General information

Since the winter semester 2014/2015, the University of Kassel has been responsible for testing a practical semester in a pilot project in the two degree programs Teaching at Primary Schools (L1) and Teaching at Secondary Schools (L2).

The pilot practical semester introduced in the Hessian Teacher Training Act gives students an "insight into the work of teachers as managers" (HLbG §19 (1)) and should enable them to continuously reflect on their aptitude and their own role as a teacher.

Compared to the other universities involved in the trial, the implementation of the practical semester in the pilot project at the University of Kassel is characterized by the supervision of students in two degree courses and the successful integration of trainers from the second training phase right from the start. This ensures high-quality supervision and training right from the early practical phase.

With the involvement of the teaching staff who supervise the students at school, the University of Kassel provides academic support for the practical semester pilot project. In addition, subject-specific and interdisciplinary qualification measures for teachers and mentors are further developed and implemented with regard to current needs.

Parallel to these tasks, the practical school study components for the teaching degree at grammar schools (L3) and the teaching degree at vocational schools (L4) will be continued in their previous form as practical school studies I and II.

The practical semester takes place in the second year of study (3rd or 4th semester) and combines educational science and didactics courses with initial practical school studies in which students spend a five-week compact phase and a long phase at a school during the semester. These are accompanied by a preparatory seminar, an accompanying seminar and an evaluation seminar as well as accompanying university courses.