PLUS
PRACTICE-ORIENTED LEARNING AT THE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL
What is PLUS?
The PLUS project is rethinking teacher training, making it more practice-oriented and research-based!
What makes a good teacher today? Is it the ability to engage in dialogue, build relationships and drive innovative development in schools? How can students develop the skills to take effective action if academic learning and practical experience are systematically linked from the outset, and students gain hands-on experience in everyday school life from their very first semester? The PLUS project is developing a new degree programme for teacher training in which academically grounded professional development is integrated with practical testing and practice at one or more regional schools right from the start. The project can build on the existing network of Leuphana campus schools. In the long term, this can gradually develop into a regional structure, ultimately leading to a university school.
What makes PLUS special?
The idea of a university school is modelled on the concept of a university hospital: here, trainee doctors gain practical experience in an environment that combines clinical care, medical research and teaching. They acquire practical professional skills under academic supervision – directly through real-world case studies. Pupils, students and patients all benefit. Applied to teacher training, this means that a university school combines school development, professional development and practice-oriented educational research. Here, too, all those involved benefit: school pupils, students and academia.
At the heart of PLUS lies not simply ‘more practical time’, but the reflective integration of practice into training. This approach is also known as practice-based teacher education. A key component is what are known as ‘core practices’ – the central activities of good teaching, such as building relationships with pupils, explaining something new, giving feedback or moderating discussions. These are specifically practised in the real-life classroom setting of a school and supported by the latest technological tools (such as virtual reality simulations or video feedback).
The participating schools derive direct benefits: through continuous exchange between teachers, students, academia and the city, teaching formats are jointly developed, tested and improved – always tailored to the school’s specific needs. In this way, school and teaching development can be professionalised, and planned projects – such as those promoting reading or fostering a culture of feedback – can be systematically implemented.
This creates a shared space for development: all those involved learn how schools can be organised differently and more innovatively. They are part of an exemplary transformation process that demonstrates how not only teacher training but also schools themselves can be reshaped in new and constructive ways for the benefit of all.
What are the project’s objectives?
PLUS creates added value on three levels:
• For students
Students learn key core practices in real classroom situations – not in isolated instances, but as a continuous development process that provides genuine opportunities for practice and feedback, thereby enabling them to gradually develop their professional skills.
• For academia
A curriculum of scientifically grounded training programmes is being developed, which will initially be piloted in seven selected areas of teacher training.
• For schools
Close collaboration between school practice and academia provides fresh impetus for everyday school life. Teachers may, where appropriate, be seconded to the university for a period to help shape the programme and bring back new ideas for teaching and school development. At the same time, the schools’ experiences feed directly into the development of practical and academically sound solutions. Pupils benefit from a wide range of teaching and developmental expertise and new support options.
What is a university school?
Individual locations in Germany, such as Cologne and Dresden, have already established university schools. However, this model has not yet become widespread within the educational research community and is still in an early stage of development in German-speaking countries. The understanding of what a university school is may vary depending on the location.
Our long-term vision for Lüneburg is to develop a university school covering Years 1 to 13, where students learn systematically and continuously through practical experience and plan, test and evaluate scientifically sound, contemporary school and teaching concepts.
Within this framework, the participating schools can, for example, undertake projects such as extended collaborative and individual learning for pupils without the pressure of grades, or introduce new, more flexible working time models for teachers. We want to achieve this together.
How does the project work?
PLUS follows a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach: This means that the study programme is not developed once and implemented unchanged, but is continuously tested in practice, scientifically monitored and further developed on this basis. The plan is to integrate the study programme into the existing Bachelor’s degree programme in Teaching and Learning. The aim is to involve around 30 students, who will be supported by approximately 10 experienced lecturers in the practice-oriented training sessions. Success will be continuously monitored through comprehensive surveys – both ongoing (formative, for continuous improvement) and final (summative, to assess effectiveness). The insights gained from this will feed directly into further development, entirely in line with the DBR approach: testing, evaluating, improving – in a continuous cycle of development and evaluation.
To bring the key stakeholder groups together, an Innovation Community is also being established: students engage in dialogue with (inter-)national stakeholders from local authorities, district councils, schools, universities, ministries and government agencies. The aim is to create a network that brings together the various perspectives within the education system and facilitates better integration between theory and practice.
How is the project funded?
The project is funded as part of the ‘The World is My Campus’ programme run by the Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education (STIL) (funding amount: 3.4 million euros). PLUS is one of 37 selected higher education projects aimed at empowering students in their role as future leaders. Under this funding scheme, higher education institutions are given the opportunity to realign their range of degree programmes by further developing, reforming, replacing or establishing new programmes – particularly their curricula. Funding is primarily awarded to pilot projects with high potential for wider application.
How can I get involved?
For PLUS, we are looking for committed individuals from academia and the school sector who are interested in innovative teacher training, wish to help shape it, and want to actively contribute their ideas and experiences to the project’s further development.
Secondments or partial secondments from the teaching profession are expressly welcome.
A total of 9 positions are advertised.
- 5 x Research Assistants (EG13 TV-L, 100%, fixed-term until 30 June 2030)
- 1 x Research Assistant (EG13 TV-L, 100%, fixed-term until 30 June 2030)
- 1 x Research Assistant (EG14 TV-L, 100%, fixed-term until 30 June 2030)
- 1 x Science Communication Officer (EG13 TV-L, 50%, fixed-term until 30 June 2030)
- 1x Research Assistant (EG13 TV-L, 50%, fixed-term until 30 June 2030)
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact Prof. Dr Marc Kleinknecht.