Racism is both a social and an educational problem (Bhopal, 2011; UNESCO, 2023). It is a system of social power relations that has developed historically and that reproduces social inequalities and legitimises exclusion (Miles, 1992). This article addresses the question of how reflective skills can be systematically promoted among students training to become primary school teachers in order to enable them to deal professionally with racism in a school context. The theoretical framework is formed by the combination of primary school research, racism research and professional research, in particular reflective research. The starting point is the empirically proven fact that in Germany racism is a reality in schools (Gomolla & Radtke, 2009; Leiprecht & Steinbach, 2015) and manifests itself in structural, institutional and interactional forms, including in primary schools (Nguyen, 2013; Robert et al., 2022). Racism therefore represents a challenge for primary school education that prospective teachers must address professionally. As 'schools of diversity and commonality' (cf. Schorch, 2007), primary schools have the task of preventing discrimination by valuing the individual learning requirements of all children and promoting their developmental potential. This involves reflecting on experiences of implicit and explicit discrimination, overcoming segregation, and establishing equality (cf. Lange & Pohlmann-Rother, 2025).

The complexity of society and the presence of racist discrimination in everyday school life require teachers to have specific professional skills in order to be able to respond appropriately (Scheunpflug, 2021; Taube 2022). Various studies indicate that dealing with racism professionally is not only necessary, but also a central component of professional competence in teacher training (Massumi & Fereidooni 2017; Weis, 2017).

The University of Würzburg is responding to this gap in primary school teacher training programmes with a seminar concept that focuses on reflection as a key professional skill for dealing with racism in primary schools. The aim of the presentation is to introduce the seminar concept and present the initial results of the seminar evaluation. The concept aims to specifically initiate and further develop students' reflective skills. Reflective skills are a key resource, as dealing with racism professionally is not based solely on acquiring knowledge, but in particular on the ability to critically reflect on oneself and others (Ohm & Fashtomi, 2024). Sensitivity to racism is a fundamental prerequisite for successful educational relationships and for building an inclusive school culture (Reich, 2020).

The systematisation of reflective skills according to Franken and Preisfeld (2019) forms the theoretical basis for the seminar concept. This differentiates reflective competence along two dimensions: breadth of reflection and depth of reflection. The breadth of reflection encompasses the scope of knowledge areas that are included in the reflection. The seminar addresses specialist knowledge on racism, subject-specific didactic knowledge on designing discrimination-sensitive teaching situations, and pedagogical knowledge on dealing with racist interactions in the classroom. The depth of reflection describes the complexity of reflective engagement and ranges from factual description to action-oriented reasoning and analytical reflection to critical discourse. The seminar creates learning opportunities that encourage students to move from the descriptive level to an analytical and critical-discursive discussion. They are enabled to compare options for action, reflect on their consequences and embed them in social, historical and normative contexts. In summary, the article shows how the combination of theoretical foundations and didactic implementation can contribute to initiating and promoting critical reflection skills on racism. The results of the evaluation provide initial indications of the extent to which the seminar concept stimulates students' reflection processes and contributes to professionalisation in dealing with racism in primary schools.

The seminar concept is based on a methodological and didactic design that aims to systematically initiate and deepen reflection processes at various levels. The starting point is the assumption that anti-racist professionalisation does not occur solely through the transfer of knowledge, but through the targeted linking of cognitive, emotional and action-oriented learning processes. The methodological design is therefore oriented towards the dimensions of breadth and depth of reflection (Franken & Preisfeld, 2019) and opens up structured learning opportunities that enable an expansion of the thematic frame of reference and an increasing complexity of reflection. In keynote speeches and theory-based input phases, fundamental concepts of racism research (specialist knowledge), the importance of racism-sensitive lesson planning (subject-specific didactic knowledge) and pedagogical options for dealing with racist interactions (pedagogical knowledge) are taught. Students then work on these aspects of knowledge in cooperative learning formats, enabling multi-perspective approaches to racism in everyday school life. Case studies using authentic examples from the primary school context are central to initiating in-depth reflection processes. These situations reveal racist attributions, experiences of discrimination and structural exclusion. The methodical use of case vignettes initially supports a factual description and action-related reasoning (reflection levels 1 and 2). In discussion phases, alternative courses of action are then developed and weighed up in terms of their educational consequences, thereby promoting analytical reflection (reflection level 3). In order to encourage students to critically examine social, historical and power-structural conditions, biographical reflection tasks, methods for changing perspectives and structured debate formats are also used. These enable students to question individual patterns of perception and interpretation and to reflect on their own position in the context of anti-racist education. Collective reflection in plenary sessions supports the achievement of the highest level of reflection, critical discourse (level 4), by making different perspectives visible and systematically relating them to one another. This graded methodological structure not only initiates reflection processes, but also anchors them in a sustainable manner. The seminar thus creates a space in which students are introduced to anti-racist professionalism in a theory-based, experience-oriented and practical manner.

In summary, it is clear that the exercise ‘Encouraging self-reflection’ makes a key contribution to raising students' awareness of the significance of names as social markers and their potentially discriminatory potential. Names not only function as individual identifiers, but are also embedded in social attributions of meaning. These reflect affiliations, positions and power relations. The exercise illustrates in a special way how processes of ‘doing difference’ (Walgenbach, 2017) and forms of ‘othering’ (Melter & Mecheril 2011; Eggers [Auma], 2005) can work in everyday educational practice. Questions about origin, supposed cultural affiliation or ‘correct’ names often create subtle markers that question belonging and create difference in the first place. This reproduces social boundaries that often result in implicit unequal treatment. The added value of the exercise lies in the fact that students can develop perspectives on privilege, attributions and structural discrimination based on their own experiences. By linking personal experiences with theoretical concepts, they develop a reflective approach that embeds individual perceptions in larger social and institutional contexts. This creates an awareness of everyday mechanisms of difference production and the role of educational professionals. It is particularly important that the exercise offers affected students a safe space to articulate their experiences with racist attributions. This enables recognition and visibility, while the other students broaden their understanding of the powerful impact of institutional and structural racism. The shared exchange promotes understanding of how discrimination is not only experienced individually, but also reproduced through school routines, expectations and interactions. Overall, it is clear that the exercise makes a valuable contribution to the development of reflective, racism-sensitive skills. It empowers trainee teachers to recognise mechanisms of differentiation, question them critically and develop relevant courses of action for their teaching practice.

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