Is our school an intercultural school? And how can we improve it? Majella O’Shea

2 Think about your school……. What are the various diversities?

3 Some diversities…..  Gender  Ability  Learning style  Behavioural differences  Personality differences  Family type  Economic background  Religious beliefs  Values  Cultural  Ethnic  Language  Others …….

4 The context  Growth in ethnic and cultural diversity  Growing awareness of diversity  Discussion around diversity  Law and Policy  National Action Plan against Racism

5 Where is our school? Intercultural MulticulturalMonocultural

6 Aims of intercultural education Intercultural education aims to enable children and young people to  Respect, celebrate and recognise the normality of diversity  Promote equality  Challenge unfair discrimination  Tolerance?

7 Intercultural education is  For all young people irrespective of ethnicity  For all schools  For all age groups  About more than just giving students accurate information and telling them what is right and wrong  About knowledge, skills, attitudes and values  Integrated across all subject areas and the life of the school—not an add-on module

8 Themes  Identity and belonging  Similarity and difference  Human rights and responsibility  Discrimination and equality  Conflict and conflict resolution

9 Developing policies Changing school practices Assessment Chapter 7 Positive assessment Inclusive school Environment Chapter 3 School procedures for newcomer students Chapter 3 Supporting Language learning Chapter 8 School planning Policy development Chapter 3

10 The role of the school What people learn best is not what teachers think they teach, or what preachers think they preach, but what their cultures in fact cultivate. George Gerbner

11 The school as a model of good practice….  School development planning –Intercultural awareness in the school mission? –Policies, e.g. school enrolment and admissions, induction, school-home communication –As an action plan, e.g. an intercultural physical and social environment, a school charter, selection of resource materials  What are the school procedures for new children?

12 School as a model of good practice…….  The physical environment of the school? –Evidence of celebrating diversity?  And the social?  Are teachers comfortable dealing with diversity?  The classroom environment – physical, social and the curriculum?  A representative student council?  Parental involvement?

13 School review checklist

14 Some sample mission statements ….. The school strives to give every pupil the opportunity to develop his/her unique and special talents

15 To promote success and fulfillment in our students’ lives through the development of key skills and values

16 School A strives for excellence in a Christian environment

17 Continues with …. Our Aims  To strive for excellence in a Christian environment  To foster an understanding and critical appreciation of Christian values, i.e., moral, spiritual, religious, social and cultural  To foster a spirit of self reliance, innovation, initiative and imagination and to prepare students for life  To create tolerant, caring and politically aware members of society.  To nurture a sense of personal identity, self-esteem and awareness of ones unique abilities and aptitudes combined with a respect for the rights and beliefs of others.  To raise awareness of students national and European heritage and identity, coupled with a global awareness and respect for different traditions and cultures.

18 Some starting points for schools …….  Become more culturally aware  Start where you are comfortable  Seek opportunities to use the activities and extend them  Include diverse cultural perspectives when planning  Help students to develop higher order skills e.g. skills of critical thinking  Be aware of how we use language  Create a inclusive and culturally diverse space for learning

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20 Anti-racism and intercultural training National Consultative Committee for Racism and Interculturalism

21 Remember…  Racism is a form of discrimination that has much in common with other forms of discrimination  It takes time to develop intercultural ideas and practices  We are all on a journey

22 For your reflection  One thing I would like to change in my school (or classroom) and how I will go about making that change.

23 calendar.org wwww.cso.ie