International perspectives for prospective teachers
The connect4future project team: Prof. Dr. Daniel Scholl, Director of the ZLB; Dr. Nadja Ratzka, Managing Director of the ZLB; Anna Lehr, Head of Development - Monitoring - Reporting; Vanessa Breitkopf, connect4future project coordinator; Julia Shirley, connect4future project employee and member of the International Office; Lara Treichel, WHB connect4future (from left)
The demands on schools and teachers are changing noticeably: classes are becoming more diverse, social issues more complex and digital developments are shaping teaching. The University of Siegen is responding to this with the connect4future project and aims to firmly anchor international experience in teacher training. The connect4future project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). "connect4future enables the participating students to work on professional challenges and questions together with international fellow students and thus broaden their view beyond their own system," explains Anna Lehr, Head of Development - Monitoring - Reporting. The project is based at the Center for Teacher Training and Educational Research at the University of Siegen.
The focus is on specific questions from everyday school life: How can AI tools be used effectively in the classroom? How do teachers promote discussion and judgment skills? Topics such as mental health, climate protection and global justice also play an important role. The project provides student teachers with international insights. The aim of looking abroad is to show how other countries are tackling current challenges and which approaches can be used to develop their own practice. At the same time, it specifically strengthens interdisciplinary skills, so-called future skills, such as communication, cooperation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
An excursion to Denmark in February 2026 showed what this looks like in practice. Student teachers from the University of Siegen visited educational institutions in Aarhus and Aalborg and got to know various learning concepts. Among other things, they explored a school with open learning spaces and movement-oriented lessons as well as a public education and meeting center. At a Danish partner university, they exchanged ideas with students about education systems, teaching practice and common challenges. The excursion took place in close cooperation with the OASE Lernwerkstatt and the lecturers Dr. Annika Gruhn and Dr. Barbara Müller-Naendrup.
The connect4future offers are developed in close cooperation with interested teachers. The project team supports lecturers organizationally and financially in integrating international perspectives and orientations into their courses. Together they develop concepts, build partnerships and implement individual formats. Interested lecturers can contact the project team directly and come to the consultation hours.
connect4future is also deliberately aimed at students for whom a longer stay abroad was previously difficult to implement, for example for organizational or financial reasons. In addition to short excursions and summer schools, the offer therefore also includes hybrid teaching formats, digital exchange opportunities, international lecture series in Siegen and an international student get-together. "We are creating low-threshold offers so that as many students as possible can gain international experience," explains Vanessa Breitkopf, project coordinator. "The demand is very high."
The "connect4future - Encouraging an International Approach on Future Skills in Teacher Education" project is funded as part of the "Lehramt.International 2.0: Internationalization of Teacher Education at German Universities, Model Projects at German Universities (Module A) (2025-2029)" programme.
