The Struggle to Democratise German Teacher Education

Abstract

Europe is moving closer to political unity and the introduction of the Single European Act will certainly help promote the professional mobility of teachers. However, modes of teacher education vary enormously from one European country to another and this diversity is likely to militate against mobility, making it difficult for nationals of one country to be fully effective outside their own environment. The present article sets out to analyse the German model of teacher education which, although influential, is complex and, due to the federal structure of the country, not easy to research. It indicates briefly the historical reasons for inequalities of status between teachers of various German school types and describes in general terms the most prevalent current arrangements for producing teachers. These are contrasted with attempts to introduce innovative models likely to lead to greater equality within the teaching profession. The paper then concentrates on efforts made in North Rhine Westphalia and Hesse to reform the traditional structures. The ‘One‐Phase Teacher Education’ programme mounted in Lower Saxony in the 1970s and 1980s is singled out for special attention since it represents the most far‐reaching and radical attempt to date to overhaul German teacher education; its eventual failure reveals that the impediments to reform are deep‐rooted within German society.