Service Learning – Take the Stage! A Theatre Project to Promote Reading Skills and Social Interaction in Inclusive Learning Environments

As part of the initiative “Service Learning – Take the Stage! A Theatre Project to Promote Reading Skills and Social Interaction in Inclusive Learning Environments,” pre-service teachers from the University of Potsdam and the University of Education in Winneba (Ghana) receive training in reading research, drama pedagogy, and theatrical performance. These materials will be made available on the digital learning platform OpenUP. The project uses theatre scripts to improve reading fluency and comprehension among pupils aged 10 to 14. Roles are adapted or double-cast, reading coaches are employed, and portions of the texts are staged as readers’ theatre. The Potsdam Inclusive Teaching Model (Potsdamer Inklusionsdidaktisches Unterrichtsmodell) is adapted for international contexts and supports the planning and implementation of the theatre project. Pre-service teachers participate in online lectures, an international lecture series, and a theatre workshop. The plays address themes such as “Exclusion and Discrimination in Schools” and aim to foster communication and collaborative problem-solving for inclusive education. During the practical phase, participants receive weekly online coaching. Project results will be published in a bilingual (German/English) edited volume.

Language Awareness in Subject-Specific Teaching: Collaboration with the German School Accra

In a new initiative at the German School Accra, 15 Ghanaian children aged 8 to 13 are being supported through scholarships and will be guided toward earning either a secondary school certificate or the German Abitur (university entrance qualification). As part of this program, the children acquire German language skills.

In the form of a seminar, students from the University of Potsdam collaborate with local teachers and the Ghanaian pupils. Through this cooperation, the UP students strengthen their subject-specific language skills and intercultural competencies -particularly with regard to multilingual classroom settings.