Project info
Operator: Kreidestaub e.V. (founded 2016)
Kreidestaub e.V.: 100 volunteers
Contact person: Lilla Hiepen
Location: Berlin, Germany
Project: Learning journey – discovering the diversity of successful school practice
Our funding:
Contribution to the costs of this project in the amount of € 4,500 for the year 2024,
increase in the funding amount to € 6,000 per year for the years 2025 to 2027
Funding period: 2024 to 2027
The Learning Journey project is an initiative of Kreidestaub e.V. that aims to enrich teacher training by providing practice-oriented insights into successful school practice. Students, schools and experienced practitioners are brought together during a two-week excursion to explore the question “What is a good school?”.
The aim is to gain insights into various pedagogical and school organizational concepts by visiting six selected schools and exchanging ideas with teachers and school administrators.
The project operator
Kreidestaub e.V. is the project sponsor of the learning journey. As a student initiative to improve teacher training, Kreidestaub e.V. has been connecting young people who aspire to make “good schools” since 2013. The organization supports and motivates prospective teachers to start their own practical projects and develop ideas for teacher training.
Learning journey – discovering the diversity of successful school practice
The core format of Lernreise consists of a group of 15 students who visit six selected schools for twelve days. The aim is to broaden the students’ horizons and introduce them to a broad spectrum of the German school landscape.
By visiting different types of schools and exchanging ideas with experienced practitioners, the students should be inspired and find role models for their future teaching practice.
The first study trip in 2024 took place in April. Ten participants traveled to various schools in Germany, including the Werkstattschule Rostock, the Freie Waldorfschule Karlsruhe, and the Winterhuder Reformschule. In the 2024/2025 winter semester, two study trips were undertaken with a total of 17 participants. A total of 37 students took part in four study trips during the summer semester.
Thirty schools in Germany were visited during these six study trips, including the Jenaplanschule Berlin-Neukölln, the Freie Aktive Schule Wülfrath, the Montessori Oberschule Potsdam, the Helene-Lange-Schule Wiesbaden, and the Aktive Naturschule Templin.
The aim is to get to know the criteria and evaluation systems for successful schools and to question them critically. We plan to experience different types of schools and thus gain an impression of what a good school can be.
Luise Lorenz, contact person 2024
Our most important conclusion about the learning journey, which we all felt was urgently needed, is that we are enthusiastic. Germany has a lot of “good schools” to offer, even if the public and university discussion seems to ignore this in many places – and even more importantly – teachers have the potential to change schools.
A participant’s voice from the learning journey
Why we are committed to the project
We are involved in the Lernreise project because we share Kreidestaub e.V.’s vision of enriching teacher training through practice-oriented insights. We believe in the importance of successful school practice and see this project as a valuable opportunity to offer prospective teachers practical experience and inspiration.
Outlook
By supporting projects such as Lernreise, we hope to have a positive impact on teacher training in Germany. The insights and experiences gained by students during their trip could shape future teaching practices. We are convinced that practical experience can make a significant contribution to improving the education system.
