August 2026
Get a taste of what it’s like, share ideas, and learn from one another
What happens when principals and educators open the doors to their preschools and schools and show exactly how learning works there? When people don’t just talk about new educational approaches, but experience them where they’re already part of everyday life? That’s exactly what“reinschnuppern & austauschen”is all about. Together with Schule im Aufbruch and the Vienna University of Teacher Education (PH Wien), we invited people to explore innovative learning spaces in Vienna, gain insights into their practices, and engage in conversation with one another.
During the past school year, from fall 2025 to spring 2026, we visited eight learning venues (kindergartens and schools) in Vienna together. In the fall of 2026, “reinschnuppern & austauschen” will enter its next phase, featuring eight additional learning venues and offering many new insights and opportunities to discover new approaches and perspectives.
Experience best practices right where they happen
At many kindergartens and schools in Vienna, education is already being conceived and practiced differently. Educators are experimenting with new teaching and learning methods, creating special learning spaces, developing new forms of collaboration, or finding their own unique solutions to the challenges of their daily work. Much of this, however, remains confined to their own institutions. Yet it is precisely these experiences that hold a wealth of knowledge from which others can also benefit. With “reinschnuppern & austauschen,” we aim to make this knowledge visible and accessible. That’s why the visits don’t take place in conference rooms, but directly where learning happens: in preschools, classrooms, learning spaces, and schools.
Over the past school year, numerous educators, school administrators, and educational designers had the opportunity to see how educational concepts work in practice. They were able to observe, ask questions, discuss, and exchange ideas with those who put these approaches into practice every day.
Eight Learning Environments, Many Perspectives on Education
From self-directed learning to inclusion and new learning spaces, all the way to school and staff development: Our visits have shown just how diverse innovation can be in preschools and schools.
It all began in October 2025 with the TGM Vienna kicked things off in October 2025 with its “learning office.” There, young people design their own learning paths, decide what to work on and at what pace, and are guided by coaches who provide feedback and support their reflection.
In November, the Friedrichsplatz Elementary School and the Learning Community 15 —two schools that offer insights into inclusion in action. In multi-grade classrooms, children of different ages learn together, take on responsibility, and discover their individual strengths. Open and project-based learning methods create space for diverse learning paths.
At the Löwenschule Aspern , we saw how learning can emerge from children’s curiosity. In the research workshop, students conduct their own experiments and make their own discoveries, while educators guide and support them. Individual learning paces, freely chosen learning locations, as well as dialogue and mutual respect shape everyday school life.
The Business Academy Donaustadt. Through its “HAK Innovativ” and “HAK Experience” programs, it focuses on, among other things, flexible learning spaces, collaborative and experiential learning, digital elements, and greater student autonomy.
At the UNESCO Middle School on Georg-Wilhelm-Pabst-Gasse , another key topic took center stage: diversity as an integral part of everyday school life. It was particularly fascinating to explore how collaboration between the school, students, and parents can be structured and what role relationships play in fostering a thriving school community.
In March, the “Get a Taste & Exchange Ideas” program took us to a preschool for the first time. The Maria-Rekker-Gasse Preschool run by Kinderfreunde Wien is a scientifically supported flagship project for inclusive early childhood education. Open access for all children, comprehensive support for families, and a multidisciplinary team demonstrate how inclusion can be consistently practiced and further developed collaboratively in a preschool.
Also in March, we visited the Anton-Krieger-Gasse; the Culture Days, in particular, demonstrate how students take on responsibility and showcase their interests and skills: They organize the event themselves and present their work through experiments, exhibitions, stage performances, and digital projects.
The first year of the “Reinschnuppern & Austauschen” program concluded with the Aspern Modular Middle School, which was awarded the State Prize for Innovative Schools in 2023. This time, the focus was deliberately behind the scenes: on organizational and staff development. From a multi-stage onboarding process and the Teacher Academy to clear responsibilities, employee reviews, and annual work agreements, it became clear how school development can be structurally embedded throughout the entire team.
What We’ve Learned from Eight Visits
It quickly became clear during our eight visits that there is no single “right” way to design a preschool or school. As diverse as the learning environments and their approaches were, one theme ran through all of our visits: innovation in education has many faces. It manifests itself in spaces that enable independent learning. In educators who guide rather than dictate. In mixed-age and inclusive learning. In students who take responsibility for their own learning process. But also in structures and an organizational culture that support educators in jointly developing schools and preschools.
It is precisely this diversity that we want to highlight with “Get a Taste & Exchange Ideas.” Not with the aim of presenting ready-made solutions that can be applied one-to-one, but by opening the doors to places of learning, asking questions, and discovering together: What works here, and what aspects of it can inspire us in our own practice?
Experience, ask questions, and think further
The visits therefore combine three elements: getting a taste of things, exchanging ideas, and thinking ahead. The goal is to highlight educational examples and successful teaching and learning methods. At the same time, the visits create space for exchange and mutual learning. Together, we examine which factors contribute to the success of new approaches, what conditions they require, and what lessons can be drawn from them for other learning environments. Good ideas must not—and should not—stop at the door of a preschool or school.
For everyone who shapes education
“Get a Taste & Share Ideas” is aimed at anyone who is or will be active in the field of education—whether in preschool, school, or beyond. These visits offer the opportunity to learn about educational innovations that are already being put into practice. Participants can meet people who shape education every day, ask questions, share their own experiences, and take away inspiration for their work. Not every idea has to be a good fit for one’s own learning environment. Sometimes it’s a pedagogical approach that sticks with you. Sometimes it’s a spatial concept. Sometimes it’s a small change in daily life. And sometimes it’s simply a conversation with colleagues that opens up a new perspective or shows me which innovative approaches I’m already putting into practice in my daily work.
We’ll continue in the fall
After eight visits during the past school year, we’re “Get a Taste & Exchange Ideas” in collaboration with Schule im Aufbruch and the Vienna University of Education (PH Wien). From fall 2026 through spring 2027, eight Viennese kindergartens and schools will once again open their doors and offer insights into their work. This continues the journey of discovery through Vienna’s educational landscape, featuring new learning environments, diverse pedagogical approaches, and—above all—plenty of opportunity to learn from one another.
After all, many good ideas already exist. Sometimes you just have to open the right door to discover them.
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