Kassel Corona School: student teachers help with home schooling

The offer applies to all schools that have interns from the university. These are many schools in Kassel and the surrounding area, but also some in Homberg/Efze, Witzenhausen, Eschwege or Bad Hersfeld. This support is organized by the university's Department for Practical School Studies - whose managing director, Dr. Catrin Siedenbiedel, explains the background: "Under normal conditions, all student teachers complete several internships, but unfortunately these cannot take place regularly at the moment. While looking for an alternative, this idea was born, which is beneficial for all sides."

The project is currently still in the start-up phase. Dr. Siedenbiedel: "We are looking for both students and pupils who are interested in the offer. We have simple online forms on our homepage for both, so we can arrange contact in an uncomplicated way."

Students will receive help in catching up on missed content through these teaching-learning settings, and students will get the opportunity to connect with learners and teach them online. For students, participation in the project is also an opportunity to receive credit for required internship hours. The teaching sequences are discussed and evaluated together with pedagogical staff.

Both 1:1 supervision situations and teaching in small groups, for example via video conference, are conceivable. "We deliberately give participants a great deal of leeway here to find the option that suits them best," Dr. Siedenbiedel describes. 

She hopes that many parents and many students will participate in the project. "We have specially assigned two student assistants, Samuel Seip and Julia Schätzlein, to help us connect students and students with suitable subject preferences."

The service is completely free and open to both individuals and schools. Contact forms for parents and students can be found on the University of Kassel's homepage at https://www.uni-kassel.de/einrichtungen/zlb/schulpraktische-studien/praktika/hilfe-fuer-homeschooling.html.

Those who have questions about the offer can also contact the Department for Practical School Studies directly at the e-mail address refsps.homeschooling[at]uni-kassel[dot]de.