Professional Development and International Affairs
Learning Workshops and Learning Labs at the University of Siegen
Learning workshops and learning labs are an important component of teacher education at the University of Siegen. They provide a space for students’ personal and professional development and support subject-specific pedagogy and research-based learning. They provide students with a wide range of opportunities to test academic theories and course content, develop practical teaching scenarios, and engage in reflective analysis of learning materials. Some learning spaces also allow students to work with groups of K-12 students. In addition, the learning workshops and learning labs serve as places for interaction and exchange.
Each learning workshop and learning lab has its own unique profile and specific areas of focus. Below you will find an overview and brief descriptions of the respective offerings.
Brief description:
- The Teacher Education Learning Workshop is a unit of the Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research. It provides a space for interaction, exchange, advising, and professional development for teacher education students across all subjects and school types. The programs are organized and, in part, carried out by student staff members at the Learning Workshop. In addition, the Learning Workshop is well-connected with all university departments relevant to teacher education students and also collaborates with external speakers and partners.
Services:
- Computer workstations, literature and materials, rooms for independent study
- Advising, information sessions, lectures, workshops, and field trips
- Sofakonzert, game nights, LaNa and master’s graduation celebration, participation in Open University and ESE
Target groups:
- All teacher education students
Further information:
Brief description:
- The OASE Learning Workshop is a university-level institution affiliated with the Primary Education Working Group (Faculty II). Its primary areas of focus relate to school and instructional development in the context of a new learning culture, which is to be implemented both in schools and at the university.
Activities:
- Opening hours and study times, field trips, discussion evenings, workshops, Movie Monday, and much more.
Target Groups:
- Students pursuing a teaching degree, specializing in elementary education and elementary education with integrated special education
Further information:
Brief description:
- The MatheWerkstatt is the university-level learning workshop for mathematics education at the University of Siegen. It invites various stakeholders (students, faculty, researchers, and teachers) to engage in mathematical and mathematics education-related work. In addition to courses integrated into the curriculum, optional sessions are offered regularly. During the designated opening hours, anyone interested is welcome to make use of the MatheWerkstatt’s extensive collection of materials and literature.
Services:
- Opening hours, peer tutoring, exam preparation, workshops, extracurricular learning space. Study and work space
Target groups:
- All mathematics education students, faculty, researchers, teachers, and children
Further information:
Brief description:
- FLEX offers a nature-based experimental setting where students have the opportunity to understand natural phenomena through discovery. Outdoor science learning is intended, among other things, to promote environmental education and counteract the alienation from science and nature. This extracurricular learning site covers an area of approximately 6,500 m² and includes a shed for laboratory equipment, a pond, garden beds, a solar panel, and much more.
- The Science Forum is another student laboratory run by the Department of Chemistry Education. Students use the university’s facilities to conduct experiments on a variety of topics. Phenomenon-based experiments are designed to help students understand scientific processes and increase their interest in STEM subjects.
Activities:
- Students can conduct nature-based experiments at FLEX on the following topics: “Plants and Their Components,” “From Grain to Bread,” “From Sheep to Wool,” and “Bees and Honey.”
- In the Science Forum, students conduct experiments on various topics (e.g., “Burning and Extinguishing,” “Fire and Flames,” “Water”).
- Student teachers gain practical experience through planning and supervising these activities.
Target audience:
- Elementary school (FLEX)
- Secondary level (Science Forum)
- Teacher education students
Further information:
Brief description:
- The Physics/Geography Education Student Lab regularly offers exciting, hands-on morning sessions for elementary school classes. Through a combination of age-appropriate introductions to physical phenomena and hands-on experiments or craft projects, students discover the world of the natural sciences in a playful way. In the future, the program will be expanded to include higher grade levels as well.
Programs:
- Observatory Tour and Telescope Building: An introduction to astronomy that includes a visit to the observatory and building your own telescope.
- Rocket Lab: Experiments with different types of rockets—water rockets, paper rockets, and baking soda rockets.
- New Programs in Development: As part of their coursework, student teachers are developing new student lab experiments that will expand the program’s offerings in the future. The focus is on experiments related to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and environmental physics.
Target Groups:
- Elementary school (3rd and 4th grade)
- Plans are underway to expand offerings for lower secondary school
Further information: