New Challenges and Goals in Teacher Education - The ZLSB presents current empirical educational research at conferences in Russia

In the period from 25.05.2021- 28.05.2021, the "7th International Forum on Teacher Education" as well as the "1st International Early Career Educational Researchers' Conference" with the focus: "Teacher Education: New Challenges and Goals" took place in Kazan (Russia). In a joint symposium with colleagues from the partner university KFU, ZLSB actors presented current research results. On the Dresden side, the focus was on inclusion and digitalization in undergraduate teacher training at the TU Dresden and lateral entry and a teacher survey at Saxon schools. The Kazan Federal University (KFU) is one of the three largest Russian universities and trains more than 9,000 teachers annually. In the British QS Ranking 2021, KFU ranked 3rd in "teacher education" in Russia (KFU source).

The Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research (ZLSB) has maintained relations with Kazan Federal University (KFU) since 2015. This includes a scientific exchange in conferences and meetings (LETE conference and IMPRESS events) and mutual promotion of student mobility, especially future foreign language teachers.

In May 2021, the ZLSB participated in the "7th International Forum on Teacher Education" and the "1st International Early Career Educational Researchers' Conference" of the host university in Kazan. The conferences consisted of different event formats (e.g., paper sessions, round table discussions, workshops and symposia).

On 25.05.2021, Dr. Inna Golovanova  (KFU) and Peggy Germer (ZLSB, BQL GS) moderated a symposium on "Digitalization of Teacher education." The symposium aimed to share experiences on digital transformation. Ines Röhrborn (ZLSB, LiH) and Ulrike Lang (ZLSB, LiH) presented the topic "Maintaining Student-Teacher Relationships in Digital Learning Environments: Experiences from Selected Schools in Saxony/Germany." The discussion focused on successful digital strategies of Saxon teachers to maintain teacher-student relationships under lockdown conditions.

© Lang/Röhrborn

Corresponding to the implementation of digital teaching-learning and examination formats in the context of in-service qualification of teachers (BQL), Peggy Germer and Dagmar Oertel (ZLSB, BQL.Digital) focused on their contribution on "Digitalization and Lateral Entry Teacher Education - perceptions from second career teacher-students about e-Education." They emphasized the continuation of successful collaborative learning and support formats (e.g., BQL.Digital: OPAL courses, online consultation hours and learning modules) for the further development of digital teaching in coming semesters.

© Germer/Oertel

Kazan colleagues (Olga Donetzkaya [KFU], Anna Forminykh, and Ilmira Rakhimbirdieva) rounded out the digital day with a presentation on "Functional insurance of effective educational communication within the digital educational environment."

On 27.05.2021, Prof. Dr. Axel Gehrmann (Executive Director of ZLSB) and Dr. Nadezhda Telegina (KFU) led a joint symposium on: "Education for All: Teachers' Readiness to Teach Children with Different Educational Needs." Challenges of equal participation of students with special educational needs were addressed.

Using representative data from a written survey of teachers conducted by the Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research (ZLSB), Prof. Dr. Axel Gehrmann and Nelly Schmechtig (ZLSB, TUD-Sylber Quality Assurance) first presented findings regarding the attitudes of teachers towards joint, inclusive education. Their contribution on the topic "The Challenge of Inclusion in Schools and Classrooms: Teachers' Opinions - Results from a Survey of Teachers in the State of Saxony/Germany" underlined a comparatively strong adherence of Saxon teachers to the existing special education system. Depending on the particular focus, there is a different degree of openness towards a joint education of students with and without special educational needs.

© Gehrmann/Schmechtig

Dr. Frank Beier (ZLSB, TUD-Sylber Graduate Forum) und Tina Czaja (ZLSB, Coordination Office Inclusion) spoke about inclusion in the German school system and the importance of adaptive, multifunctional learning environments for successful inclusion at school. Against this background, Tina Czaja presented the "Teaching-Learning-Room Inclusion" and its scientific concept. The audience showed great interest in the topic and asked questions about the challenges that school inclusion brings for teachers.

© Beier/Czaja

The Kazan partner university took up the focus in teacher education: "Preparing the future teacher for interacting with gifted children: the views of stakeholders." Dr. Nadezhda Telegina and Dr. Inna Golovanova pointed out the necessity of a sustainable intensive examination of the concept of inclusive education and the UN Convention on Equal Participation in Learning.

On 28.05.2021, a symposium on "Educational Environment in Focus of Digital Formats" was moderated by Dr. Olga Donetzkaja (KFU) and Thomas Bárány (ZLSB, BQL). This symposium discussed problems of digitalization in different areas of the educational environment.

Thomas Bárány presented the results of the Saxon Teacher Survey (2019) with a focus on digitalization.

© T. Bárány

The focus was on the assessments and opinions of Saxon teachers concerning the use of digital media in the classroom and the need for further training in the context of the digitization of school. Dr. Inna Golovanova and Dr. Nadezhda Telegina opened the last international panel with their presentation on "Digital Educational Environment and Online Learning Format through the Eyes of Students: Pros and Cons." The focus was on sharing experiences on proven digital solutions in school and university learning environments.

According to  Kazan Federal University, more than 1,500 teacher education stakeholders from 210 Russian and international universities attended the four-day conference.

Peggy Germer ()

1) KFU-source: https://kpfu.ru/eng/academic-units/humanities/institute-of-psychology-and-education/kfu-has-grown-by-100-points-in-the-qs-subject.html

The ZLSB presents itself at the Kazan Conference