Teacher education programmes have long been marked by relatively low mobility rates, especially in comparison to other study programmes (Kercher & Schifferings 2019). This is due to, among other factors, an inherent focus on national and/or regional curricula, and the complex and often rigid structure of the study programmes in teacher education (e.g., Leutwyler et al. 2017, Kluge et al. 2022, Springob 2020). The University of Cologne (UoC) accommodates the needs and interests of this heterogenous student group by offering a broad range of mobility opportunities and lowering the barriers for going abroad for many years now. The article will draw on different internationalization projects and programmes that have been implemented by the Centre for Teacher Education at the UoC, in cooperation with internal and external partners. The perceived benefits of staying abroad with different programmes will be presented, and challenges and lessons learned with regard to the implementation of internationalization programmes in teacher education will be addressed. Voices from outgoing students as well as responsible colleagues for mobility programs will be included to highlight and underline the corresponding points.
Based on a short introduction to the main projects and programmes, the guiding questions are:
(I) What components, structures, and synergies are implemented in teacher education at the UoC to enable mobility? Which compulsory curricular elements are or should be used for mobility?
(II) How was and still is the diverse international network formed to support student mobility? How can we create a sustainable network, especially for teacher education?
(III) Which kind of support and mobility promotes the actual learning process of future teachers?
Keywords: Teacher education, internationalization, professionalization, short-term and long-term mobility
References:
1] Kercher, J. & Schifferings, M. (2019): Auslandsmobilität von Lehramtsstudierenden in Deutschland: Ein Überblick zur Datenlage und zu praktischen Umsetzungsbeispielen. In Ch. Falkenberg, N. Grimm & L. Volkmann (Hrsg.), Internationalisierung des Lehramtsstudiums. Modelle, Konzepte, Erfahrungen (S. 235-262). Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh.
https://doi.org/10.30965/9783657728459_015.
[2] Leutwyler, B.; Popov, N. & Wolhuter, C. (2017): Current Business and Economics Driven Discourse and Education: Perspectives from Around the World BCES Conference Books, 2017, Volume 15. Sofia: Bulgarian Comparative Education Society).
[3] Kluge, S., Rey, T. & Springob, J. (2022): Die beste Bildung findet ein gescheiter Mensch auf Reisen. Professionalisierung von Lehramtsstudierenden im Rahmen von Mobilitätsprogrammen. In Goethe-Institut e.V. (Hrsg.), Auslandspraktika in der Lehrkräftebildung. Erste Erkenntnisse aus dem SCHULWÄRTS!-Forschungshub des Goethe-Instituts (S. 151-166). Münster: Waxmann.
https://www.waxmann.com/index.php?eID=download&buchnr=4403.
[4] Springob, J. (2020): Observing, learning and teaching abroad: Das Berufsfeldpraktikum an einer Schule im Ausland. Vorstellung des Begleitkonzepts und der ersten Evaluationsergebnisse an der Universität zu Köln. (Band 10: Praxisphasen innovativ – Konzepte für die LehrerInnenbildung).
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