The significance of education for migrants’ integration is discussed on the Karlsruhe 2016 Education Conference that takes place from September 22 to 25. The conference is organized by the Research Office for the Aptitude of Teachers at Institute of Vocational Education and Training and General Pedagogics of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), the City of Karlsruhe, the school administrators, and several Karlsruhe universities. Theory and practice are joined through lectures, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and cultural events.
“Education and training of teachers are important contributions of KIT to the social mission of education,” explains Professor Alexander Wanner, Vice President for Higher Education and Academic Affairs of KIT. “We believe that teachers and pedagogues are decisive for the success of education and accomplishment of integration and want to make them fit for the changing demands of their professions. The 2016 Education Conference deals with this subject and brings together actors from theory and practice.”
How can tolerance be defined in a pluralistic society? Where are its limits? What are the transcultural fundamental values whose active implementation lets a society grow? The interdisciplinary Karlsruhe 2016 Education Conference deals with these and other questions under the title of “Integration as Educational Task!?”.
“Globalization and the current refugee situation are a great challenge to the education system,” Professor Johann J. Beichel of Institute of Vocational Education and Training and General Pedagogics of KIT emphasizes. “Language is an essential part of integration but German language courses alone are not enough.” Professor Beichel is head of the Research Office for the Aptitude of Teachers that organizes the Karlsruhe 2016 Education Conference, head of the Research Group on Aesthetic Education at KIT, and former head of the State Examination Board for Teachers at the Karlsruhe Regional Administrative Authority. “Via education, migrants must be introduced to the legal, moral, and cultural values of the new world they live in. At the same time, we need mutual understanding and a critical reflection on attitudes and prejudices.”
In 38 single presentations and events, the Karlsruhe 2016 Education Conference brings together theory and practice and joins science and research, schools and teachers, parents and associations. The conference is organized by the Research Office for the Aptitude of Teachers at Institute of Vocational Education and Training and General Pedagogics at KIT in cooperation with KIT’s Center for Teacher Training, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe University of Education, Karlsruhe University of Music, Division No. 7 “School and Education” of the Karlsruhe Regional Administrative Authority, the State Education Authority Karlsruhe, the School and Sports Office of the City of Karlsruhe, and the Karlsruhe City Youth Committee.
Program Excerpt (the conference language is German):
- Thursday, September 22, from 6 pm, Building No. 20.30, KIT Campus South. Speech by literary scholar and writer Professor Rüdiger Safranski on “Education and Life” at the opening of the conference.
- Saturday, September 24, 11 am, Audimax Lecture Hall at KIT Campus South. Former Judge at the Federal Constitutional Court Professor Paul Kirchhof discusses aspects of integration under constitutional law.
- Sunday, September 25, 11 am, Audimax Lecture Hall at KIT Campus South. Retired Minister of State Professor Julian Nida-Rümelin speaks on the topic “Integration and Way of Life” in the final lecture.
The conference is accompanied by a comprehensive cultural program. According to Professor Johann J. Beichel, the artistic domains of dance, music, and theater offer great opportunities for understanding and communication before German can be spoken.
Please refer to www.pkm.kit.edu/bildungskongress.php for the Karlsruhe 2016 Education Conference program and the registration.
Participation is free of charge. Registration is requested.
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.