From Attraction to Retention: Global Approaches to Teacher Education
(9 – 11 March 2026)
Under the direction of Jun.-Prof. Dr. Marisa Alena Holzapfel & Jun.-Prof. Dr. Andrea Westphal
Teacher education faces numerous challenges worldwide: How can we attract dedicated individuals to the teaching profession—and how can we ensure they remain? This international conference brings together researchers, teacher educators, student teachers and educational practitioners to discuss and share research findings and innovative strategies on attracting, preparing, and retaining teachers in diverse educational contexts.
Programme
Monday, 9th of March 2026 - Attracting and Retaining Teachers
Venue: Conference Hall at the University Main Building, Domstraße 11, Entrance 2
9:00 a.m. - 09:30 a.m.
Opening
Thomas Jenssen - TI Project Manager and Head of Rector's Office
Marisa Holzapfel & Andrea Westphal - Academic Directors of the TI Conference
09:35 a.m. - 10:05 a.m.
Who Thinks About Dropping Out and Why? Teacher Education Students' Intention to Quit Their Teaching Degree
Andrea Westphal (Greifswald)
10:10 a.m. - 10:40 a.m.
Teachers' Employability Versus Their Retention in the Profession: The Example of Poland
Lucyna Myszka-Strychalska (Poznań)
10:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Exploring the Foundations of Teacher Development: Emotional Resilience, Stress, and Satisfaction in Initial Teacher Education
Frances Hoferichter (Greifswald)
11:20 p.m. - 11:50 p.m.
Attractiveness by Design and by Communication: A Desk-Based Analysis of Croatian Initial Teacher Education
Daliborka Luketić (Zadar)
11:55 p.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Dr. Julia Landgraf - Member The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) and Head of Department for Studies and Teaching, Teacher Training, Student Affairs and Equality (Berlin)
12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Lunch Break
1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Supporting Teacher Retention Through Morale, Motivation and Job Satisfaction
Philip Yeung (Lincoln)
2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Coffee Break
03:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m .
Poster Session
Access to posters for online participants here.
starting approx. 6 p.m.
Get Together Dinner (limited to guests from TI partner universities)
Brasserie Hermanns
Tuesday, 10th of March 2026 - Teacher Professionalisation through Practice-Based Mentoring and Innovative Formats
Venue: Conference Hall at the University Main Building, Domstraße 11, Entrance 2
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Attitudes and Values of Students and Teachers Toward Content Relevant to Natural and Social Science Education in Elementary School
Marisa Holzapfel (Greifswald)
9:35 a.m. - 10:05 a.m.
Exploring How Mentoring and Institutional Cooperation Structures Can Support the Successful Professionalisation of Teachers in the Context of Weekly Field Experiences
Johanna Tietze, Jessica Lüth, Hendrick Lohse-Bossenz (Greifswald)
10:10 a.m. - 10:55 a.m.
Learning to Teach by Teaching: Integrating Practice and Mentoring Into Initial Teacher Education
Evija Latkovska, Anita Auziņa (Riga)
11.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m.
Reimagining Teacher Education Through Faculty Co-Teaching: An Inclusive Model for Mathematics Methods and Beyond
Sam Hilbert & Jeramy Donovan (Flint)
12:00 p.m. - 1 p.m.
Lunch Break
1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Teacher Migration to Germany – Great Opportunities, Unresolved Problems, Next Steps
Miriam Vock (Potsdam)
2 p.m. - 02:15 p.m.
Coffee Break
02:15 p.m. - 03:45 p.m.
Brokerage: Speed Dating
hosted by Marisa Holzapfel (Greifswald)
starting 4 p.m.
Cultural Program (limited to guests from TI partner universities)
Guided Tour - Gallery of Romanticism, Pommersches Landesmuseum
Born in Greifswald in 1774, Caspar David Friedrich is now the most famous German artist of the 19th century, and is the focus of the new Gallery of Romanticism. The new permanent exhibition shows how his view of nature revolutionized landscape painting.
A chapel installation serves as a multimedia work of art, setting the scene for Friedrich‘s poetic imagery in the works that follow. Visitors can immerse themselves in his originals and experience how his paintings took shape. The exhibition traces the life and work of the son of a soap boiler from Swedish Pomerania, revealing what kind of person and painter he was. His home region inspired him throughout his life – and continues to fascinate to this day. An interactive colour scale leads visitors to Friedrich‘s motifs in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and invites them to rediscover his iconic landscapes.
Wednesday, 11th of March 2026 - Internationalisation
Venue: Conference Hall at the University Main Building, Domstraße 11, Entrance 2
9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
How Do You “Do” Internationalisation in Teacher Education in Your Context?
Jessica Lüth, Lena Wuntke (Greifswald)
ATTENTION: this workshop will take place in Ernst-Lohmeyer-Platz 3 SR. 2.14
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Coffee Break
10:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Pre-service Teachers’ Beliefs About Language Teaching and Learning – Perspectives From Poland
Magdalena Aleksandrzak (Poznań)
11:20 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Autonomy and Experience: How Pre-service Teachers Make Sense of Teacher Agency
Christine Gardemann (Greifswald)
12 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Conclusion and Farewell
