The ability to spell correctly is a fundamental skill for participating in society and engaging in professional work. In the German language, the capitalization of nouns and proper names presents major difficulties for both native and nonnative learners, since the definition of what is a noun varies according to one's linguistic perspective. In…

Teaching simulations such as scriptwriting tasks offer a novel way to support pre-service teachers in gaining diagnostic competencies and in guiding students to work through difficulties. We first report on the theory-driven development of a scriptwriting task, specifically the theoretically-founded language- and accompanying content-related…

Educational videos are becoming increasingly important for schools. More and more often, students consume videos on YouTube in order to carry out school tasks. At the same time, the digital world is increasingly influencing perceptions of history. The internet contains numerous examples of how history is instrumentalized. Counterfeiting and…

This paper addresses an important task teachers face in class: the identification and support of creative and high-achieving students. In particular, we examine whether primary teachers (1) have acquired professional knowledge during teacher education that is necessary to foster creativity and to teach high-achieving students, and whether they (2)…

Students of initial teacher education need to be prepared for the classrooms of tomorrow. Teachers require the necessary skills and competences to teach in culturally diverse contexts, to collaborate across disciplines, and to use technologies in innovative ways; but the Digital Economy and Society Index reports that only 20-25% of students in…

A significant and growing percentage of the children enrolled in early childhood education and care (ECEC) programs in Europe and the United States are children of recent im/migrants. For most young (3-5 years old) children of parents who have come from other countries, ECEC settings are the first context in which they come face to face with…

This study investigated the effectiveness of three different instructional materials for learning how to identify fish at the species level in a blended classroom and out-of-classroom scenario. A sample of 195 first-year students of biology or geoecology at the University of Tuebingen participated in a course on identification of European…

Worldwide, a tendency is visible in which upper secondary science curricula are innovated in the direction of context-based education. Crucial to these innovations is the way teachers interact with newly developed teaching materials and implement them in classroom practice. The focus of our research is to identify characteristics of the…

This book explores the idea of "intercultural competence", which, despite its current popularity across various discourses, has remained a vague and oscillating concept. Interculture lacks a universal definition and "competence" is not only a cognitive construct but also includes psychological traits such as attitudes,…

Species identification tasks are generally accepted as fundamental aspects of biodiversity education. Our educational training unit, therefore, focused on identification skills by introducing stuffed specimens in combination with identification books and preparation booklets. We limited the number of bird species to six. 492 secondary school…

Discusses key concerns regarding issues of rationale, methodology, and resources when teaching about the Holocaust. Identifies 12 objectives and 5 content criteria for the topic. Includes five frequently asked questions about the Holocaust and their answers from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (CFR)

Presents a map indicating the path of the "Einsatzgruppen" (mobile killing units of the German SS) military assault through Poland into the Soviet Union in 1941. Provides a map of the six extermination camps in Poland. Offers two maps illustrating the Jewish population of Europe before and after World War II. (CFR)

Presents a Holocaust chronology timeline of the years 1933-1948. Includes political, military, and social events of the time period. Identifies anti-Semitic laws and information about German death. (CFR)

Contends that teaching only about the 1933-1945 period of German persecution of Jews serves a very limited purpose. Argues that the foundations of anti-Semitic beliefs and practices have a long history and should be part of Holocaust education. Describes the origins, development, and key events in anti-Semitism in Europe. (CFR)

Presents a high school lesson on Hitler's death camps and the widespread policy of brutality and oppression against European Jews. Includes student objectives, instructional procedures, and a chart listing the value of used clothing taken from the Jews. (CFR)