“Exploring Self-Determined Learning: The Film ‘Bildungsgang’ and the Debate for Educational Diversity”

What does education actually mean for those it is intended to reach? What would happen if young people took their education into their own hands, without a teacher and a school building?

In the film “Bildungsgang” by Simon Hoffmann, a group of young people explores this question. She discovers that self-determined learning not only motivates her. Rather, according to her thesis, that at the end of their course of study they will take more knowledge and skills with them into life than with a conventional school education.

For “more diversity” in schools

Eva Wiethaler, Julia Sehring and Sarah Mattes have already seen the film. You don’t necessarily agree with everything the film shows. Nevertheless, they campaigned for it to be shown in the cinema in Überlingen because they “would like to work for more diversity in our educational landscape”.

The three women speak from different perspectives. Eva Wiethaler from her role as a mother. Sarah Mattes is a secondary school teacher. And her sister Julia Sehring, also a teacher, comes from a community school and is currently working at the commercial high school in Überlingen. “We are united by the desire to initiate an open educational debate in a positive sense. What do we want for our children in the future?” Eva Wiethaler and Julia Sehring are also currently planning to found their own school called “Freie Schule AKVO”.

Director at the preview

Before the film is shown in the Überlingen cinema, director Simon Hoffmann comes to the preview followed by a discussion. It begins on Thursday, April 6, at 6 p.m. at Cinegreth. Protagonists from the film are also there and are available for a discussion afterwards.

Questions to the Ministry of Education

What are the guiding principles for school development in Baden-Württemberg?“Learning success and the development of skills of the students are at the center of all school and lesson development,” replied the press office of the Ministry of Education. The systematic quality development of schools in the state is one of the core issues of current education policy. “The aim is to ensure targeted quality development in schools on the basis of scientific findings and reliable data in order to better support the educational success of young people in our country and to increase the quality of schools and teaching.”Are there forms of self-determined learning?“Teachers design the lessons and can enable self-determined learning in different ways and in different contexts,” the ministry’s press office responded to a SÜDKURIER request. Depending on the subject of the lesson, the learning content could be freely selected by the students, individual goals could be set and learning paths followed. A successful example of self-determined learning is the project work in class 9. There is also cooperation with partners outside of school. “At the same time, however, schools have to implement the educational mandate anchored in the state constitution, which is specified in the school law, and to implement the competencies and content anchored in the education plan in a binding manner.”How changeable is school in Baden-Württemberg?The Ministry of Education: “Schools must always react to social changes.” The pandemic also showed how changeable schools and lessons are, when they had to switch to distance learning and alternating learning. Also in the field of digitization and media education, it is the “task of schools to always reflect the latest developments in the classroom in a way that promotes learning”. Due to the competency orientation of the training plan 2016, the number of concrete content specifications is limited. At the same time, key perspectives such as education for tolerance and acceptance of diversity were anchored. This would have given the schools greater freedom in the choice of topics and subjects to be taught. “Thus, for example, topics can also be dealt with in depth or more extensively in class on the basis of current events.”Are unattainable utopias shown in the film?“Basically, it should be noted that intrinsic motivation and experiences of self-efficacy are prerequisites for learning success and the development of skills,” said the Ministry of Education in its response. The schools have a quarter of the teaching time to design their own curriculum. “During this time, for example, projects in the sense of the film ‘Bildungsgang’ can be implemented independently.”

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