Promotion: International network offers new opportunities and perspectives

"Changes. Exploring Critical Sustainable Development Education from Global Perspectives" is planned in cooperation with renowned partner universities from Argentina, Indonesia, Canada and South Africa and will be realized in the period from 2025 to 2029. The aim is to create a transcultural and interdisciplinary cooperation network between universities from different regions of the world. It will offer student teachers and university lecturers new opportunities to deal with issues of sustainable development from an international perspective. "With this project, the ZLB aims to close a gap in current teacher training and prepare students for global challenges in the field of sustainable development in a more concrete and systematic way than before," explains Dr. Ellen Christoforatou, head of the project and managing director of the Center for Teacher Education.

Prof. Dr. René Matzdorf, Vice President for Studies and Teaching at the University of Kassel, adds: "I am delighted about the DAAD's project funding. While we are currently anchoring the topic of sustainability in many of our Bachelor's degree courses through our Kassel Institute for Sustainability, this project can strengthen education for sustainable development in teacher training courses."

By integrating international and interdisciplinary perspectives into the training, the project helps to promote critical and reflective educators. This is particularly important as student teachers act as change agents for sustainable development. The network will make it possible to create low-threshold offers that appeal to both less mobile and internationally oriented students and university lecturers. It will include numerous mobility opportunities such as semesters abroad, topic-focused theses and guest lectureships. To support mobility experiences, special attention is paid to their preparation and follow-up, including language and intercultural workshops.

International and sustainable study profile

The University of Kassel has many years of experience in the areas of internationalization and education for sustainable development and is building on existing structures with this project. For example, the InterESD - "Internationalization and Education for Sustainable Development" study profile has been part of teacher training since 2018. This profile, which was developed at the Centre for Teacher Education (ZLB), offers all student teachers at the University of Kassel the opportunity to acquire skills in the areas of education for sustainable development and internationalization during the course of their regular studies.

Contact:
Dr. Ellen Christoforatou
Center for Teacher Education
E-Mail christoforatou[at]uni-kassel[dot]de