University of Hamburg: DiCoT

Anti-bias training for school placements abroad

Exploring students’ experiences and emotions

Project objectives

The ‘Diversity Context in Teacher Education’ (DiCoT) project prepares third-semester bachelor’s degree students for their first school-based placement. The placements can take place in Hamburg or abroad. Placements abroad are arranged through partnerships with universities and schools in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Ghana, Nepal, the USA and Vietnam.

The project prepares students for their school-based placements, regardless of whether they are staying in Germany or travelling abroad. To this end, the project includes an innovative perspective in university teaching: the anti-bias approach.

The approach aims to:

strengthen a sense of self and group identity but without a feeling of superiority;
allow students to encounter diversity and feel comfortable with difference;
make students aware of and able to call out injustice and imbalances;
encourage students to be active against injustice and discrimination (¹ Panesar 2022, p. 58-59).

I think it’s great that some of our assignments were so personal (...), about your experiences or your opinions and so on, because for me personally, doing that makes you remember more than if you just read a text and have to summarise it.

Interview with a student after a stay in Ghana

Reflecting on experiences and emotions

Lecturers who had previously completed anti-bias training developed a preparatory course of seminars which encourage all students to reflect on their own experiences and emotions connected with diversity and social injustice, and to discuss them with others. This approach interlaces academic perspectives with the anti-bias approach so that students acquire different ways of looking at the topics of the course.

Understanding discrimination

Understanding discrimination and having an open-minded understanding of culture is an important element of this. In a series of seminars that accompany the school-based placement, students are helped to be confident in their role as trainee teachers in schools, observing diversity and social injustice in their respective schools, and, where appropriate, finding appropriate ways of dealing with them.

The anti-bias seminars are supplemented by one-off workshops developed specifically for students travelling abroad to help them before and after their stays. The workshops were moderated in tandem, in line with standard practice in anti-bias training.

Not long after I moved to [new city] I was looking for a dentist. I researched online to find practices in my area. After a few minutes I realised I was only focusing on practices which had a ‘German’ name. I stopped and questioned my behaviour, recognising that I was using a ‘German’ name as a sign of quality. So there were many dentists who I expected to provide a worse service than those with a 'German’ name, because I expected them to be from a migrant background. Why would I not unconsciously apply those categories to my pupils, too? However, in light of this experience I should actually expect my own expectations of a student’s performance to be influenced by their coming from a migrant background. It was only when I became aware of the problem that I could do something about it.

Text written by a student at a DiCoT seminar

Preparation and follow-up

A kick-off workshop at the beginning of the school-based placements confronts students with surprising and perplexing situations. They discuss the stereotypes they hold about their destination countries and about Germany, and are made more aware of their own expectations. This includes guidance in critical reflection and self-reflection, and students are encouraged to prepare themselves for challenging situations and think about constructive strategies. The sessions also discuss organisational aspects of students’ stays.

Welcome home

A welcome home workshop after the end of the school-based placement allows students to explore situations which were particularly significant and challenging for them during their placements abroad. Students reflect on the situations individually before discussing them in pairs, groups and in a plenary session.

The workshop raises the issue of reproducing stereotypes and how impressions change over the course of the placement. The group also discuss the importance of the placement abroad with regard to their future careers. Space is also given to positive memories, emotions and reflecting on how students have developed.

Networking and exchange

Networking conferences took place at the University of Hamburg in 2022 and 2023. These facilitated discussions with partners on themes relevant to the project, such as preparing for and supporting placements abroad at schools in the various destinations.

In addition to this, a group of students visited individual partners as part of teacher shadowing at Hamburg schools, and seminars were held at the university. A new workshop format for critical reflection on the stay in Hamburg is currently undergoing development and testing.

Further information & contacts

The Diversity Contexts in Teacher Education project arose out of a collaboration between the Faculty of Education and the Hamburg Center for Teacher Education (ZLH). It is led by Dr Myriam Hummel (Education and International Office), Dr Britta Schmidt (ZLH), Prof Telse Iwers (Education) and Prof. Sara Fürstenau (Education). More information is available on the project homepage.

Anti-bias training for university lecturers was delivered by Rita Panesar and Elisabeth Wazinski from the Anti-Bias Practice.

Our international partners are;

Contact

Project leader:
Sara Fürstenau: sara.fuerstenau@uni-hamburg.de
Myriam Hummel: myriam.hummel@uni-hamburg.de
Telse Iwers: telse.iwers@uni-hamburg.de

Research & Teaching:
Javier Carnicer: javier.carnicer@uni-hamburg.de
Carolina Colmenares Díaz: carolina.colmenares@uni-hamburg.de
Helena Dedecek Gertz: helena.dedecek.gertz@uni-hamburg.de
Britta Schmidt: britta.schmidt@uni-hamburg.de
Nadezda Strunk: nadezda.strunk@uni-hamburg.de

Project coordinator:
Nicolai Pudimat: nicolai.pudimat@uni-hamburg.de

Bibliography

¹Panesar, R., & Gomolla, M. (2022). Gerechte Schule: Vorurteilsbewusste Schulentwicklung mit dem Anti-Bias-Ansatz. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.