How can we promote and celebrate cultural diversity in the classroom?

Oggigiorno, le scuole e i programmi educativi accolgono una grande varietà di persone con contesti socioculturali molto diversi tra loro. Aiutare gli studenti ad adattarsi a un nuovo contesto culturale, da un lato, e promuovere una mentalità critica e aperta che valorizzi e celebri la diversità anziché rifiutarla, dall’altro, rappresenta una delle sfide più grandi per gli insegnanti.  

The new edition of the course “Intercultural learning and cultural diversity in the classroom​” took place in Palermo from 19/07/2026 to 25/07/2026. The participants came from all across Europe, with Hanna and Dorota from Szkoła Podstawowa im. Królowej Jadwigi w Jerzykowie, Poland ; Laura from Ammattiopisto Spesia, Finland ; Sanita from Rīga Stradiņš University, Latvia ; Marisa and Luis from Centro Concertado Fundación Flors, Spain ; Christina from Gymnasieskolan Vipan, Sweden ; Sanna from Hyrylän yläaste, Finland ; Emese from Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary ; Soledad from Escola Oficial d’idiomes de Palma de Mallorca, Spain ; and finally, Cristina from Institut Bellvitge, Spain. 

The course started with acknowledging the importance of the concept of identity as a first step to go deep into diversity. From a visual activity, our participants thought about their own identity and the relation that identity has with culture. This allows the group to debate and to discover the theory of cultural intelligence to build an understanding of what “intercultural learning” means to them. 

Successivamente, i partecipanti hanno svolto un esercizio di narrazione incentrato sugli stereotipi. Insieme abbiamo scoperto il significato del circolo vizioso degli stereotipi. They were invited to reflect about how stereotypes can convert into prejudices and discrimination, generating a vicious cycle that strengthens stereotypes. As put in an inspirational TED Talk we saw – “Show a people as one thing — as only one thing — over and over again, and that is what they become.”

L'ultimo argomento su cui abbiamo lavorato è stato inclusione. First, participants have been involved in simulation activities to acknowledge and discuss about the challenges of comunicazione interculturale. Le attività possono aiutare gli studenti a mettere in discussione i preconcetti comuni, spingendoli al contempo a riflettere su come individuare i legami tra culture diverse. È stata poi svolta un’altra serie di attività di gruppo incentrata sul concetto di membership and empathy. Le sfide di gruppo proposte possono essere adattate a diverse materie e attività didattiche, consentendo agli studenti di comprendere il importanza per ogni membro della classe per apportare contributi preziosi e per comprendere le esigenze e le diversità dei propri compagni di classe. 

During the course we worked on the exploration of the link between culture and education. Participants got involved into some activities to become more aware of how cultures influence teaching e stili di apprendimento. The goal of the exercise was to think about the attention and sensitivity that teachers need when specific cultural patterns arise in the classroom.

As part of the learning process and the (inter) cultural offer of the course, participants had the chance to share experiences and to debate about them, making them even more eager and curious to put the knowledge gained in the classroom into action while discovering the city and interacting with our locals.

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