Internationalization
Based on the conviction that innovative teacher education requires international exchange, the ZLSB collaborates with numerous international network partners and – in line with TU Dresden’s internationalization strategy – pursues various measures to promote internationalization:
Table of contents
Promoting student mobility abroad
The Academic Affairs Office for Teacher Training at the ZLSB supports teacher education students in planning and organizing study abroad programs and provides information and advice on the wide range of opportunities available to enhance their professional profile through international experiences and intercultural learning. On the “Stays Abroad” page, teacher education students can find detailed information and a wide range of suggestions.
- Testimonials from teacher education students in the podcast
- International School Network for Conducting Teaching Practicums Abroad
In addition, the ZLSB supports international incoming students during their study and research stays and arranges language courses and internships at Saxon schools.
Internationalization of Teaching
As part of the “Internationalization@home” initiative, the ZLSB supports collaborative teaching and learning programs with an intercultural dimension and regularly offers intercultural awareness workshops as part of its supplementary studies program.
International Teacher Education Research
To strengthen international research collaboration, the ZLSB regularly participates in conferences on (teacher) education research abroad and organizes its own international conferences, workshops, and professional development programs with international participation:
The international workshop “Design of Learning and Teacher Education in Germany and Japan” took place at Kobe University from September 5 to 6, 2018.
The international workshop “Teacher Education in (Trans)Formation: Global Trends, National Processes and Local Factors” took place at TU Dresden from November 12 to 16, 2018.
Visit the event website
Booklet for the international workshop
The international kick-off meeting, held from December 16 to 20, 2019, brought together international partners, students, teachers, and school principals to lay the groundwork for collaboration on the IMPRESS project, which aims to internationalize teacher education.
“IMPRESS” Project Website
Report on the International Kick-Off Meeting
The event “1st Dresden Conference on Lateral Entry and Second Career Teachers, 2020” took place from November 24 to 26, 2020, and was held entirely online.
The conference provided a framework for examining various (inter)national developments, strategies, and conditions, initiating joint research collaborations, and discussing the current state of research on the topic of lateral entry.
International exchange on educational issues has become more important than ever during the pandemic. To that end, between October 2020 and January 2021, the ZLSB organized a professional development program that brought together teachers, school principals, and education researchers from the IMPRESS network across four continents and twelve time zones. Together, they reflected on topics and challenges affecting schools worldwide – issues that urgently require new answers and solutions. The topics for the training were chosen by the participants themselves: “Civic and Intercultural Education,” “Digitalization,” “Environmental Education,” and “School Management and Leadership.”
The English-language training session was facilitated and moderated by Kathi Ahl, author of the 2020 book “Schule verändern – jetzt!” (Changing Schools – Now!). The participants themselves, along with ZLSB staff members and other German advisors, served as advisors.
You can find more detailed information and materials about the training program here.
The Summer School organized by the NeLe Network for Teacher Education and Early-Career Research Fellowships at the universities in Dresden, Erfurt, Halle, Jena, and Potsdam took place on September 9 and 10, 2021, for the first time with the participation of international doctoral students, in order to broaden the perspective beyond the national discourse and to establish a global network for empirical research related to teacher education. The theme of the Summer School was “Empirical Research for High-Quality Teaching and Teacher Education.”
Combining both tried-and-true and new formats, the NeLe Summer School offered both advanced doctoral candidates and researchers at the beginning of their training the opportunity for collegial exchange, critical and constructive discussion, and further training in research methodology. The first day of the Summer School was conducted in German, while the second day, featuring international guests, was held in English.
Click here for the event website and the Summer School program.
During the 2021–22 winter semester, the IMPRESS project organized an international, virtual workshop series titled THE NEW NORMAL: CHALLENGES AND CHANCES FOR SCHOOLS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS.
The workshops focused on a wide range of topics related to the “new normal” brought about by the pandemic and the associated challenges and opportunities at schools and universities. Participants discussed problems and potential solutions relevant to classroom instruction and teacher education. A detailed overview of the individual workshops can be found here.
Networking and Partnerships
The ZLSB maintains ongoing dialogue with numerous international network partners, including universities and schools worldwide. These collaborations focus, on the one hand, on regional networking with universities in the Dresden “immediate vicinity” and with universities in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia; and, on the other hand, on global, topic-based networking with research partners from four continents. These collaborations aim to find effective solutions to the global challenges facing schools and teacher education in the future.
| Country | University |
|---|---|
| Finland | Tampere University |
| Hong Kong | |
| Indonesia | Atmajaya Jakarta University |
| Ireland | University College Dublin |
| Israel |
Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology, and the Arts |
| Japan | Kobe University Shizuoka University Tokyo Gakugei University |
| Jordan | Isra University |
| Kazakhstan | Margulan University, Pavlodar |
| Poland | |
| Portugal | Polytechnic University of Coimbra |
| Slovakia | University of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Trnava |
| Czech Republic | Charles University in Prague Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem |
| Russia | Kazan Federal University Novgorod State University Tomsk State University Altai State Pedagogical University Tyumen University |
| South Africa | Stellenbosch University |
| Hungary | |
| United States |
Map view of the ZLSB’s school and university partners (external link to Google Maps)
International Projects
International collaboration is a key component of our work. Exchanges with universities, schools, and other educational institutions from various countries open up new perspectives, promote the transfer of knowledge and practical experience, and support the joint development of forward-looking approaches for schools and teacher education.
As part of EU-funded projects, we address current challenges such as digitalization, democracy education, sustainability, and inclusion. International cooperation makes it possible to combine experiences from different education systems, jointly develop practical solutions, and build sustainable networks. The resulting concepts and materials not only enrich the participating institutions but also make a lasting contribution to the further development of education.
Overview of Current International Projects