Four areas of development that are of importance to the PHSG were deduced from an extensive environment analysis which, inter alia, examined various megatrends in education. Work on these development areas and the concomitant challenges is the prerequisite for the further development of a future-oriented and high-quality teacher education.
Change - continuity
In this day and age, the challenge consists in the dynamism of the change of social paradigms. For teacher education, this means:
- advancing necessary changes in view of the change in social systems and technological developments,
- preserving reliable teaching/learning arrangements,
- an increased transfer of evidence-based knowledge in the school and in the classroom.
Individual - society
The development area between the entitlement to self-determination and social responsibility constitutes the next challenge for teacher education. Thus degree courses will have to be more strongly oriented towards individual requirements and necessities, for example, without forfeiting a feeling of solidarity and a shared sense of social and political responsibility.
Science - practice
In the development area of science – practice, the PHSG’s challenge is the optimal accomplishment of its regional mission, and participation in the increasing internationalisation of the university landscape. Teacher education relies on a scientific approach and specific practical experience. The science required basically takes its bearings from international standards and global discourses. Conversely, practice is much more strongly aligned with national provisions and regional conditions as a matter of principle.
Human beings - technology
The digital transformation in education raises the question as to what competencies future generations will have to have in view of the new technologies and a successful mastery of their adult lives. Besides competencies in information technology and media didactics, those skills will be crucial which the new technologies are unable to replace – the specifically human skills such as communication, cooperation, creativity and critical thinking.
