News

Save the date: PINA colloquium with Prof. Dr. Karsten Krauskopf on April 15, 2026 at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam!

We invite you to our PINA colloquium on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm (CET) with Karsten Krauskopf. This colloquium will take place in room 108 in house 3 of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (Kiepenheuerallee 5, 14469 Potsdam). At the same time, the colloquium will be broadcast in a hybrid format via Zoom – the access details can be found below. You are all invited to join us!

Prof. Dr. Karsten Krauskopf (Psychology in Social Work, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam):

Identifying participation slots: Script structures of sleep and care situations in early childcare

Based on initial sequence-analytical observations of videotaped interactions in sleep and caregiving situations with young children, this presentation will introduce a conceptual proposal for the further development of the analysis of participation-oriented interaction design. At the core is the idea of viewing communicative processes as structured by mental scripts or action schemas—an approach that draws inspiration from cognitive psychological script and schema theory as well as from teaching and learning research (e.g., on instructional scripts and opportunities for participation).

This perspective is used heuristically to examine interaction sequences to determine the extent to which they generate specific “slots”—that is, potential points for follow-up communication, co-creation, and participation by young children. Particularly in sleep and care situations, which are often characterized by routine procedures, the question arises as to what extent such situations can nevertheless be designed to be participation-oriented. Initial analyses suggest that, depending on the structure and degree of automation of such scripts, different conditions for participation-oriented design can be reconstructed: While some interaction patterns provide open slots that enable participation, others seem to limit it.

This presentation is explicitly intended as a conceptual framework for discussing the extent to which a script-theory-informed perspective can open up new approaches to the analysis and further development of professional relationship-building in these specific situations. In particular, it examines how connections between implicit professional knowledge, routine practices, and the structuring of opportunities for young children’s participation can be reconstructed, and what insights can be derived from this for processes of professionalization.

Zoom access details:
https://uni-potsdam.zoom-x.de/j/61082332040

Meeting-ID: 610 8233 2040
Kenncode: 36679012

The colloquium will be held in German.

Recording of PINA session with Chi-Chuan Chen

January 18, 2026 

The recording of the PINA lecture from January 14, 2026 („The emergence of exact equality understanding“ by Chi-Chuan Chen) can be watched until April 30, 2026 by clicking the following link:

https://boxup.uni-potsdam.de/s/g2RWNpNikqeRy72
Password: PINAKolloquium140126

Dates PINA colloquia 2025/26

April 7, 2025 

The PINA team cordially invites you to its lecture series 2025/26. The colloquia will take place online via Zoom from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (CET). If you are interested, please ask our project coordinator, Marie-Therese Kuge, via the email-adress pina(at)fh-potsdam.de for the access link.

30.04.2025
Immer noch auf der Suche nach Bildungsgerechtigkeit: Aktuelle Herausforderungen und Zukunftsperspektiven /
Still in Search of Educational Equality: Current Challenges and Future Prospects
Prof. Dr. Nadine Spörer (Universität Potsdam)

21.05.2025
Children’s metaphor comprehension: what develops?
Dr. Nausicaa Pouscoulous (University College London)

11.06.2025
Antisemitismus im Kontext von Kindertagesstätten und Grundschulen / Anti-Semitism in the context of daycare centers and elementary schools
Prof. Dr. Friederike Lorenz-Sinai (Fachhochschule Potsdam)

09.07.2025
Co-Creating a Passion for Learning in Early Years and Beyond
Dr. Katie Westwood & Dr. Sam Frankel (University of Dundee & charity-organization „Learning Allowed“)

22.10.2025
Die kinderpsychiatrische Klinik in der Villa Adlon – Einblicke in eine wechselvolle Geschichte des medizinischen Versorgungssystems der DDR. / The paediatric psychiatric clinic in the Villa Adlon – Insights into the chequered history of the GDR’s medical care system
Prof. Dr. Alexandra Schmidt-Wenzel (Fachhochschule Potsdam)

12.11.2025
Learning to think about oneself: From quasi-predicates to spatially grounded ‘I’-thoughts
Prof. Dr. Kristina Musholt (Universität Leipzig)

10.12.2025
Ist der Mensch das einzig rationale Tier? Eine Spurensuche bei Kindern und Schimpansen / Are humans the only rational animals? A search for clues in children and chimpanzees
Dr. Hanna Schleihauf (Utrecht University)

14.01.2026    
The emergence of exact equality understanding
Chi-Chuan Chen (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

Publication of the website bildungsplan-brandenburg.de: Free training courses and materials on the Bildungsplan

February 20, 2025

The website bildungsplan-brandenburg.de provides free materials and offers a wide range of free training courses on the “Bildungsplan – Erweiterte Grundsätze elementarer Bildung in Kindertageseinrichtungen im Land Brandenburg”. You can register, manage your own profile and sign up for various free face-to-face or online training courses on the Bildungsplan.

Brandenburg’s education plan comes into force

August 2, 2024 

With the publication of the new education plan “The extended principles of elementary education” by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MBJS), Brandenburg is sending a strong signal in favour of child-oriented and scientifically based early childhood education. The education plan was developed under the scientific direction of Prof. Dr Frauke Hildebrandt, professor at the Department of Social and Educational Sciences at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences, and finalised after an intensive consultation process with daycare stakeholders in Brandenburg.

Further information on the new education plan for Brandenburg can be found at: Kita-Bildungsplan | Ministerium für Bildung, Jugend und Sport (MBJS) – Fachportal (brandenburg.de)

You can find the complete education plan here: Bildungsplan – Erweiterte Grundsätze elementarer Bildung in Einrichtungen der Kindertagesbetreuung im Land Brandenburg.

Participate in the study: “Social Gestures” – The importance of tact gestures for social preference and learning in infancy and early childhood in France and Germany

This study is currently being carried out in our working group for the DFG research project SocialGestures. We are currently looking for children between the ages of 4 and 6. The child does not have to speak German as a native language, but should be able to understand German. The study takes about 30 minutes for the child, including breaks, and takes place in the PINA laboratory. Afterwards there is a small gift as a thank you.

We are also looking for adults as participants (native German speakers between the ages of 18 and 30; teachers, educators, actors, people with dyspraxia and dyslexia are excluded).

If you are interested, please contact Stephan Engler via stephan.engler@fh-potsdam.de, who will then send you the study information and arrange individual appointments. We would be very grateful for your support!

Publication EDIT-Team and wamiki: Training series in Prezi-format
Save the Date: Scientific conference “Ensuring children’s rights in daycare centers” on 19.10.2023

July 10, 2023

Scientific conference on 19.10.2023 at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam in cooperation with the Institute for Further Education, Research and Development (IFFE e.V.) and the German League for the Child

Today, more and more young children spend a lot of time in day care centers: The proportion of two-year-olds has doubled in the last 15 years, and the proportion of one-year-olds has even tripled. Children do not have to meet any linguistic, cognitive, or other prerequisites for their rights to promotion, participation, and protection to be guaranteed in day care. It is the responsibility of pedagogical actors to respect children’s rights, to adapt to children’s developmental needs and to ensure their well-being.

At the conference, findings from empirical research on the design of everyday situations in daycare centers will be compiled. In the light of children’s rights, pedagogical action will be analyzed and discussed in the context of findings on attachment and relationship: What is imperative to design everyday situations in a child-friendly way? In which situations and under which conditions do impairments of the child’s well-being occur? How can they be avoided in daycare centers and how can daycare centers be supported in this?
We cordially invite you to discuss these important questions.

Among the participating scientists are Prof. Dr. Lieselotte Ahnert, Prof. Dr. Fabienne Becker-Stoll, Prof. Dr. Astrid Boll, Prof. Dr. Dorothee Gutknecht, Prof. Dr. Frauke Hildebrandt, Prof. Dr. Karsten Krauskopf, Prof. Dr. Jörg Maywald, Prof. Dr. Iris Nentwig-Gesemann, Bianka Pergande, Prof. Dr. Regina Remsperger-Kehm, Prof. Dr. Susanne Viernickel, Prof. Dr. Catherine Walter-Laager, Prof. Dr. Dörte Weltzien.

Please register via our registration form on the homepage: https://www.familienzentrum-potsdam.de/tagung-kinderrechte-in-krippen-gewaehrleisten/anmeldung.html.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via our e-mail: kinderrechte-krippe@fh-potsdam.de.

Flyer

Publication on the symposium “10 Years of Researchers’ World Blossin”: Thinking with Children – Designing Stimulating Interactions

January 30, 2023

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the “Forscherwelt Blossin”, a place in the state of Brandenburg where practice, teaching and research are combined in an exemplary way, a symposium on the topic “Thinking with children – designing stimulating interactions” took place at the end of September 2022. Prof. Dr. Kristina Musholt and Prof. Dr. Gerd Schäfer gave introductory lectures and then participated in a discussion round chaired by Prof. Dr. Frauke Hildebrandt. The transcript of the lectures and the discussion can be found here.

PINA supports the call “Day care centres must protect children’s rights!”

December 22, 2022

In recent days, several reports on the subject of misconduct and violence in day-care centres have been in the media. Daycare centres are good for children if the daycare centres are good. Unfortunately, however, borderline violations are also part of children’s everyday daycare life. We stand in solidarity with the children. We feel obliged to seize the moment of public attention. We stand up for the protection of children’s rights. At the same time, it is our concern to strengthen daycare centres and educational professionals.

To read the full appeal, download the PDF here.

On openPetition you can sign the call and forward it to friends.

Current reporting includes the following links:

  1. BR24 article 14/12/2022: Gewalt in Kitas: Zahl der Meldungen steigt stark an | BR24
  2. tagesschau.de article 14/12/2022: Umfrage bei Aufsichtsbehörden: Mehr Verdachtsfälle auf Gewalt in Kitas |
  3. Spiegel‑online article vom 14/12/20222: Verdacht auf Gewalt in Kitas: Alleingelassen, bloßgestellt, zum Essen gezwungen – DER SPIEGEL
  4. Drawn video on social media: https://www.facebook.com/BR24/videos/1205094673549770
  5. BR24 article 15/12/2022: Nach Kita-Recherchen: Emotionale Debatte im bayerischen Landtag | BR24
  6. Interview Spiegel Online 20/12/2022: Probleme in Kitas: »Gewaltfreie Erziehung ist ein unerreichbares Ideal«, sagt Forscher Jörg Maywald – DER SPIEGEL
  7. BR article 20/12/2022: Nach Kita-Recherchen: Bundesweiter Appell für Kinderschutz | BR24
  8. Welt article 22/01/2023 Gewalt in Kitas: Wenn Erzieher die Rechte der Kinder verletzen – WELT
  9. Report on violence in day care centers WDR broadcast “Markt” 25/01/2023 Markt vom 25.01.2023 WDR
  10. Report on child welfare in daycare centers and interview with Katrin Macha in the RBB evening program Brandenburg Aktuell Kindeswohl in Kitas – Jugendministerin Ernst verspricht Verbesserung | rbb (rbb-online.de)
  11. Article on child welfare risks in daycare centers and nurseries “Man muss sich klar machen, dass es einem selbst auch passieren kann” | rbb24