Modelling and Development of Competences

Acquiring competences is a core aim of modern education. This makes it crucial to understand which competences are needed on the part of teachers if their students are to be successful in obtaining the desired competences. Accordingly, the project Modelling and Development of Competences is dedicated to researching and improving teacher education in the subjects mathematics and English, contributing to the research on teacher education conducted within Tübingen School of Education (TüSE). The project focusses on student teachers’ subject matter competences, subject-specific pedagogical competences, and how they relate to each other. One of the project’s strengths and potential for innovation is that the two types of competence are considered together right from the start of the empirical assessment of competence.

In modelling the competences to be obtained and mastered by teachers and students, we also aim to contribute to the improvement of pedagogical theory and practice. In doing so, we are able to take account of local characteristics and aims. Conducting repeat surveys makes it possible to model the development of competences over time.