There is a huge need for targeted language support for children with a migration background, especially in elementary school. Students at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (KU) have designed teaching units and tested their materials in practice. With this pilot project, they supported the teachers at three elementary schools in Eichstätt and neighboring Adelschlag. The project has now received the world's most important award for service learning at Catholic universities: the "Global Award" from the international “Uniservitate” network. A KU project in which students are involved in pastoral care at festivals will also be honored.
Specialist knowledge on language promotion, the acquisition of written language and dealing with cultural diversity in the school context – these are the contents of a course for prospective teachers and students from other subject areas. The focus is on supporting children whose native language is not German. The seminar will be led by Kristina Löblein. The primary school teacher, who is currently on leave from teaching and works as a research associate at the Chair of Didactics of German Language and Literature at the KU, did not want to rely on theory alone – she wanted the students to put their acquired knowledge into practice. Löblein developed a seminar in the area of "Service Learning" for this purpose. Learning through commitment is the keyword here: Students combine social commitment with academic learning.
"The aim is to combine the theoretical basis with developing lessons ourselves, selecting methods, creating materials – and finally testing and reflecting on everything in an everyday school context", explains Löblein. Many students have hardly had any contact with the subject of "German as a second language", although the competent handling of children whose mother tongue is not German is more important than ever for teachers today. "The seminar should also help students to question their own attitudes and ways of thinking on this topic", says Löblein.
For more than a year, the KU has been cooperating on this project with the Eichstätt elementary schools St. Walburg and Am Graben; the elementary school in Adelschlag has also been involved at times. According to Löblein, the project is open to collaborating with other schools. The students offer weekly intensive language support for small groups of up to four children – parallel to regular school lessons. Students contribute their teaching units in coordination with the teaching staff. They also receive professional support and advice from Kristina Löblein – not only during the weekly seminar, but also in consultation hours, during lesson visits and the subsequent debriefing. Kristina Löblein is certain: The project not only helps the elementary school children and takes some of the pressure off the schools in times of teacher shortages. At the same time, it offers students a valuable insight into everyday school life and its challenges. "In this way, the prospective teachers also develop their personality and resilience in the teaching profession", says Löblein.
In the project, students clearly see how important language skills are for the development of children and their participation in society.
The jury of the Uniservitate network is also convinced that the project will benefit the growing need for language promotion and honored Kristina Löblein for the project “Service Learning: Language Promotion in Primary School"with the "Global Award" 2024. The award is being presented for the second time. Uniservitate is an international network supported by the Porticus Foundation and coordinated by the Latin American Center for Service-Learning (CLAYSS) in Argentina. The award is presented within the Uniservitate hub for the Central and Eastern Europe and Middle East region. The "Global Award" recognizes outstanding service learning projects; the prize money of 5000 euros is to be used for the further development of the award-winning project or comparable projects.
Prof. Dr. Simone Birkel
Uniservitate honors further best-practice examples: A "Special Mention" was awarded to the project "Awareness: Pastoral Care in the Context of Festivals and Events" by Professor Simone Birkel, who teaches at the KU School of Transformation and Sustainability. In spring, Birkel offered pastoral care at the Eichstätt festival "Open-Air am Berg" for the second time with students of Religious Education and in cooperation with the Diocese of Eichstätt and the Malteser Hilfsdienst. The students acted as contact persons on the festival site to ensure greater safety and well-being for visitors. The pastoral care team became a point of contact for problems of all kinds: for difficult emotional situations, to talk things through, or simply to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the festival. This service learning project was also intended not only to benefit festival visitors, but also to promote the students' skills.
Uniservitate also honors two other projects with an award: Students at the Catholic University of Lublin in Poland addressed the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. They collected samples from public playgrounds in the city of Lublin, analyzed them using microbiological methods and identified pathogenic bacterial strains. They examined these experimentally with regard to antibiotic resistance. An online platform was set up specifically to inform the public about the results. A special prize was awarded to Bethlehem University, where several initiatives were carried out at the Department of English and Communication and the Faculty of Midwifery Sciences. Students are committed to digitalization and healthcare in municipalities. One measure, for example, aimed to give visually impaired people in Bethlehem access to digital tools.
The applications for the Uniservitate Global Award went through a multi-stage selection process: In a first step, internationally renowned experts identified the best projects. These were then presented to a six-member jury, who decided whether they were worthy of the award. The Global Award will be presented at a Uniservitate symposium in Rome at the beginning of November. The invitation to the award winners also includes an audience with Pope Francis.
Initiatives in the area of service learning have been promoted at the KU for several years. More information on this and the Uniservitate project at
![[Translate to Englisch:] Kristina Löblein](/fileadmin/_processed_/f/8/csm_Kristina_Loeblein_Christian_Klenk_96630aecd0.webp)
