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Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology
Studierende sitzt am Arbeitsplatz und schaut auf den Laptop. © Aliona Kardash​/​TU Dortmund

Successful 8th IFS-Education Dialogue

Gruppenbild mit allen Referentinnen und Referenten des 8. IFS-Bildungsdialogs © IFS​/​TU Dortmund
The topic was "Language Support in Early Education – Pathways to Effective Implementation in Early Childhood and Primary Education".

On September 17, 2026, representatives from educational policy, administration, practice and research gathered at the 8th IFS-Education Dialogue to discuss "Language Support in Early Education – Pathways to Effective Implementation in Early Childhood and Primary Education". The event was opened by Professor Dr. Nele McElvany, Managing Director of the IFS. In her keynote lecture, "The Importance of Language Support for Reducing Educational Inequality", Professor Dr. Nele McElvany introduced the conference topic.

The first focus topic, "Elemantary Education", addressed various approaches to the effective implementation of language education and support in early childhood settings. Professor Dr. Gisela Kammermeyer from RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau spoke on "Language promotion in elementary education". Professor Dr. Yvonne Anders from DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education provided insights into "Language assessment in daycare centres: the „SteBas“ project". In her presentation "Consistent language support during the transition from pre-school to primary school: the ‘Pre-school Plus’ model", Milena Minic from Kirchdorf Primary School in Hamburg presented a practical example of how to shape the transition from early childhood to primary education.

The second focus topic, "Primary Education", centered on systematic and digital language support in primary schools. PD Dr. Annika Ohle-Peters from the IFS presented the project "Systematic language support in first grade: the „SPEAK“ project" (SPEAK), which focuses on systematic language support in Grade 1. Leonie Dargiewicz and Svenja Wehrhöfer from the IFS presented findings on the effectiveness of the digital language support program SPEAK, focusing on vocabulary and grammar.

Spotlights from research and practice then provided insights into project findings, experiences, materials and future developments. The presentations were accompanied by engaging plenary discussions. The event concluded with a panel discussion focusing on the opportunities and challenges of effective language support in early education. In addition to the speakers, the panel included Professor Fani Lauermann, PhD from the University of Bonn and Martin Gerste, Head of KGS Barbara-Schule Duisburg.

We thank the BMBFSFJ for its financial support and all speakers and participants for the stimulating exchange and the many valuable insights!