New education system?

Polaschek suggests: Not just teachers in schools

Career changers, all-day schools and multi-professional teams - these are the issues currently occupying Education Minister Polaschek.(Bild: Land schafft Leben)

We don't learn for school, we learn for life - exactly the opposite was the case for Education Minister Martin Polaschek last week: to learn how schools can be improved, he met with relevant politicians, experts and pupils in Berlin, where career changers are even making it to head teacher.

Speaking of which: of the 700 lateral entrants throughout Austria this school year, almost 20 have thrown in the towel - for various reasons: "Some see that the profession is not for them after all - or not what they had imagined," explains Polaschek. Most remain teachers and that's a good thing: "Career changers bring an incredible diversity to our schools, a lot of life experience, a pragmatic approach and an unbiased view."

In Berlin, they are accompanied by mentors - retired teachers who give advice - while in Austria they are supported by mentors - active teachers from the school's teaching staff. Polaschek: "A hybrid form would be interesting."

Wanting to learn from each other: Berlin's State Secretary for Education Christina Henke and Education Minister Martin Polaschek.(Bild: Philipp Gaiko)

The multi-professional teams in Berlin's schools - i.e. teaching staff consisting not only of teachers, but also speech therapists, psychologists, educators, learning therapists, school social workers, etc. - made a particular impression on the minister. "This is very important to us," emphasizes Christina Henke, Berlin State Secretary for Education: "Our teachers are experts in their field, but schools today are facing challenges that require people from completely different areas. We are responding to this with multi-professional teams."

A model for Austria? 
Polaschek regrets that this is currently "not possible under employment law" and is considering changing employment law in this direction.

Conversely, Austria's digitalization - tablets for pupils, digital class books, schools with an AI focus, the new school subject Digital Basic Education - is seen as a role model for its German neighbors. In view of the rapid development of artificial intelligence, "our learning culture will have to change. Lessons will have to become more interactive and we may also have to say goodbye to traditional methods," says Polaschek.

And by that he means bland frontal teaching: "We have to make it clear to students why they are learning certain things and explain more actively what happens at school. It's clear that AI can write a text, but it doesn't take away the need to practise creativity and vocabulary. Pupils still have to learn to write by hand and do maths in their heads."