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.
Monday, 9 March 2026 – Attracting and Retaining Teachers
Venue: Conference Hall at the University Main Building, Domstraße 11, Entrance 2
9:00 a.m. - 9:20 a.m.
Opening
Thomas Jenssen - TI Project Manager and Head of Rector's Office
Marisa Holzapfel & Andrea Westphal - Academic Directors of the TI Conference
9:35 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
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 of 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
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
3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Poster Session
Starting at approximately 6 p.m.
Get-together dinner (limited to guests from TI partner universities)
Tuesday, 10 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. - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch Break
1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Teacher Migration to Germany – Great Opportunities, Unresolved Problems, Next Steps
Miriam Vock (Potsdam)
2:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Coffee break
2:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Brokerage: Speed Dating
hosted by Joachim Köhler (Greifswald)
Starting at 4 p.m.
Cultural Programme (limited to guests from TI partner universities)
To be announced
Wednesday, 11 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 approach internationalisation in teacher education in your context?
Jessica Lüth, Lena Wuntke (Greifswald)
ATTENTION: this workshop will take place at Ernst-Lohmeyer-Platz 3 SR. 2.14
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Coffee break
10:45
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