Connecting Research and Teacher Education
As part of the EU-funded transfer project “International Teaching Clinic Network", student teachers from the University of Regensburg support teachers from the region with the challenges of everyday school life.
October 16, 2024
The primary aim of the Teaching Clinic (TC) is to bridge the gap between theory and practice, extending beyond the traineeship experience. The International Teaching Clinic Network (ITCN), an international transfer project funded for three years by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program, is now entering its second year at the University of Regensburg (UR). Within the Teaching Clinic, student teachers assist educators in their daily school routines by developing teaching and learning resources, as well as methods grounded in the latest scientific research, and making these available to schools.
The project is part of a research group on general pedagogy in teacher education at the UR under the direction of Prof. Dr. Elena Stamouli (Chair of Pedagogy II, Prof. Dr. Regina Mulder). Teachers can submit important topics in the form of questions to the TC and upload them to an associated online platform. In semester-long courses, students then work on the submitted questions and combine research-based and case-based learning with practical solutions and options for action.
Case-based learninng. Photo: Julia Dragan / University of Regensburg
The project offers students, teachers and scientists excellent opportunities to network at European and international level. The project partners are the University of Vienna and the University of Agricultural and Environmental Pedagogy in Austria, the University of Ioannina in Greece, and the Universitat de Barcelona (Spain). "The first Teaching Clinic (TC) was founded at the University of Vienna in 2021 by Prof. Dr. Dominik Froehlich", reports Elena Stamouli. "The concept of the TC has already been awarded 1st place in the national and 2nd place in the international evaluation at the Profformance International Higher Education Teacher Award 2021/22".
What does the Teaching Clinic do?
The project focuses on subject-specific and interdisciplinary case-based learning as well as on the interdependencies between school quality, the education system and pedagogical action In cooperation with the schools in the region, student teachers support teachers in coping with pedagogical issues.
The project participants have the opportunity to utilize the University of Regensburg's extensive connections with schools through the dialogUS school network, facilitated by the University of Regensburg Teacher Education Center (RUL). With backing from the RUL, Elena Stamouli's team can coordinate the involvement of teachers from various educational levels, including primary, secondary, grammar schools, and support centers, encouraging them to explore the resources and opportunities provided by the Teaching Clinic.
Teachers can submit such important topics in the form of questions to the TC and the associated online platform. In the TC, students deal with the submitted questions and combine research-based and case-based learning with practical solutions or options for action. In this way, student teachers support teachers seeking advice by designing teaching and learning materials and methods based on new scientific findings and by testing them for their effectiveness in schools.
Finally, the questions dealt with in the TC also deal with the provision of services by student teachers (service) for others (teachers). "This results in a realistic learning opportunity for the students involved and an opportunity to show public commitment. With these services, the needs of students, schools, education policy and the interested public are thus addressed," says Elena Stamouli happily.
Learning through experience
What are the advantages of participating in the Teaching Clinic? For the students, it means first and foremost learning by doing. The service they offer serves as a source of hands-on learning experiences for all participants. The application-oriented concept of the TC enables students to put into practice the theoretical knowledge they have learned from the lectures at an early stage of their teacher training studies – based on concrete and real cases. This allows students to gain practical experience at an early stage and improve their ability to act and reflect. Another major advantage is that students are given an insight into their future professional field through cooperation with teachers from school practice.It is also particularly important that the project is interdisciplinary and thus enables students to get to know other perspectives from other disciplines: Student teachers from different subjects work together in the TC projects. In addition to the acquisition of credit points through participation in semester-long courses, the students’ commitment can be anchored as a focus area in the context of final theses. In addition to academic competences, the promotion of personal and emotional skills is also at the forefront of teacher training at the University of Regensburg: "Participating in the TC requires and promotes a high degree of teamwork and personal responsibility," emphasizes Stamouli.
Creative solutions
The students' work benefits teachers seeking advice who are unable to devote themselves to dealing with complex educational issues for capacity reasons. Teachers or schools involved receive significant support from the academic work of the student teachers which are under the supervision of academic staff.
A further objective of the work in the TC is to create a database with centralized cases from which both future student teachers and practicing teachers can benefit. However, the methodological organization of the TC is left to the students and depends on the case submitted. It is important to know that the case processing usually takes place in close cooperation with different specialist
Case-based example. Graphics: Teaching Clinic, ITCN
disciplines in order to guarantee the quality of the service. This includes, above all, in-depth supervision by professors as well as reflection by both the students and the teachers.
Mutual benefits
For the University of Regensburg and its teacher training, the TC represents a fourfold added value, says Elena Stamouli: The TC considers the needs of student teachers, such as the desire for more experience of the "real" school context and the acquisition of easily transferable skills or knowledge.
It recognizes the needs of teachers who want more direct access to up-to-date knowledge and support in implementing pedagogical innovations. Furthermore, it gives research a clear purpose, which is important for evidence-based practice and the contextualization of education and learning theories. Furthermore, the TC provides the opportunity to show civil engagement.
Information/Contact
As part of the EU-funded project, a conference will be held at the University of Regensburg from October 23 to 25, 2024, to which student teachers, teachers and researchers from all disciplines are cordially invited.
For registration and further information, please contact Prof. Dr. Elena Stamouli, E-mail: teachingclinic@uni-regensburg.de