THE ‘NEW’ INITIAL TEACHER EDUCATION IN GERMANY. FROM SHOCK IN PRACTICE TO ENLIGHTENED ADOPTION OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE? TEACHER EDUCATION AS SYSTEMIC PART OF THE GERMAN EDUCATIONAL REFORM

Abstract

Since about ten years initial teacher education in Germany has been integrated into the Bologna Process. Subsequently the 1rst state exam-model has been transformed into study programs beginning at the Bachelor level and including the Master of Education; afterwards, the successful student begins the second part of his professional education within the state dominated internship. Actually, the second round of study program reforms is on the way of implementation. The reforms focus mainly the pedagogical modules and those of special didactics. Subsequently the question how to strengthen field-based learning is one of the most significant requirements. In consequence the question of ‘theory’ and ‘practice’ in initial teacher education gets back into the still controversial debates. The reproval of the field-based proponents is that the traditional view on teacher education has failed and has to be substituted by an underlying model of professional competences including differentiated knowledge as well as behavioral teaching strategies and skills. The following article outlines these conflicting discussions, as well from a more theoretical point of view as from a critical view on the empirical results. For an adequate understanding of these positions it is worthwhile to know that the actual reforms in German teacher education are arranged as a systemic part of the general reforming processes in the educational system. Therefore, the interaction between these two fields of transformation are discussed, too.