This article demonstrates how students are supported in developing self-regulated learning skills as part of their initial practical experience in the school setting of the prison (JVA). The close integration of practice-oriented support from prison teaching staff with an academic foundation and supervision from the university creates an innovative learning environment. This article examines how this co-operation structures learning processes, promotes reflection and empowers students to design self-regulated learning both for themselves and for learners within the specific context of the prison.

COOL stands for Cooperative Open Learning and is a teaching concept based on the principles of freedom, co-operation and personal responsibility. This shift in teaching approach means that the teacher’s role is changing. They are no longer primarily a transmitter of knowledge, but rather a learning facilitator, coach and moderator of learning processes. This article explores how open, self-regulated learning environments are transforming teaching, what new roles this creates for teachers, and how they are adapting to these changes.

IGS Flötenteich in Oldenburg has been a ‘Zukunftsschule Niedersachsen’ since 2025. One of the aims of the ‘Zukunftsschule Niedersachsen’ pilot project is to promote and shape self-regulated learning through educational transformation. This transformation has changed the roles and responsibilities of teachers. The skills and attitudes required for this transformation have been compiled in a skills matrix, which is presented in this article.

‘Learning tolearn’ is often reduced to individual techniques: learning strategies, time management or concentration training. Yet people do not learn in isolation. Learning arises from relationships, through emotions, language and the shared construction of meaning. Numerous studies show that cooperative learning combines cognitive engagement with a sense of belonging, self-efficacy and democratic participation. This article explains why sustainable learning relies on co-construction – and why learning to learn is particularly successful in a cooperative context.

Digital applications can effectively support cooperative and collaborative learning processes in primary school teaching. They open up opportunities to structure topics together, visualise ideas, organise content and develop outcomes collaboratively. This makes it possible to design both learning formats with a clear division of tasks and joint working processes centred on a particular piece of content or product.

This article presents selected applications from kits.app and uses practical examples from primary schools to demonstrate how these can be used to great effect in the classroom.

It is not the pupils who adapt to the school, but the school that adapts to its pupils. The BBS Verden is redesigning its learning environments based on this guiding principle. At the centre of this is a holistic approach to learning culture, in which analogue and digital learning formats are systematically integrated, structured learning pathways focused on practical application and real-life contexts are implemented, and teachers are trained to act as learning facilitators. The resulting freedom fosters individuality, coaching and guidance. In this way, learners take responsibility for their own skills development, and learning becomes independent and sustainable. Drawing on specific examples from the vocational induction school, the vocational school and the vocational grammar school, this article outlines cross-school principles for designing learning environments that support independent learning, and illustrates how these are perceived by pupils and teachers at BBS Verden.

An increasing number of schools are changing the way they teach by enabling pupils to engage in self-directed and independent learning. These changes in teaching culture present teachers and school leaders with particular challenges, such as developing new learning and project plans, the shift in the teacher’s role towards that of a learning coach or learning facilitator, organisational changes to the daily structure, and a new approach to classroom management. As part of this programme, various practical implementation options will be presented, and participants will reflect on how these might be applied to their own schools and teaching.

This article focuses on the learning station as a teaching format for promoting self-regulated learning. Against the backdrop of current research findings and practical experience, its potential and challenges are systematically analysed in the context of the priority area of emotional and social development. In particular, the implications for supporting pupils are highlighted. The aim is to provide a critically reflective assessment of the approach.

What distinguishes feedback that motivates from feedback that falls flat? This short session focuses on the basic principles of effective feedback: specific rather than general, process-oriented rather than judgemental, and dialogue-based rather than one-sided. It offers a fresh perspective on everyday classroom situations – along with practical tips you can apply straight away in your own teaching.

Advice can also be a blow. A team’s stability is put to the test, if not before, then certainly when feedback is given. Feedback is, by its very nature, a form of criticism that can threaten a person’s need for autonomy and appreciation. As a result, the team atmosphere can quickly shift from cooperation to conflict.

We can counteract this by ensuring that all learners internalise this issue and communicate in a mindful, inclusive and appreciative manner. This is not a technique, but an attitude that can be deliberately fostered through the use of the ‘OpenHand’, a framework for a successful culture of dialogue.

The role of teachers in the 21st century is multifaceted and tailored to the individual. This versatility is particularly evident in the area of promoting learning strategies, where the focus shifts from the primary transmission of knowledge towards learning support and goal-oriented coaching. Active content delivery is thus transformed into a passive form of teaching, which supports, motivates and guides learners in their ability to engage in self-regulated and effective learning, thereby focusing on the in-depth development of learning competence. This article presents examples of best practice and relates them to the role of teachers.

School support workers assist pupils with a wide range of needs in the classroom and support learning processes by providing structure, guidance and reflection. In practice, a tension arises: whilst individual support can promote learning processes, there is also a risk of increasing dependence. What attitude and understanding of their role do school support workers need in order to foster independence? This article discusses this question, as well as the role of teachers in collaborating with school support workers, as key factors for the successful promotion of learning strategies.

This article presents the guideline ‘School Curriculum for Vocational Schools (SchuCu-BBS)’, through which the state of Lower Saxony sets out requirements for vocational schools regarding the pedagogical design of vocationally-focused and cross-vocational lessons. Exemplary learning and practical situations are used to demonstrate why this framework for lesson planning is beneficial and how it promotes independent learning in the spirit of ‘Deeper Learning’. As vocational school teachers, we would very much like to engage in a discussion about the applicability of the curriculum to general education schools and to discuss its opportunities and limitations together.

This article presents Deeper Learning using a chemistry lesson unit as an example and summarises it as a transferable framework for other subjects and contexts. Beginning with an exploration phase, the subject-specific foundations are established through the context-based development of polymer concepts. Learners then work in small groups to develop a polymer-based wound dressing for a new, unusual clinical case, applying the concepts they have developed and rethinking them whilst consulting research literature. The learning outcomes are presented on research posters. The guide presented here facilitates transfer to other subjects and is intended to help make it easier to implement the Deeper Learning concept in the classroom.

Environments that promote learning are created not only by spaces, materials or methods, but also by the way in which uncertainty, conflicts and contradictions are dealt with. This short article demonstrates, with practical examples, how resonance, a sense of belonging, transparent expectations and small structural supports create learning environments in which learners remain approachable even in difficult situations. The focus is on the question of how learning spaces can be designed so that resonance and contradiction can be integrated into the daily rhythm, whilst learning remains possible.

In the Churer model, the learning environment supports independent learning, particularly through the fixed circle seating arrangement and the freedom to choose one’s own learning space. Pupils are given greater responsibility for their own learning process, whilst at the same time being provided with clear structures. The classroom is designed as a learning landscape, with a variety of workspaces and learning areas available. Pupils can decide for themselves where and with whom they would like to work. This helps them learn to organise their work independently and make a selection of learning conditions that suit them best. This article reports on our three years’ experience with the Churer model and how it affects learning (and also teaching) at school.