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. 
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La nuova edizione del corso “Apprendimento interculturale e diversità culturale in classe​” took place in Palermo from 09/02/2025 to 15/02/2025. The participants came from all across Europe, with Sylwia from Przedszkole Niepubliczne Misiolandia in Polonia, Gabriele da Karl-Schiller-Berufskolleg in Germany, Tuula from Live-säätiö sr in Finland, Janko and Sandra from Center Gustava Šiliha Maribor in Slovenia, Pilar and Rocío from IES Politecnico de Vigo in Spain, Irini from Palouriotissa A Elementary School in Cyprus, Javier from IES Montes de Toledo also in Spain and last but not least, Maria, Rainier, Daniel and Nick from International school Laren in the Netherlands. 
To kick off with the course, we started acknowledging the importance of reflecting on the meaning of words. The participants altogether tried to build an understanding of what “intercultural learning” means to them and explored the differences between “multicultural”, “cross-cultural” e “intercultural” to become more attentive in describing and interpreting the interaction of different cultures.

During the course delved into the exploration of the relation between culture and education. Participants got involved in 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.
Moreover, we also talked about the concept of identità 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.

​Next, participants engaged in different activities about stereotypes, such as storytelling. Altogether we discovered the meaning of the 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 the video – “Show a people as one thing — as only one thing — over and over again, and that is what they become.”
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Last but not least, we worked on the important topic of inclusione. Innanzitutto, i partecipanti sono stati coinvolti in attività di simulazione volte a individuare e discutere le sfide relative a comunicazione interculturale. The activities can help students question common assumptions while thinking about finding connections among different cultures. Another round of group exercises was performed around the concept of 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. 
Finally, one of the most valuable aspects of this course was the sharing of best practices. It gave participants the opportunity to share their own intercultural experiences and draw inspiration from projects and activities implemented by their colleagues.

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