Competence-based standards for an autonomous teacher training in the area of economics

Academically well qualified specialist subject teachers are the best guarantor for economically educated pupils. Without professionalism in teacher training one cannot expect quality in economic education. Only teachers who are qualified in an academically outstanding way ensure a qualitative economic education in school. The therefore required subject and subject-didactic competences can only be acquired in autonomous university courses. And only the establishment of a first cycle teacher training course of study ensures that the schools are supplied with sufficient specialist subject teachers for economics. Otherwise economic education taught by teachers outside their subject area will be the norm. Economic education does not need more professionalism than other preserves even though it cannot bear less.

A consortium of economic didactics and economic educators which is led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Retzmann is working on a model for a first cycle teacher training course of study in the area of economics with an emphasis on competence regarding the aims and content of study. It takes research from the area of economics into consideration to an extent that is taken for granted in every other preserve. Therefore, the course of study can be divided into four categories of cognizance:

(1)    Professional study of business management, economics including economic policy and financial management as well as selected areas of law,

(2)    educational sciences,

(3)    pedagogy

(4)    subject didactic, whose task it is to build a bridge between economics and educational sciences.

Furthermore, internships are scheduled, which enable the students to acquire curricular and extracurricular experience in companies. Expert knowledge of reality in factories and companies is essential for economic education teachers since a teacher who attained all knowledge from books can never be convincing.

Last but not least a catalog of requirements for the course of study for economic education teachers has been developed and designed – analog to the terms of content regarding the teacher training at university already stated and passed by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Laender.

Consortium manager: Prof. Dr. Thomas Retzmann

Consortium: Prof. Dr. Thomas, Retzmann, Prof. Dr. Guenther Seeber (University of Koblenz-Landau, campus Landau), Prof. Dr. Bernd Remmele (WHL Wissenschaftliche Hochschule Lahr), Prof. Dr. Hans-Carl Jongebloed (University of Kiel)

Contractor: Joint Committee of German Associations in Trade and Industry under the presidency of German Confederation of Skilled Crafts

Project period: 2010

More information can be found here:

http://www.wida.wiwi.uni-due.de/downloads/publikationen/