Communities of Practice:
Exchange.
Reflection. Professional Development.

Learning is changing – and so is the role of teachers. Our Community of Practice creates spaces in which German teachers, university lecturers, students and subject specialists can work together on questions from practice, share experiences and develop new perspectives on teaching.

At its heart is the idea of community: learning from one another, trying things out together, reflecting and developing ideas further – across institutions and educational sectors.
A Community of Practice is a learning community of people connected by a shared professional interest. It thrives on trust, openness and active participation. Participants contribute their own experiences, develop questions together and try out new approaches in their own teaching practice.

Looking back: A first year of shared practice development

In the first year, the focus was on questions surroundingartificial intelligence in German as a Foreign Language/German as a Second Language teaching. Participants explored the opportunities, challenges and didactic uses of AI, exchanged teaching ideas and developed their own practical impulses for their teaching contexts.

This was not only about digital tools, but also about the images and narratives around AI and education that shape our teaching: Which narratives create uncertainty? Which open up new scope for action? Andhow can teachers actively contribute to developing more nuanced, more critical and at the same time constructive perspectives on AI in education?

These experiences have shown that Communities of Practice are more than a professional development format. They create spaces for collegial learning, new ideas, mutual inspiration and shared practice development. At the same time, they open up opportunities to question existing assumptions about AI, learning and education and to develop new, practice-based narratives – in the spirit ofnarrative changethat actively involves both teachers and learners.

Why take part?

• A space for networking and development
  • Meet other professionals who share your passion for German teaching. Contribute your own experiences and benefit from the ideas and perspectives of others.
• A focus on future questions in teaching
  • Whether artificial intelligence in German as a Foreign Language/German as a Second Language teaching, multilingualism, digital teaching and learning cultures or participatory methods – we address key issues and work together to develop practice-oriented perspectives.
• New narratives and new scope for action
  • Together, we question dominant narratives about technology, education and learning and develop nuanced, constructive perspectives rooted in teaching practice and learners’ experiences.
• A structured process – with room to unfold
  • Each community follows a clear process with regular meetings, phases of exchange and reflection – while still allowing for creative freedom and the individual needs of participants.