Refugee Teachers Program–Second Publication

Since the 2016 Summer Semester, the Successful Start for International Students division (Zessko) has contributed greatly to the success of the Refugee Teachers Program (RTP) at the University of Potsdam. As part of the program, refugees and migrant teachers with a foreign teaching degree and professional experience at schools outside of Germany earn their language qualification at Zessko in German subject courses, language support for pedagogical and educational science seminars, and individual language learning counselling.

While the first anthology, published by the RTP directors, is dedicated to the approaches of innovative qualification offers for refugee teachers, the focus of the second anthology—published in December 2022—is reflected in the title: What Ensures a Successful Professional Entry of Refugee and Migrant Teachers in Germany?  Theoretical and Conceptual Considerations, Experiences and Needs for Action (Wie gelingt der berufliche Einstieg von geflüchteten und migrierten Lehrkräften in Deutschland? – Theoretische und konzeptionelle Überlegungen, Erfahrungen und Handlungsbedarfe). The empirical findings and practical experiences of this qualification program are presented in detail.

Anja Martin (instructor of the Zessko language offerings for the RTP) and Christian Marx (coordinator of the RTP language offerings) represent Zessko in the anthology with their contribution, "The German Language Education of the Refugee Teachers Program at the University of Potsdam. Developments and Perspectives" ("Die Deutschausbildung des Refugee Teachers Program an der Universität Potsdam. Entwicklungen und Perspektiven"). In their contribution to the aforementioned anthology, Martin and Marx present the development of the German courses of the qualification program, using the previously unpublished extensive statistical material as a basis for the empirical study. The study analyzes the institutional, curricular and didactic developments that the language courses have undergone. In addition, the study investigates which target group-specific conception the courses were based on, how it was implemented, and in what form and with what success it was adapted to the requirements of the program. The analysis of the language courses is accompanied by a detailed quantitative and qualitative statistical evaluation, which allows reliable statements to be made about significant components such as admission conditions, time scope of the course, conceptual design and course success as well as their correlation. The empirical findings reinforce the practical experience of the staff and participants.

Contact and text: Christian Marx

Published on December 14, 2022