: TU Dresden launches pilot project in Lusatia

The shortage of teachers in Saxony is causing more and more classes being canceled. Schools in rural areas are particularly affected. TU Dresden is now launching a pilot project in eastern Saxony to test the deployment of students. The idea is not to replace missing teachers or teach regular lessons. Instead, students should facilitate additional activities for smaller learning groups that encourage and support pupils in their learning and for which there is hardly any time in normal subject teaching. These include, for example, reading support, project work or independent work in so-called learning offices.

In this way, missed classes will be used effectively and filled with activities that help schoolchildren to learn how to learn, work cooperatively, and creatively and think critically. The project offers teacher training students the opportunity to visit schools at an early stage of their studies and gain more practical experience than they would have had previously. They are supported by local teaching staff, but also by lecturers and experienced fellow students at TU Dresden in the so-called peer advising.

The pilot project starts on May 3, 2024, with a total of 14 students spending six weeks on Fridays at two secondary schools in Zittau and Weißwasser.

The project was initiated by Professor Anke Langner. She holds the Chair of Education / Inclusive Education at TU Dresden and is the academic director of the University School Dresden project. The pilot project in Lusatia incorporates significant findings from the joint school experiment run by TUD and the city of Dresden. The German Center for Astrophysics (DZA), which is currently being set up in Görlitz, will provide financial support.

In order to implement the ideas of the pilot project in regular school activities and teacher training, extensive preliminary conceptual considerations are still required on the part of all those involved. In addition, further concepts are being developed at TUD to address the issues of cancelled lessons, teacher shortages and more practical teacher training.

Contact:
TU Dresden, Press Office
Tel.: +49 351 463-32398