Internationalization in teacher training

Removing obstacles – promoting stays abroad

Intercultural competence, experience of otherness, empathy, and tolerance are gaining importance among an increasingly heterogeneous group of students and are also a resource for classroom teaching. This observation, along with the finding that the proportion of study abroad opportunities among teacher trainees is significantly lower than among other student groups, serves as a starting point for efforts to further internationalize teacher education.

The project aims to promote the international mobility of teacher education students at Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU). In addition to student mobility, the project also focuses on school placements abroad. To this end, universities and German schools within JLU's institutional network of strategic partner regions will be brought together to facilitate the internationalization of all teacher education programs at JLU.
Conceptually, the project addresses the obstacles to mobility cited by teacher education students: First, the multi-subject combination of two or three subjects and foundational sciences required in teacher education programs, which generally cannot be studied in an equivalent way abroad. Second, the concern that credits earned abroad will not be recognized, leading to disadvantages in their studies. Third, the identification of suitable mobility windows in light of two-semester modules and their associated examinations.