Structural Development in Vocational Teacher Training

Background and Problem

The overarching aim of the SteBs project was to structurally strengthen and further expand vocational school teacher education in Bremen and thereby contribute to the Bremen VET dialogue (Bremer Berufsbildungsdialog). On the basis of cooperation across phases and subjects between the actors involved in vocational school teacher education, concepts for promoting teachers' professional competence were developed and piloted in various work packages.

Responsibility for the university phase of teacher education for vocational schools lies with the Institute Technology and Education (ITB) for the industrial-technical subject areas and with the Institute for Public Health and Nursing Research (IPP) for the vocational subject area of nursing. However, consistent interdisciplinary cooperation in teaching between the two institutes had not yet been implemented. Furthermore, the Bremen VET landscape required the establishment of systematic and institutionalised cooperation structures with relevant institutions and actors (including vocational schools and the Landesinstitut für Schule). Within the regional cooperation structures that emerged as a result, cooperation across phases and subjects could be expanded.

Research question

• How can cooperation across phases and subjects in the training of vocational school teachers be expanded in a sustainable way?

• How can vocational school teachers be adequately prepared for learning-field-based teaching (competence orientation, process orientation, dealing with heterogeneous learning groups)?

• What continuing professional development formats are needed to support vocational school teachers in coping with current developments (e.g. the digitalised world of work, dealing with heterogeneity)?

Approach

Current conditions in vocational school teaching were surveyed through guided interviews and accompanying classroom observations. Different perspectives were adopted in the various work packages. In the work package ‘Dealing with Heterogeneity’, for example, the data were analysed using grounded theory.

In the work package ‘Cross-Phase Cooperation’, an online tool for the collaborative development of learning situations was developed using the design-based research (DBR) approach. Building on the classroom observations, focus group interviews and questionnaire surveys were conducted with students and trainee teachers who had tested the tool in university courses. This was done iteratively, with the results of each round of data collection feeding cyclically into the tool's development process.

Results

As a result, the content and concept of the university seminars in vocational school teacher education were realigned. This realignment concerned, on the one hand, cross-phase coordination with the Landesinstitut für Schule (LIS) and, on the other, the handling of current challenges in vocational school teaching, such as implementing competence and process orientation, integrating digital media and taking account of the heterogeneity of students.

With regard to cross-phase cooperation, a concept for the content and design of the subject-didactic seminars was developed in coordination with the LIS and published in the form of a handbook on developing learning situations. This was complemented by an online tool tailored to the concept, which enabled the (further) development of learning situations across all phases of teacher education.

In the field of nursing, a continuing professional development programme was developed and implemented. Much of it was converted into online courses and OER materials, so that the training remained available to interested teachers beyond the end of the project.

Dissemination and Transfer Activities

The main focus was on transferring the project results into the training of teachers for vocational schools. In addition to the realignment of the relevant university seminars, three freely accessible learning platforms were created for this purpose, which could be accessed via the homepage www.unihb.eu/bbs.

In addition, the project results and transfer experiences were documented in conference papers, contributions to edited volumes and handbooks, and presented to the professional community. The following publications are particularly noteworthy:

• Howe, F., Fenzl, C., Klaßen, H., Kleiner, M., Meyne, L., Weinowski, N. (2024). Lernsituationen entwickeln. https://doi.org/10.26092/elib/2946

• Weinowski, N., Meyne, L., Fenzl, C., Howe, F. (2024). Entwicklung eines Online-Tools zur kollaborativen Planung und Umsetzung von Lernsituationen in den gewerblich-technischen Fachrichtungen. In A. Grimm, V. Herkner, T. Karges, R. Schlausch (Hrsg.), Dekarbonisierung, Digitalisierung, Demographie (S. 172-183). Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/b21167