International Cooperations

Research and teaching trip to Ghana as part of the DAAD project “UP Network for Sustainable Teacher Education 2.0” – subproject “Service Learning – Clear the stage!”

“Education for Service” (motto of the University of Winneba) and “Service Learning – Clear the stage!” (title of the DAAD subproject) are once again taking center stage together. In February 2026, the junior professorship for German didactics in inclusive context with focus on language and communication (lower secondary level) strengthen its collaboration with the University of Education, Winneba (UEW, Ghana) as part of the DAAD project “UP-Network for Sustainable Teacher Education 2.0”. Prof. Dr. Winnie-Karen Giera and her research assistant Karen Kölling were on site from February 14 to 27 2026, focusing on teaching, networking, and research.

The subproject “Service Learning – Clear the Stage!” combines theater education, reading development, and inclusive education. The main focus is on literary reading as cultural participation, promoting motivation to read, and dealing with experiences of discrimination and exclusion in school and university contexts. The Potsdam inclusive teaching model is being adapted for international contexts and supports the planning and implementation of the subproject.

 

Project framework and objectives

• Expanding international cooperation between the University of Potsdam and the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) in teaching, research, and supervision of doctoral and postdoctoral projects.

• Anchoring theater education approaches in teacher training in Germany and Ghana.

• Promoting reading skills, reading motivation, and social interaction in inclusive, multilingual learning settings.

• Professionalization of pre- service teachers and teachers in the areas of inclusion, multilingualism, qualitative research, mixed methods, and design-based research (DBR).

 

Activities and key focus of the trip: Networking and strategic cooperation

A particular highlight was meeting with the President of UEW (the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba), Prof. Stephen Jobson Mitchual, as well as discussions with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof. Esther Yeboah Danso-Wiredu and the Principal of the College of Languages Education, Prof. Rebecca Atchoi Akpanglo-Nartey. During the meeting, previous activities were acknowledged and steps toward long-term cooperation were discussed, such as joint supervision of PhD and postdoctoral projects, publications, and follow-up meetings in Potsdam.

In discussions with other senior university representatives, existing partnerships were strengthened and new perspectives developed, including with:

• the Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages Education (FFLE), Prof. Charlotte Fofo Lomotey,

• the Head of the Department of Theatre Arts, Prof. Ernest Kwasi Amponsah, and the Dean of the School of Creative Arts, Prof. Emmanuel Obed Acquah,

• the Department of Special Education of the Faculty of Educational Studies, Prof. Samuel Hayford and Prof. Dandy George Dampson,

• the Centre for International Programs (CIP) headed by Dean Prof. Charles K. Assoah, and

• DAAD lecturer Anett Geithner.

In order to initiate an expansion of cooperation and plan joint publications and deeper collaboration in the context of the European Literacy Policy Network (ELINET), a meeting was held with representatives of the University of Cape Coast/UCC from the Institute of Education, Dr. Gifty Edna Anani, and the Dean, Prof. Eric Anane. 

A visit to the German International School Accra (GISA) and a speech by Prof. Dr. Giera on the occasion of the school's 60th anniversary rounded off the visit to Ghana and also strengthened school contacts.

 

Seminars and workshops

The seminars and workshops conducted by Prof. Dr. Winnie-Karen Giera and Karen Kölling were directly linked to the objectives of the subproject. These included, in particular:

• Courses in the German as a Foreign Language seminar taught by DAAD lecturer Anett Geithner (levels A2/B1 and A1)

• Theory on qualitative and quantitative research, mixed methods, design-based research (DBR), inclusion, reading skills, the German school system, reading promotion, and differentiation.

• Practical work with scenes and song lyrics on the topic of bullying, choral and rhythmic reading, collective singing, reflection on personal experiences of discrimination and exclusion.

• Seminars and lectures in the Department of Theatre Arts at the School of Creative Arts:

Various contributions to the “Launch of Departmental Theater Colloquium Series” under the motto “Drama to the rescue: The imperative of Drama Strategies in Education” with a lecture by Prof. Dr. Giera as guest of honor at the event on drama education, reading promotion, inclusion, and DBR in the international theater project “Stop Bullying!”

Course on “Drama Strategies for Teaching Subjects” in Prof. Ernest Kwasi Amponsah's seminar with theory-practice transfer on drama and theater education methods and embodied learning for prospective teachers.

• Training for teachers in the German Unit and other participants on the topic of pronunciation training using theater education and body-based methods for German and DaF/DaZ lessons.

 

Publications and future prospects

The journey builds on existing and planned publications. One result of the collaboration to date is the open access publication:

Giera et al., (2026). From experience to scene – Clear the stage! = Vom Erlebten zur Szene – Bühne frei!: A theater project to promote reading skills and social interaction in inclusive learning settings. University of Potsdam. https://doi.org/10.25932/publishup-69415

Further joint publications, including an anthology in the series “TeachInc. Teaching and learning in an inclusive context,” are in progress. In addition, the experience gained and research results have been incorporated into the UEW curriculum and will also be systematically incorporated into teaching at the University of Potsdam. This will help shape future exchange formats with the University of Education, Winneba, the University of Cape Coast, and the German International School Accra.