Germany - Thüringen Listing
Germany is a federal republic consisting of sixteen federal states. All decisions regarding educational policies are made by the state ministries of education within the scope of federal regulations.
Depending on which state, Digital Literacy is referred to as Informationstechnische Grundbildung, Informations- und kommunikationstechnische Grundbildung, or Medienkunde. Informatics is always referred to as Informatik.
| Data Mode | Data Value | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Data Availability | Data available |
The data for all German states has been derived from public documents of the Federal Ministries of Education and from I.Starruss' thesis "Analyse der informatischen Bildung an allgemein bildenden Schulen auf der Basis der im Jahr 2010 gültigen Lehrpläne und Richtlinien". |
| Informatics: First Contact | Higher Secondary |
Informatics can be studied starting in grade 9 (3 hrs/week). |
| Informatics: Availability of Courses | Yes |
In all German states, Informatics can be taken as an elective course in high school. |
| Informatics: Curriculum Consistency | State |
The core curriculum covers information and data, computer architecture, communication in networked enviroments, data privacy and security, algorithms and analysis of algorithms, formal languages and automata, object-oriented modeling, computers and society, and imperative programming. Pupils take part in at least one software project. Special focus courses also cover digital logic, data structures, abstract data types, tractability, and object-oriented programming. |
| Informatics: Enrolment | less than 10% |
Not offered until grade 7; see this document (in German). |
| Digital Literacy: First Contact | Primary |
Pupils in primary schools shall learn how to use a computer for text processing and spell-checking. They also learn how to communicate by e-mail and how to obtain information from the internet. |
| Digital Literacy: A Separate Subject? | Integrated |
Digital literacy is taught as a mandatory integrated subject in grades 5-10. |
| Digital Literacy: Curriculum Consistency | State |
The core curriculum lists the following areas: "Information and Data", "Communication and Cooperation", "Presentation", "Media Production, Modelling, and Interpretation", "Analyzing and Reasoning", "Law, Privacy, and Appropriateness of Media for Underage Students", "Media and Society". Schools are at liberty, however, how to implement this curriculum. |
| Digital Literacy: Enrolment | all students |
Digital Literacy is taught as an integrated subject. |
| Teacher Training: Special Qualifications | Special qualifications |
"The system of teacher education in Germany consists of two mandatory parts: in part one, prospective teachers study two subjects at the university (e.g., CS and mathematics), corresponding domain-specific education and pedagogy, as well as general education, pedagogy, and learning sciences [...]. After their graduation from university, they then enroll in in-service training (“Referendariat”), which lasts 18 months. The in-service training finishes with a state examination that provides a teaching license in the two subjects studied and admits the graduates to the teaching profession." [Knobelsdorf et al., 2015], Section 3.1. Depending on the state and district, fast-track entries to the teaching professions for trained professionals may be possible. |
| Teacher Training: Number of Subjects | 2 |
See this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: Entry Requirement | M.Ed. / M.Sc. + pgc. |
See Sec. 3.2 of this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: In-Service Length | 19-24 months | |
| Teacher Training: Stand-alone Digital Literacy Curriculum | No |
See this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: Stand-alone Informatics Curriculum | Yes |
See this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: Typical Path Availability | Yes |
See Appendix II.1 of this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: Professionals as Teachers | No |
See this page (in German). |
| Teacher Training: Professional Experience | No |
See Sec. 3.2 of this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: Mathematics Teachers | Minor Training | |
| Teacher Training: Physics Teachers | Minor Training | |
| Teacher Training: Business Teachers | Minor Training | |
| Teacher Training: Engineering Teachers | Minor Training | |
| Teacher Training: Teachers from other Disciplines | Minor Training | |
| Teacher Training: Security of Employment | Tenure |
All teachers have tenure (derived from Article 33.4 of the German Constitution (translation)), though 20-25% do not have civil servant status. |
| Educational Policies | State | |
| Learning Objectives | State |