{"id":5228,"date":"2025-03-13T14:07:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T14:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/erasmustrainingcourses.com\/how-can-we-promote-and-celebrate-cultural-diversity-in-the-classroom-2.html"},"modified":"2026-10-04T14:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-04T14:54:00","slug":"how-can-we-promote-and-celebrate-cultural-diversity-in-the-classroom-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erasmustrainingcourses.com\/es\/blog\/how-can-we-promote-and-celebrate-cultural-diversity-in-the-classroom-2","title":{"rendered":"How can we promote and celebrate cultural diversity in the classroom in Bologna"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\u200bNowadays, schools and educational programs are welcoming a wide variety of people whose socio-cultural backgrounds are very diverse. To help students adjusting to a new cultural environment, on the one hand, and to model critical and open minds valuing and celebrating diversity rather than rejecting it, on the other, is one of the biggest challenges for teachers. \u00a0\n<\/div>\n
\nHow can we promote and celebrate cultural diversity in the classroom, transforming a multicultural classroom into a classroom that is inclusive of all diversities?<\/font><\/strong>\n<\/div>\n
\nTo answer this question, 10 teachers coming from Spain, Germany, Croatia, Norway and Austria met from 14\/11\/2021 to 20\/11\/2021 to take part in the course \u201cIntercultural learning and cultural diversity in the classroom\u201d. They all shared a mutual need and desire to improve their intercultural skills and to enrich their toolbox to shape an inclusive classroom.\n<\/div>\n
\n\u200bThe course started with acknowledging the importance of reflecting on the meaning of words. The participant altogether tried to build an understanding of what \u201cintercultural learning\u201d means to them and explored the differences between \u201cmulticultural\u201d, \u201ccross-cultural\u201d and \u201cintercultural\u201d to become more attentive in describing an interpreting the interaction of different cultures.\n<\/div>\n
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\nWe explored the link between culture and education<\/strong>, and the need to take into account how culture influences the way we approach teaching and the way student interpret their expected behaviors in the class. The model served as an eye-opener on the mismatch between teacher and students expectations. When we isolate specific cases of other-culture students, the model can help identifying possible cultural patterns in the learning process<\/strong>\u00a0we need to pay attention to.\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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\n\u200bThe course went on discussing the role of teachers and education in supporting students\u2019 identity.<\/strong> Together we acknowledge that encouraging students to develop a sense of who they are at individual and group levels is the first step towards increasing awareness, respect and openness to diversity.<\/p>\n

\u200bThrough inspiring metaphors and visual tasks<\/strong> the group practiced first hand multiple perspectives and ways to talk about ourselves.\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\nParticipants engaged then in practical activities and reflection exercises to build a stronger understanding of the vicious cycle of stereotypes<\/strong>. It was a chance for them to \u00a0reflect on real cases they experience at school every day, whereby the reiteration of stereotypes leads to prejudices and discrimination generating a vicious cycle that strengthens the stereotype itself. As put in a inspiration TED Talk we saw – \u201cShow a people as one thing \u2014 as only one thing \u2014 over and over again, and that is what they become.<\/em><\/strong>\n<\/div>\n
\nIn the last thematic area of reflection, participants reflected on the importance to foster respect, awareness, emapthy and membership in their classes as desired outcomes of a inclusive classroom. To do so the group engaged in challenging and engaging simulations activities<\/strong>. We learned, while having fun, that behind the ambuguity and misunderstanding that may arise in cross-cultural communication, we can find the key to ackowledge the complexity of \u201cintercultural communication\u201d<\/strong>. The activities can be proposed in the class to make students questioning assumptions<\/strong> about what they consider to be \u201cthe norm\u201d, while embracing the willingness to find connections<\/strong> and common grounds of understanding and respect among different cultures.\n<\/div>\n
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\nAnother round of group activities was performed around the concept of memebership and empathy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u200bThe group challenges proposed can be adapted to different subject and classroom activities, allowing students to understand the importance for every member of the class<\/strong> to bring valuable contributions and to empathize with other classmates\u2019 needs and diversities<\/strong>.\u00a0\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

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\nAs part of the learning process and the (inter) cultural offer of the course, participants had the chance to meet a representative of a local association in Bologna dealing with intercultural projects. They were thus given the chance to see Bologna from another perspective, making them even more eager and curious to put the knowledge gained in classroom into action while discovering the city and interacting with our locals. Not only they discovered hidden places but they recorded their discoveries in a Padlet<\/strong>, enriching a collection of local experiences perceived through mutliple glas<\/strong>ses! ;)<\/strong>\n<\/div>\n
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