The school needs YOU!

All of our teacher training courses are organized according to the Bachelor's/Master's system, i.e. the Bachelor's course with a duration of 6 semesters is followed by the Master's course with 4 semesters (one of which is the so-called practical semester, which enables teaching experience in schools). The transition between Bachelor's and Master's is admission-free.

The course is designed for all types of lower and upper secondary schools, in two subjects and educational sciences, with almost unlimited options available. In terms of employment opportunities and studyability, combinations of physics with mathematics or another natural science are particularly suitable, but in principle all other combinations are also possible.

At first glance, the courses of study for the Hauptschule, Realschule, Sekundarschule and the corresponding grades of the Gesamtschule (HRSGe) and for the Gymnasium and the Gesamtschule (GymGe) as well as for the Berufskolleg (BK) are very similar. However, the orientation and internal organization of the HRSGe and GymGe/BK courses are actually very different. The HRSGe course is predominantly geared towards practical school and experimental courses, while the GymGe and BK courses are much more oriented towards physics as a subject and also include theoretical physics. If you are unsure which of these degree programs is best suited to you, please do not hesitate to contact us and take advantage of the opportunity for an individual consultation.

The Siegen site has a long tradition and focus in the field of astronomy and astrophysics, so that astronomical and astrophysical content is an integral part of all degree courses. This includes practical observations at the university observatory, which is part of the Didactics of Physics working group.

In addition to the basic courses, such as experimental physics or theoretical physics, the physics didactics working group offers a wide range of school-related lectures, seminars and experimental exercises. These include, for example:

• Physics in everyday life, technology and fiction
• Environmental physics
• School-oriented experimentation in the zdi school laboratory
• History of physics
• Astronomy and astrophysics
• and much more.

School laboratory

Part of our working group is our school laboratory, which is regularly visited by school classes of all types and grades during the lecture period. A wide range of activities are offered there to get pupils interested in physics and give them an insight into how our natural sciences work. Our students get to know the school laboratory and thus the supervision of pupils in their experimental work from the perspective of the supervisors themselves as part of several courses. There is also the opportunity to complete the professional internship
in our student laboratory.

International cooperation

We have had close links with our partner institutes in Hanoi (Vietnam) and Medellín (Colombia) for many years and carry out joint projects at irregular intervals. There are always opportunities for exchange, either within ongoing projects or on an individual basis. Our collaborations allow international comparisons of university education and insights into the school realities and learning cultures of other countries.

Observatory

Another part of our working group is the University Observatory, with its dome on the roof of Building B on the Adolf-Reichwein-Straße campus, which is visible from afar. The observatory is primarily used for the practical training of our students as part of the astronomy and astrophysics courses. In addition to observations directly through one of the telescopes, spectroscopic and photometric measurements are also carried out and evaluated. In addition, a number of mobile telescopes are available so that independent observations can be carried out at any location.

It has been known for several years that the number of graduates lags behind the need to recruitteachers.
for teachers. This particularly affects the so-called STEM subjects, i.e. mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. This results in excellent recruitment opportunities for graduates in these subjects. It should be noted that there are clear differences between the individual types of school. The recruitmentopportunities are particularly favorable
for lower secondary school types (Hauptschule, Realschule and Sekundarschule as well as lower secondary level at comprehensive schools) and vocational colleges. The forecasts for upper secondary level (grammar schools and the corresponding year groups at comprehensive schools) are somewhat less favorable, although good recruitment opportunities can also be achieved here, depending on the chosen combination of subjects. One thing applies across all types of schools: a teaching degree in physics guarantees very good to excellent chances of employment in the teaching profession for many years to come! Take a look at the opportunities calculator of the NRW Ministry of Education: https://www.lehrer-werden.nrw/chancen/chancenrechner