The ceremony was organized by the Centre for Teacher Education and Educational Research (ZfLB). In addition to the farewell ceremony, the prize for outstanding theses in the master's degree in Education was also awarded.

After a welcome address by Professor Christian Palentien, Director of the ZfLB, Ute Treptow from the university's Alumni Association and Gerd-Rüdiger Kück, former Director of Finance and Administration at the University of Bremen and vice chairperson of the unifreunde Association, spoke about their support for teaching graduates.

AI in Schools – Helping to Shape Change

The State of Bremen Senator for Children and Education, Sascha Aulepp, emphasized the importance of well-trained teachers for schools in Bremen in her welcoming speech and encouraged people to enter the profession at Bremen schools: “Stay in Bremen and help shape our school system.”

Professor Maren Petersen, Vice President for Teaching and Studies at the University of Bremen, who herself works in the field of teacher education, pointed out that graduates need to be open-minded and willing to experiment, especially in the face of major upheavals in the education system: “Our schools are facing major changes due to the use of AI. The new generation of teachers has a central role to play in making this change a success for everyone. You, dear graduates, bring with you sound specialist knowledge and fresh perspectives from your degree, from which your colleagues will also benefit. I am confident that you will master the challenges ahead of you with a sense of responsibility and commitment!”

Silke Engelhardt, head of the training department at the Landesinstitut für Schule (LIS), also gave concrete insights into practical training at LIS, where there is plenty of room for reflection and experimentation.

Prizes for Innovative Concepts in Biology and Physics

The subsequent presentation of the prizes to Sarah Weihrauch and Lisa Malotki once again made it clear how closely a good academic education is linked to the ability to develop and innovate in school practice. Sarah Weihrauch received the award for her work in the field of biology entitled: “Learning Effectiveness of the Simulation Game 'Tomatoes – Tasty and Environmentally Friendly? in Secondary School Lessons" (" Die Lernwirksamkeit des Planspiels ‚Tomaten – lecker und umweltfreundlich?' im Unterricht der Sekundarstufe." Lisa Malotki's work focused on the “Development and Evaluation of a Teaching Unit on Energy in the Context of Climate Change in Physics” (" Entwicklung und Evaluation einer Unterrichtseinheit zum Thema Energie im Kontext des Klimawandels im Fach Physik"). Both works combine current expert findings with innovative subject-specific didactics concepts and thus lay exemplary foundations in the field of evidence-based lesson development.

This year's prizes were endowed with 750 euros each and the prize money was donated by the unifreunde Association and the faculties of Cultural Studies and Pedagogy and Educational Sciences.