New publication: What teacher training can learn from pilot training

The learning and educational opportunities available to children and young people depend to a large extent on the teachers who teach them. That is why high-quality teacher training is crucial. Yet this is precisely where the problem lies: it is not always possible to prepare trainee teachers effectively for the demands of the profession. Many graduates feel inadequately prepared when they start their careers – and quite a few leave the profession after only a short time. The new cross-disciplinary analysis by Benjamin Dreer-Göthe and Suzanne Kearns therefore proposes an unusual shift in perspective: Rather than looking for solutions exclusively within educational science, they believe it is worth turning to High-Reliability Organisations (HROs) – that is, organisations that function reliably even under complex and safety-critical conditions. Using pilot training as an example, the two authors demonstrate which principles of high-reliability training systems can provide inspiration for teacher training. They have identified five such principles:

1. Attracting the right people to the teaching profession
Just like teachers, pilots must be able to meet certain physical and psychological demands of their profession on a long-term basis. The selection of trainee teachers should therefore take into account their suitability for the profession.

2. Demonstrating competence before progressing to the next stage of training
A pilot does not fly a passenger aircraft simply because they have completed a sufficient number of training hours. The next stage of training only follows once competence has been demonstrated. This principle could also strengthen teacher training.

3. Build up practical experience systematically
Nobody learns to fly with passengers on board right from the start. Routine tasks, as well as difficult and rare situations, are simulated repeatedly beforehand and practised in a progressive manner. Teachers, too, should practise complex teaching situations step by step – supported by structured simulations and guided practical experience.

4. Training to deal with uncertainty
Pilots are not only prepared for standard procedures, but also repeatedly practise rare and critical situations in the simulator. Trainee teachers, too, should be systematically prepared to act quickly in complex and unpredictable situations, to mobilise available resources and to draw on the expertise of others in a targeted manner.

5. Feedback more frequently than examinations
For pilots, examinations and feedback fulfil different functions: examinations serve to demonstrate competence and determine the next stage of training. Feedback serves the purpose of continuous competence development. This principle could also play a greater role in teacher training.

The two authors’ argument is not to replicate pilot training, which differs fundamentally from teacher training in many respects. Rather, their aim is to learn from tried-and-tested principles and thereby open up new avenues for teacher training.

The full study is available as open access at: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1847671/full.