SPARKLES FOR SCHOOLS - A review of the ZLSB's first Late Summer School

From September 21 to 26, 2024, the first Late Summer School SPARKLES took place at the ZLSB of TU Dresden. The event was aimed at educators, teachers and student teachers from all over the world and offered a platform to explore forward-looking educational approaches that promote sustainable learning and cultural diversity.

SPARKLES stands for:

• Sustainability-focused
• Pedagogy for Transformation
• Advancing Wellbeing
• Resources for Resilience
• Knowledge Sharing
• Learning Empowerment
• Eco-friendly Practices
• Social Responsibility

The title reflects the core of the event: the focus was on education for sustainable development, well-being and the promotion of resilience in the school environment.

© Laura Mitzscher

Prof. Dr. Axel Gehrmann, Managing Director of the ZLSB, praised the event as "a step towards a more sustainable and fairer educational practice". For him, the Late Summer School was "a valuable opportunity to try out innovative teaching approaches and strengthen international cooperation."

Program highlights and interactive learning experiences

Participants from Indonesia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Mozambique, Uganda and Uzbekistan experienced a variety of workshops, simulations and discussions designed to develop practice-oriented skills. These activities included, for example, the Carlowitz simulation game, in which participants took on the roles of foresters and timber consumers to simulate real-life decisions on the use of resources. This combined sustainable thinking and economic action.

© Ante Beslic

There were also special workshops on innovative teaching methods, such as the creation of explanatory videos in digital lessons and self-organized learning culture. These offered teachers and students valuable suggestions for lesson design and the promotion of creativity and self-efficacy in the classroom.

"The interactive formats and practical exercises not only provided the participants with theoretical training, but also gave them concrete tools for everyday teaching," emphasized Prof. Gehrmann. He emphasized how crucial it is to anchor such practical approaches in teacher training.

Learning through practice

A particular highlight were the school visits in Dresden, where the international guests had the opportunity to experience teaching in Saxon schools and exchange ideas about different education systems and everyday school life. The guests were able to talk to school management, teachers and pupils.

© Ante Beslic

Another important part of the Late Summer School program was a visit to the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, which was explored by the participants as an extracurricular place of learning. Here, the participants gained insights into interactive museum education and the possibilities of integrating extracurricular learning into lessons. The exhibition offered a diverse platform to experience current topics such as health, body awareness and societal responsibility.

Intercultural exchange and global perspectives

© Ante Beslic

In addition to the technical content, intercultural exchange played a central role. In workshops such as "Intercultural Competence in Teaching (INTERACT)", participants were encouraged to reflect on their own cultural background and understand the importance of intercultural competence in education. This fostered a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities that arise from cultural diversity in the classroom.

The panel discussion on "The school as a place for personal growth and well-being" also provided space to share good practices from different countries and discuss how schools can become places of well-being and resilience.

A transnational learning experience

The SPARKLES - Late Summer School 2024 was a transnational experience that offered not only practical educational content, but also space for reflection and exchange across national borders. Particularly noteworthy is the promotion of sustainable thinking and intercultural sensitivity, which equipped the participants with important tools for the future.

© Ante Beslic

The positive feedback from the participants and the deeper international networking indicate that the SPARKLES FOR SCHOOLS Late Summer School was a complete success. "The Summer School showed how much we can learn from each other when we pull together," concludes Prof. Gehrmann.