“Schooling is the root of all evil!” This conviction held by Stefan Ruppaner, the former headteacher of the Alemannenschule in Wutöschingen, is also reflected in the educational philosophy of the Nordsee-Campus Wilhelmshaven (NCW). In this introductory session, you will gain an insight into the school’s unique teaching and learning approach.
Here, pupils learn in a self-organised manner at personalised learning stations, according to their own interests and at their own pace. From Year 7 onwards, there are no longer any traditional lessons – nor, essentially, any traditional teachers – and from Year 9 onwards, classrooms and classes have also disappeared. Results to date: a positive school atmosphere, low levels of violence, a calm environment – and the pupils learn because (not despite!) they do not have teacher-led lessons.

• What impact does the school’s approach have on pupils’ development and on the educational work within the school community?
• What benefits have emerged from this approach for the school as a whole, as well as for the pupils in particular?
• What are the key factors for success?

Drawing on practical experience, this workshop invites you to discuss your own experiences of shaping teaching and learning and to exchange ideas on implementation goals and approaches.

THOMAS SCHMACKER has been a teacher since 2000 and has served as deputy headteacher and head of the planning group at a secondary school since 2010. In 2020, he took over as head of the planning group for the new Nordsee-Campus Wilhelmshaven secondary school, where he has been headteacher since 2021.

School development thrives on the ‘HOW’! After all, how can we initiate and breathe life into sustainable, collectively driven, creatively-minded school development?
Design Thinking also views the school as a space for development that can be shaped. The centre is on the needs of pupils, teachers and all other school stakeholders, which are specifically identified and incorporated into school development processes. Through collaboration amongst teaching staff and the gradual testing and refinement of ideas, practical, jointly designed solutions emerge that can be effectively implemented in everyday school life. Design Thinking thus fosters a culture of collaborative learning and working, and supports schools in systematically developing ideas despite time constraints, so that they can make conscious use of the school’s scope for action and actively shape school development.
What to expect:

• In just 90 minutes of this introductory session, you will go through a condensed Design Thinking process in an ‘idea sprint’ – from rapid ideation to the first prototype. This interactive workshop is specifically designed to stimulate your innovative potential and shows you how to develop practical solutions to typical challenges in everyday school and classroom life within a short space of time.
• The ‘Idea Sprint’ is particularly well-suited to teachers and school leadership teams who wish to try out new forms of collaboration and actively shape change processes. In this way, the sprint becomes not only a creative stimulus but also an ongoing process for sustainable school development – entirely in the spirit of Design Thinking.

JOACHIM OEST is the founder and managing director of the Deichdenker Institute for Contemporary Education and Innovation in Weener (East Frisia). As an expert in innovative teaching and learning formats, he offers workshops on Design Thinking in the classroom and in school development, on digitalisation in schools, and on alternative examination formats. He is also a sought-after keynote speaker, presenter and author. Joachim Oest currently teaches part-time at the Michaelschule secondary school in Papenburg. Prior to this, he spent many years working as a subject leader in teacher training at the State Teacher Training College for Realschulen in Mainz.

Since 2013, the Kreidestaubinitiative has been bringing together committed students who want to change schools. As a Germany-wide network of students studying to become teachers, educational science and pedagogy, we see ourselves as a testing ground for the schools of tomorrow. We connect, motivate and inspire – through projects that demonstrate how professional pedagogy can be put into practice and learnt.
In this presentation, we introduce two project formats that have become successfully established and which can serve as a basis for reflection and development processes within schools.

• Through the ‘Learning Journey’, teacher training students across the country set off each year on a self-organised trip to explore schools that are particularly innovative and have been recognised for their development work, and to learn from them.
• ‘Let’s play Schule’ is an educational project format in which trainee teachers take over the teaching of a class or even an entire school for a week. This enables the students to gain genuine practical experience outside the traditional examination setting and to learn how to deliver lessons creatively. And teachers can use this time, for example, to visit other schools and work on their own school’s development.

We have brought together key insights and experiences from both project formats for you and would like to reflect with you on the scope for innovation they offer.

FANNY KUNCZAK studied Political Education and French to become a teacher in Berlin. She completed her teaching placement there at a so-called ‘high-needs school’. She is a board member of the initiative Kreidestaub e.V., which acts as a voice in education policy, advocates for improvements in teacher training and, amongst other things, organises study visits to innovative schools to explore the question of what constitutes a ‘good’ school.

How can schools create genuine scope for self-organised learning, hand over responsibility to pupils and, at the same time, strategically advance school development?
FREI DAY is a project-based learning format that empowers pupils to engage with current societal challenges and independently develop viable solutions. Working in mixed-age teams, they adopt a self-organised, practical and participatory approach.
In this introductory session, Christina Feldmann (headteacher of Bothmer Primary School in Schwarmstedt) and Laura Blum (Initiative Schule im Aufbruch) provide insights into the practical implementation of FREI DAY in primary schools. They speak openly about their experiences, challenges and the conditions for success, and demonstrate how school leaders can get the initiative off the ground and embed this freedom sustainably within their own schools. This session invites you to gain new perspectives on learning, responsibility and school development – and to develop concrete next steps for your own everyday school life.

CHRISTINA FELDMANN is headteacher at Bothmer Primary School, where FREI DAY has been in place for five years.

LAURA BLUM, as coordinator of ‘Schule im Aufbruch’ for the north, advises schools on their journey towards FREI DAY and their path to holistic transformation in the spirit of a whole-school approach.

Democratic societies need democratic schools. But how can a democratic development process be achieved when all those involved are expected to fulfil their duties and roles in their day-to-day lives at the same time?
The concept for democratic school development, devised by Dorothea Schütze at the IDE Berlin, explicitly addresses this challenge of ‘rebuilding a moving train’ with all stakeholders on board: inclusive, sustainable, and critical of power structures and discrimination. This workshop will guide you through the following questions:

• How do we design democratic decision-making processes that are transparent and fair?
• How do we promote genuine participation – for pupils and colleagues, but also for parents and technical and cleaning staff?
• What is needed to take action independently using the school’s own resources, and when is professional external support required?

The centre is on constructively examining one’s own attitudes and role in the school development process. Tried-and-tested methods, collegial exchange and insights from theory and practice provide guidance for concrete steps towards development at your own school.

LYNN HENRY KÖNIG is a political educator and process facilitator whose work is grounded in the approaches and fundamental principles of democratic school development (based on the concept of the Institute for Democracy Development in Berlin), Betzavta, mediation and Gestalt therapy. He teaches at the University of Bremen, the University of Education in Freiburg and the LIS in Bremen, and is currently completing his PhD on conflicts in democratic school development processes.

How more open space in the classroom helps to create scope for independent learning. Taking the example of the learning space based on the Churer model in secondary I (class of Year 5) at the Herderschule grammar school in Lüneburg, this workshop offers insights into how classrooms can be redesigned and utilised to open up more scope for independent, individual work whilst ensuring guidance and reliability.
The Churer Model, developed by Reto Thöny, offers a tried-and-tested framework of freedom, responsibility and structure for developing learning environments – including at grammar schools – in a way that integrates academic progress, self-regulated learning and well-being. The design of school spaces as a ‘third educator’ places the focus on pupils’ learning and lives, and transforms the understanding of the roles of both teachers and pupils. The aim of the Chur Model is for pupils to become ‘experts in their own learning’. Fostering individual potential becomes easier, whilst at the same time the sense of community is greatly enhanced through the circle seating arrangement and collaboration zones.
Combining our perspectives as school management and the teachers involved, we invite you to join us in a discussion about the development of the pilot project at the Herderschule and the observed effects on pupils and teachers. We will share with you the opportunities and limitations, the conditions for success and the challenges, so that we can discuss together how the Churer model can be integrated into existing school structures – including at grammar schools.

THORSTEN SCHNELL is headteacher and teaches English and Russian as subjects at the Herderschule grammar school in Lüneburg.

DR SELMA POLAT-MENKE is a teacher at the Herderschule grammar school in Lüneburg; she holds a PhD in Theology (Religious Education), is a lecturer in mindfulness at Leuphana University, and is the author of the mindfulness programme ‘Herzbeschirmt’.

STEFAN MATTHEUS is a teacher of politics, economics and geography, and the coordinator for academic and career guidance at the Herderschule grammar school in Lüneburg.

In this workshop, the Flötenteich Integrated Comprehensive School offers insights into its comprehensive transformation process, which aims to rethink education and actively shape society. It describes the path towards a fundamentally transformed school concept that enshrines Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a central guiding principle. The starting point was the realisation that traditional subject structures and teaching formats are insufficient to prepare pupils for a globalised world shaped by sustainability issues. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) therefore serve as a guide for skills development.
A key focus is on the development of a cross-curricular curriculum geared towards the subject-specific, cross-curricular and personal competences that young people need for active participation in society. Subject content is consistently viewed as a means of acquiring competences and addressing issues of the future.
At the same time, the organisation of lessons has been redesigned: flexibility in terms of time and space enables individual learning pathways, project-based learning and co-operation with external partners. Since the 2024/25 academic year, the timetable for classes 5 to 10 has consisted predominantly of free learning and group work periods, supplemented by digitally delivered learning content. Teachers support the learning processes as learning coaches.
You will gain a clear insight into the challenges and, in our view, the particularly effective factors contributing to the success of our school’s transformation, as well as an outlook on our next steps in development.

HANNELORE LÜLLWITZ has been headteacher of the Integrated Comprehensive School since 2016; prior to that, she served as deputy headteacher for eleven years.

DR GUNTHER WIEKING has been a teacher of science and mathematics at the IGS Flötenteich since 2006; he has been the school’s head of teaching since 2012.

School and teaching development are caught between the dynamics of individual teachers and the teaching staff as a whole, as well as the challenges posed by specialised knowledge and teaching methodology. The resulting complexity poses an obstacle to the implementation of new learning formats, as it can lead to teachers feeling overwhelmed and uncertain. School leaders are recognised as playing a central role in managing this complexity. So-called change management encompasses changes to the school’s organisational structure; in particular, forms of participation are an indispensable component of a transformed organisation.
Using the example of Damme Secondary School, this session provides an insight into the transformation from the traditional school and teaching model towards self-directed and individualised learning.

• It outlines how these complex challenges were tackled in small steps, through a participatory and solution-oriented approach. The focus is on the work of the steering group, as participation, organisation and management can only be implemented through a group acting as the vehicle for the change process.
• Using a project planning document that has been developed, you will receive very practical ideas on how to change fundamental attitudes and behavioural patterns amongst the teaching staff.

JAN RUNGE has been headteacher of Damme Secondary School since 2013 and previously held various positions at the school, notably as deputy headteacher. He completed a Master’s degree in ‘School Management and Quality Development’.

“Schooling is the root of all evil!” This conviction held by Stefan Ruppaner, the former headteacher of the Alemannenschule in Wutöschingen, is also reflected in the educational philosophy of the Nordsee-Campus Wilhelmshaven (NCW). In this introductory session, you will gain an insight into the school’s unique teaching and learning approach.
Here, pupils learn in a self-organised manner at personalised learning stations, according to their own interests and at their own pace. From Year 7 onwards, there are no longer any traditional lessons – nor, essentially, any traditional teachers – and from Year 9 onwards, even classrooms and year groups have disappeared. Results to date: a positive school atmosphere, low levels of violence, a calm environment – and the pupils learn because (not despite!) they do not have teacher-led lessons.

• What impact does the school’s approach have on pupils’ development and on the educational work within the school community?
• What benefits have emerged from this approach for the school as a whole, as well as for the pupils in particular?
• What are the key factors for success?

Drawing on practical experience, this workshop invites you to discuss your own experiences of shaping teaching and learning and to exchange ideas on implementation goals and approaches.

THOMAS SCHMACKER has been a teacher since 2000 and has served as deputy headteacher and head of the planning group at a secondary school since 2010. In 2020, he took over as head of the planning group for the new Nordsee-Campus Wilhelmshaven secondary school, where he has been headteacher since 2021.

School development thrives on the ‘HOW’! After all, how can we initiate and breathe life into sustainable, collectively driven, creatively-minded school development?
Design Thinking also views the school as a space for development that can be shaped. The centre is on the needs of pupils, teachers and all other school stakeholders, which are specifically identified and incorporated into school development processes. Through collaboration amongst teaching staff and the gradual testing and refinement of ideas, practical, jointly designed solutions emerge that can be effectively implemented in everyday school life. Design Thinking thus fosters a culture of collaborative learning and working, and supports schools in systematically developing ideas despite time constraints, so that they can make conscious use of the school’s scope for action and actively shape school development.
What to expect:

• In just 90 minutes of this introductory session, you will go through a condensed Design Thinking process in an ‘idea sprint’ – from rapid ideation to the first prototype. This interactive workshop is specifically designed to stimulate your innovative potential and shows you how to develop practical solutions to typical challenges in everyday school and classroom life within a short space of time.
• The ‘Idea Sprint’ is particularly well-suited to teachers and school leadership teams who wish to try out new forms of collaboration and actively shape change processes. In this way, the sprint becomes not only a creative stimulus but also an ongoing process for sustainable school development – entirely in the spirit of Design Thinking.

JOACHIM OEST is the founder and managing director of the Deichdenker Institute for Contemporary Education and Innovation in Weener (East Frisia). As an expert in innovative teaching and learning formats, he offers workshops on Design Thinking in the classroom and in school development, on digitalisation in schools, and on alternative examination formats. He is also a sought-after keynote speaker, presenter and author. Joachim Oest currently teaches part-time at the Michaelschule secondary school in Papenburg. Prior to this, he spent many years working as a subject coordinator at the State Teacher Training College for Realschulen in Mainz, where he was involved in teacher training.

How can schools create genuine scope for self-organised learning, hand over responsibility to pupils and, at the same time, strategically advance school development?
FREI DAY is a project-based learning format that empowers pupils to engage with current societal challenges and independently develop viable solutions. Working in mixed-age teams, they learn in a self-organised, practical and participatory way.
In this session, Christian Diekmann (deputy headteacher at Georgsmarienhütte Secondary School) and Laura Blum (Schule im Aufbruch initiative) provide insights into the practical implementation of FREI DAY from both a school-based and a conceptual perspective. They share experiences, challenges and best practices, and demonstrate how school leaders can use FREI DAY as a lever for the sustainable development of freedom within the school. This session invites you to gain new perspectives on learning, responsibility and school development – and to develop concrete next steps for your own everyday school life.

CHRISTIAN DIEKMANN is Deputy Headteacher at Georgsmarienhütte Secondary School, where FREI DAY has been in place for three years.

No development processes are without resistance. But what exactly lies behind resistance, what does it trigger in oneself and others, and how should it be dealt with at management level? This workshop focuses on all these dynamics of resistance in school development processes and analyses ‘resistance as the norm’ in change.
Building on the concepts of ‘structural persistence’ and the tendency to form factions, various patterns of resistance – their rational foundations and seemingly irrational forms of expression – are systematically explored. Based on the assumption that resistance can be constructively transformed within participatory processes, scope for democratisation is presented in the form of democratic school development put into practice.
This workshop offers you the opportunity to take away ideas for the (further) development of practice-oriented strategies for constructively addressing resistance through the recognition of coded messages, dialogue and negotiation. To this end, you will explore your own forms of resistance and develop concrete courses of action for your school contexts.

LYNN HENRY KÖNIG is a political educator and process facilitator whose work is grounded in the approaches and fundamental principles of democratic school development (based on the concept of the Institute for Democracy Development in Berlin), Betzavta, mediation and Gestalt therapy. He teaches at the University of Bremen, the University of Education in Freiburg and the LIS in Bremen, and is currently completing his PhD on conflicts in democratic school development processes.

The German school system faces the challenge of improving the quality of education, even though staff resources are scarce and teachers are stretched to the limit. The previous ‘more is better’ strategy will therefore not work in future.

• How can schools stop doing what doesn’t work?
• How can pointless school practices be reduced or eliminated?
• How can schools move away from bureaucracy, unnecessary tasks and even cherished routines?
• And how can teachers reclaim time that they can spend on what really matters?

In this workshop, you will find answers to these questions as well as practical and well-founded inspiration on how schools can improve by focusing on ‘less’ rather than ‘more’. The aim is to reconcile quality improvement with reducing teachers’ workload and to find ways of balancing effective school development with safeguarding teachers’ wellbeing. The idea behind this is actually quite simple: Better to do less – but do it better!
– Live online presentation –

DR. HABIL. BENEDIKT WISNIEWSKI is a school psychologist, supervisor and coach, and works at the Upper Palatinate School Counselling Centre. He has many years’ experience as a teacher and as a trainer in teacher education, and has focused his research and practice in particular on the topic of feedback in a school context. As the author of specialist books and host of the podcast ‘Psychology for the Classroom’, he conveys psychological knowledge in a practical and accessible way for schools and the classroom.

School development in the face of challenges requires clarity, courage and workable solutions!
This workshop offers an insight into the establishment and development of the Walliser Straße Primary School in Bremen-Osterholz-Tenever, which was newly founded in 2022 under challenging circumstances. Using concrete examples, Oliver Leimbach demonstrates how existing scope for manoeuvre at management level was utilised to strengthen self-efficacy, motivation and reliability amongst staff and pupils.
Combining theoretical frameworks (salutogenesis according to Antonovsky, school development according to Burow, the Chur model) with consistently practical experiences from everyday school life, the session addresses both successful strategies and the obstacles encountered. You will receive practical suggestions on how to set priorities, facilitate participation and make targeted use of the scope available to you – even under difficult conditions – to promote health and effective learning through school development.

OLIVER LEIMBACH is headteacher of the Walliser Straße Primary School in Bremen, which he founded himself together with a colleague in 2022. He has held headteaching roles since 2010. He is passionate about creating a school that is as healthy and vibrant as possible, involving the entire school community.

Even before the term ‘freiräume’ came into widespread use, BBS Lingen Wirtschaft had already begun to develop, formulate and implement a new mission statement – along with the resulting new school programme – by making full use of the freedom available in terms of content. Under the guiding principles of learning, digitalisation and responsibility, the self-determination of learners is enshrined as the core of the school’s educational philosophy. To this end, our school created the necessary environment by transforming general classrooms into new learning spaces, which were specifically designed and refurbished for self-directed learning.
Our workshop programme provides you with insights into the key steps and challenges involved in implementing this approach at BBS Lingen Wirtschaft, and offers food for thought and encouraging inspiration to think more freely about and successfully implement your own school development processes.

HEINZ GEBBEKEN has been working at BBS Lingen Wirtschaft for 25 years and has been headteacher since 2020. From the very beginning, it has been a priority for him to break free from the narrow paths dictated by the system and to make use of any scope available to create a vibrant school.

UWE FÖGEDING, as Deputy Headteacher at BBS Lingen Wirtschaft, is responsible, amongst other things, for quality management and the school development process. For him, the BBS Lingen Wirtschaft must become a place of learning where the (individual) pupil is at the centre of everything we do. In this regard, he believes that school development involves more than simply making use of the scope available.