News

Innovative teaching concepts for Luxembourg secondary schools

  • Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE)
    Luxembourg Centre for Educational Testing
    University / Central Administration and Rectorate
    17 March 2021
  • Category
    Research, University
  • Topic
    Education & Social Work

The Programme for Innovative Teaching and Training – short PITT – is an interdisciplinary project that aims to facilitate and foster contemporary teaching in Luxembourg’s schools. Researchers from the Luxembourg Centre for Educational Testing (LUCET) at the University of Luxembourg, together with teachers, the SCRIPT and the IFEN, are developing innovative teaching modules and best practice examples that are specifically designed for Luxembourgish schools. The modules are available online and include teaching and learning materials from which teachers can select elements suitable for their classes.

PITT seeks to encourage the development of pupils’ 21st century competences and, at the same time, wants to provide teachers with ideas on how to think differently and digitally in their classrooms. Therefore the pitt.lu project website also provides scientific background information for teachers.

The PITT team relies on the interplay of practice-oriented didactics, teaching practice and scientific knowledge. Modules are designed for a wide variety of topics, all of which are related to the Luxembourg curriculum. Each module contains a concrete lesson plan, the required teaching materials, alternative forms of examination, as well as guidelines for a fair performance assessment. Some modules can also be used across subjects. During the development process, special attention is dedicated to ensure that the material is suitable for teaching in a culture of digitalisation and that innovative and digital teaching methods can be used.

“PITT’s teaching modules are intended to be an incentive to try out new things and to adopt new and digital approaches to designing classes. It is important to us that our modules are not considered finished and complete. They should stimulate discussion and promote exchange between teachers and researchers. That is the only way we can continuously develop and improve our concepts,” explains Dr Isabell Baumann, PITT project coordinator at the University of Luxembourg.

PITT is designed as a long-term project. Each year will focus on a different course subject. In the first year, German classes are in the focus. Five modules are currently available on topics such as hate speech on the internet, self-expression on social media, gaming, rap songs and poetry. The topics were chosen to touch on pupils’ reality. “Digital media such as the iPad or collaborative digital tools should just as much be a part of the classes as, for example, the book,” says Dr Isabell Baumann.

In addition to the teaching and learning materials, the PITT team, together with IFEN, offers further training for teachers and also designs individual training on request. The podcast “Café du Savoir” provides regular information on current topics in the field of education and educational research in Luxembourg.