PHST UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION STYRIA

The University College of Teacher Education Styria (PHSt) is the second largest public education and research institution for the professionalization of educators and the support of quality assurance in the Austrian education system. The educational offer of PHSt is inscribed in the continuum of professionalization from the Initial Teacher Education studies to the career entry and Continuing Professional Development. The core areas are teaching, research and counselling, and the contents include the subject sciences, educational sciences and didactics of all subjects and departments that are taught at Austrian schools or are essential for kindergartens. 

In Initial Teacher Education, the PHSt offers teacher training studies with Bachelor's and Master's degrees for Primary, Secondary Teacher Education and Secondary Vocational Teacher Education, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and university courses of studies for other educational professions. The Continuing Professional Development offer is aimed at individual teachers, professional learning communities at schools and in networks as well as at entire schools or kindergartens. It deals with current topics, is evidence-based and focuses on supporting personal, teaching and organizational development.  The PHSt carry out educational research related to the professional fields that is based on academic freedom and scientific standards and is subject to international performance comparisons. 

The University College of Teacher Education Styria enjoys high recognition. In the conviction that education requires a cosmopolitan attitude, the PHSt enter into regional, national and international cooperation in teaching as well as in research and development.

The goal of PHSt is the education of competent and scientifically reflective practitioners who react to the challenges of their professional field in a solution-oriented manner. Therefore, combines the PHSt theory with practice. The University College of Teacher Education Styria houses two training schools on its campus and also cooperates with over 350 training schools of all types. All university college lecturers possess theoretical and practical knowledge as well as competence in the professional field. They carry out research, bring it into connection with practice and ensure a balance between scientific foundation and practice orientation in their teaching.

Staff:
Silvia Kopp-Sixt, BEd MA 
Lecturer, Researcher and Study Programme Coordinator for Further Education and Masters studies in the Institute of Professionalisation in Early Childhood and Primary Teacher Education as well as Coordinator for Practical Education in Special Needs Education, Inclusive Education and Mentoring in the Institute of Practical Education and Research, is enrolled in various university related projects as well as national and international research cooperations focusing the professionalisation of student teachers, newly qualified teachers and more experienced teachers on-the-job, team-teaching in inclusive settings and mentoring. She is the representative of the Emerging Researchers Network of the Internationale Gesellschaft für Schulpraktische Professionalisierung (IGSP, Switzerland), and member of the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Forschung und Entwicklung im Bildungswesen (ÖFEB, Austria) and associated member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Erziehungswissenschaft (DGfE, Germany).

Mag. Katerina Todorova
Works as a research assistant at the Research Center for Inclusive Education (FZIB) in Graz, which is a cooperation between three higher educational institutions in Styria, Austria - the University of Graz (Uni Graz), the University College of Teacher Education Styria (PHSt) and the Private University College of Teacher Education (PPH Augustinum). Her research interests are: children with developmental difficulties, early intervention services, inclusion of children with developmental difficulties into the mainstream education, ICF and its ability-based approach etc. She has been involved and has experience in different EU projects Erasmus+ program related to her professional interests.