About the intercultural education

Interculturalism, as well as its effective implementation in the education system, is the crucial issue for the making of an equitable and inclusive Europe. Before this issue is properly addressed, it is needed to be acknowledged that Europe itself is a large testing ground of cultural diversity with 23 official languages and 60 regional or minority language communities. However, the idea of such great cultural diversity has often been denied. Even great politicians like Angela Merkel or David Cameron attacked the idea of an ‘intercultural Europe.’ Therefore, the issue of being ‘Europeans’ should be critically examined and decided. 

As per James Lynch, the origin of cultural pluralism in Europe should be examined in three relevant phases in the history: (1) the early patchwork settlement of various linguistic groups leading to multilingual nation-states; (2) the later heterogeneous religious overlay, confirmed by the fact that the Reformation superimposed a plane of cultural complexity on the linguistic, cultural and political maps of Europe; and (3) migration flux after the Second World War, first from colonies, then from Southern Europe and finally from around the globe.

Based on the above facts, it can be inferred that the issue of promoting intercultural interactions in European societies already existed within fundamental historical processes. Therefore, interculturalism in Europe should be discussed in this wider structure, and the issue of integrating immigrants in must be addressed in the context of cultural pluralism that already existed in Europe.

Intercultural Education has two focal points:

Although education cannot alone take the responsibility to challenge racism and promote intercultural competence, it can play an important role in the development of intercultural skills, values, attitudes, and knowledge. Therefore, intercultural education has two focal points. The first one is to recognize, normalize and celebrate diversity in all walks of life and to sensitize the students to the idea of a world community; that humans are naturally developed in arrays of different languages, customs and beliefs worldwide and such diversity enriches all. The second is to promote equality and protect all from all kinds of discrimination and unfair treatment.

What are the issues in an intercultural classroom?

Problematizing culture

From a critical perspective, culture is viewed as a strong, dynamic and complex entity in its basic form in contrast to the static view when it is stereotyped by specific groups of people.  

In a broader view, culture should essentially mean cultures (in plural), or a combination of many cultures where the national culture will be one of its many constituents. In this respect, culture should not be viewed as the culture of different ethnic groups. However, gender, class, ethnicity, inter-generational relations, and many other factors should be considered to have respective cultures and some critiques even thought of individual’s culture.

Politicizing culture

Critiques say the culture has an unequivocal political position. For instance, culture is a series of unequal power connections between or among different speakers who battle over power and predominance as a result of the way of life they epitomize and which constitute them.

Another instance of an expressly political position is about the view that culture is historically portrayed by invasion, slave trades, colonialism and mass murder. Along these lines, the classroom should likewise represent such alarming interactions.

Therefore, there is no unique view of intercultural classrooms. Nonetheless, a critical intercultural classroom should at least work against stereotyping culture.  

Models of theory and best practices

There are different conduits into the argument of acculturation in education. Many of these hypotheses cover with and obtain from each other, and advocates of each model criticize others.

We would like to provide a brief introduction to some of these models since all of them have valid and useful approaches to culturally sensitive teaching. However, please note that we would emphasize intercultural communication since we are set to design inclusive learning environments.

Intercultural?

Various researchers have characterized intercultural skill as the ability to collaborate viably and properly across cultures. This includes the capacity to explore intercultural communications, anticipate mistaken assumptions, and adjust practices in like manner.

The reason for intercultural education is to enable students to build up the learning, abilities, and demeanors to take part in cross-cultural interactions. This module seeks to assist you in this regard. 

Multicultural?

Multicultural education originated out of civil rights movements of the 1960s in the US, tried to dispose of discrimination by educating about cultural diversity. Its advocates believe that all students ought to enjoy equal opportunities to learn.

Anti-racist?

Hostile to supremacist training considers the ramifications of culture and race on the life experiences of students. It is based on the preface that education can assume a dynamic part in advancing social equality and justice.

Anti-racist education strongly focuses on the idea that racism comes from discriminatory sharing of power between or among groups. Therefore, instructors especially prioritize the significance of rethinking educational practices to facilitate equality. This can be possible at:

1.      the classroom level (by customizing teaching strategies)

2.      the curricular level (by internationalizing the curriculum)

3.      at the institutional level (by ensuring that the policies are inclusive)

Postcolonial?

The postcolonial teaching method is based on the idea that the classroom is such a complex space where the politics of race, power, and privilege are present.

While considering the classroom experience (especially, the racist and cultural issues), postcolonial researchers painstakingly think and ask one or all of the following questions: 

·         What are the challenges, limits, and potentials, of teaching, learning, and researching about colonialism and racism within the local academic context?

·         Which educational practices re-entrench unequal structures in the learning processes?

·         How can native and migrant knowledge and practices inform our teaching, learning, and researching?

Culturally relevant?

Culturally relevant education requires recognizing, approving and integrating the experiences and viewpoints of culturally diverse students in the classroom. It depends on the idea that different students learn differently and such differences are associated with cultural or social differences. Therefore, academic performance will be more effective when they mirror the lived experiences of all pupils. However, culturally relevant education surpasses teaching and learning about diversity to willingly nurture diversity to facilitate effective learning.

Model and encourage perspective taking in their classroom

For instance, allows students when they perceive international issues from mono-cultural points of view and urge them to think about a similar issue from an assortment of viewpoints by making inquiries and communicating a variety of opinions in class, and model responsiveness towards indigenous procedures and methods for learning.

Model and encourage non-judgmental approaches to discussing cultural, social, or other types of difference

For instance, urge students to first depict and then translate cultural diversity in gender roles or medical services before assessing thereof.

Facilitate discussions among students with a variety of communication styles

For instance, identify variations in turn taking; supervise disruptions; see and understand high-setting and low-setting and in addition to that roundabout and direct commitments from pupils.

Model tolerance for ambiguity

At the point when students with different degrees of learning and correspondence styles make contributions to class talks, it enables students to manage vulnerability. For instances, rethink around commitments for direct students, show tolerance with longer or high-setting remarks in class, and approve students’ reactions.

Create an inclusive learning environment that recognizes the barriers students face in participating

For instance, in the native culture of some students, women can talk only when men have finished talking and students can contribute only when they are asked to do so.

Except and accept difference

Such differentiation may include varying assumptions in regards to the sum of power distance between teachers and students; or varying anticipations as per student activity, and variations in students’ introduction to rules and rule-following.

Provide feedback across cultures in a variety of ways

Successful facilitators alter their criticism technique to the requirements of students and identify the way criticism is offered and accepted in the students' cultures or learning styles.

Explain unspoken assumptions of one's own culture and discipline

It is necessary to explain unspoken assumptions of one’s own culture and discipline and to train them amid their shift to the native academic world. For instance, to utilize the value of academic integrity and uphold cultural diversity in referencing, or to make assignments that consider the uneasiness that students from a migrant education culture feel when asked to critique the ideas of others.

Identify risk factors for particular types of learners

Cases of vulnerability factors include conflict avoidance, loss of group identity, loss of face, and risk of self-disclosure connected with religion, sexual orientation, culture, and socio-economic background.

Develop an awareness of one's own culture and cultural identity

Awareness should be built on how these are recognized by cultural others, and how they impact multifaceted connections—for instance, the potential impact of a perceptual focal point made by one's sexual identity, ethnicity, privileged socio-economic status, or capacity to talk a predominant language.