The Hamburg Center for Teacher Education (ZLH)

The Hamburg Center for Teacher Education (ZLH) represents a unique collaboration in Germany for the transition between the first and the second phase of teacher education. Universität Hamburg and 4 public universities – Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Hamburg University of Music and Drama (HfMT), Hamburg University of Fine Arts (HFBK),  and Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW)  – represent the first phase of teacher education. The Hamburg State Institute of Teacher Training and School Development (Landesinstitut für Lehrerbildung und Schulentwicklung - LI) is responsible for the sceond phase or teaching practice period culminating in the second Staatsexamen (state examination), which includes the qualification to teach in schools.

Prof. Dr. Eva Arnold, representing Universität Hamburg, and Carola Heffemenger, representing the Ministry of School and Vocational Education, form the managing team of the ZLH. This collegial structure reflects the close collaboration of the first and second phase of teacher education.

Core responsibilities

The ZLH's main task is to coordinate teacher education within and between the phases including:

• examination regulations
• curricula development (e.g. transition to the second phase, adherence to the standards of the Standing Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the States in the Federal Republic of Germany)
• coordination of study organization (in particular studyability/ time slot model)
• organization of school internships
• quality assurance for teacher training programs

The ZLH also fosters and coordinates development projects to improve teacher education in Hamburg, for example:

• the Reform of Teacher Education in Hamburg (in German only)
• further development of teaching (teaching labs)
• teacher proficiency research at Universität Hamburg

The ZLH coordinates central decision-making committees for teacher education in Hamburg, especially the Joint Teacher Education Committee GALB (in German only) and the ZLH Council (in German only). The ZLH’s organizational structure and tasks have been agreed upon by all parties in a cooperation agreement (PDF – 83 KB, in German only).

The Central Examination Office for Teacher Training (ZPLA) (in German only), a central institution of Universität Hamburg, is also part of the ZLH.