PLUS

PRACTICE-ORIENTED LEARNING AT THE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL

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 could gradually develop into a regional structure, ultimately leading to the establishment of a university school.

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 qualification and practice-oriented educational research. Here, too, all those involved benefit: pupils, students and academia.
At the heart of PLUS is not simply ‘more practical experience’, 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 facilitating 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 ongoing exchange between teachers, students, academics 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 reorganised in new and constructive ways for the benefit of all.

PLUS creates added value on three levels:
• For students:
Students learn key core practices in real classroom situations – not in isolated instances, but as an ongoing development process that provides genuine opportunities for practice and feedback, thereby enabling them to develop their professional skills step by step.

• 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 academic sector on a temporary basis to help shape the programme and bring back new ideas for teaching and school development. At the same time, the experiences of schools feed directly into the development of practical and scientifically sound solutions. Pupils benefit from a wide range of teaching and developmental expertise and new support opportunities.

A few 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 its early stages of development in German-speaking countries. The understanding of what a university school is can vary depending on the location. 
Our long-term vision for Lüneburg is to develop a university school covering Years 1 to 13, where students systematically and continuously learn 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.

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 plan is to have 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: test, evaluate, improve – in a continuous cycle of development and evaluation.

To connect the key stakeholder groups, 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.

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, universities 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.

• You can find further information on the launch of the project here: Nine schools from Lüneburg met at Leuphana University to discuss the idea of a university school.
• Here you can find our video series “Voices on the School of the Future”: experts from academia and the field discuss their perspectives and visions for a school of the future.
• Further information can also be found in the School Pedagogy and School Development section: our current projects and information about the team.

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact Prof. Dr Marc Kleinknecht.