Orientation days for more diversity in the teachers’ room
2022-09-19 Cultural diversity should also be reflected in the teachers’ room - 25 places available - call for applications starts now
Lüneburg. There are too few teachers with an immigrant background at general education schools in Germany. To change this, Leuphana University Lüneburg invites upper secondary school pupils, especially those with an immigrant background, to two orientation days on 4 and 5 October under the motto "Diversity in the Classroom = Diversity in the Teachers' Room!". With comprehensive information about teacher training, the organisers want to arouse interest in the teaching profession among this group. Interested persons from Lüneburg and the surrounding area who would like to ensure more diversity in the teachers' room can apply to the university until 28 September.
During the two taster days, participants will meet with experienced educationalists and subject didacticians. In expert talks, during discussion rounds and during school observations, they will gain a comprehensive picture of the teaching profession, learn about the requirements for a teaching degree and about professional practice. "We are looking forward to welcoming the pupils. During the two days on campus, we want to show them what excellent career prospects a teaching degree offers," says Dr Klaus-Ulrich Guder from Leuphana, who is organising the event.
The project is aimed at a basic problem of general education schools in Germany: almost every third pupil has a migration history. In some big city schools, the proportion is even over 60 per cent, and in some classes it is up to 90 per cent. Against the backdrop of the current refugee situation, these numbers will continue to rise. On the other hand, teachers with an immigrant background are still the exception in our society - there are an estimated five to ten percent of them nationwide. But teachers with their own immigrant experience are urgently needed - as role models and confidants.
The orientation days "Diversity in the Classroom = Diversity in the Teachers' Room!" are an initiative of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Social Affairs as well as the Network of Teachers with Migration History. They are sponsored by the Lower Saxony Lotto Sports Foundation, at various university locations in Lower Saxony. The organisers in Lüneburg are Leuphana and the Studienseminar Lüneburg für das Lehramt an Gymnasien.
Current information on the orientation days and a registration page can be found at www.leuphana.de/vielfalt-lehrerzimmer.html.