PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Objectives

This project, with the general aim of contributing to the ongoing training of teaching personnel as regards measures and strategies to deal with cultural diversification (especially Roma culture) and inter-cultural education, has set its sights on the following specific objectives:

a) To learn and develop best practices so as to be able to respond to the principal difficulties and needs of education professionals working on a daily basis in culturally heterogeneous contexts. More specifically:

  • Improve the teaching and learning of values needed in a multi-cultural society.
  • Develop cooperation between education professionals from within and outside of teaching centres.
  • Integrate inter-cultural education into the school curriculum.
  • Encourage the social integration of ethnic minorities in the educational community.
  • Improve strategies, methodologies and teaching materials in such a way so as to improve the educational standardisation levels of minority students.

b) To design and develop support documents for teachers that contain ideas, guidelines and basic strategies for dealing with cultural diversity based on the experiences of the participating partners; to offer hints and guidelines on how to include the culture of minority groups (especially the Roma culture) in the school curriculum and how to approach the teaching of values in educational contexts.

c) To offer a teacher support service facilitating the development of education more appropriately adapted to the cultural diversity of students through technical support, guidance, and consultation for education professionals and to give impetus and enthusiasm to the continuing education of the teaching staff and other education professionals through support for the management of said training processes.

Principal Actions

A) Experience sharing actions:

  • Working meetings among partners for the sharing of experiences and best practices as regards strategies focusing on diversity and inter-cultural education.
Meeting Madrid 2002
Meeting Madrid 2002

 
Meeting Madrid 2002
Meeting Portugal
(Oporto) 2002
Meeting Portugal (Oporto) 2002
  • International seminar open to other professionals and entities on innovative experiences regarding cultural diversity.
Seminar Madrid 2002
Seminar Madrid 2002
Seminar Madrid 2002

 
Seminar Madrid 2002
Seminar Madrid 2002

B) Drafting and publication of documents
(see « Products or results ») section

C) Organisation and implementation of a service offering guidance and consultation services for teachers on strategies in dealing with cultural diversity and support for the management of training for inter-cultural education


Results

a) Technical documents offering basic guidelines for approaching cultural diversity

I. Basic guideline document.
ESCUELAS DE COLORES ¿POR DÓNDE EMPEZAMOS? (Rainbow schools, where to begin?)
This is an informative document that responds to the principal doubts expressed by teachers on how to approach cultural diversity. It includes a list of principal contacts and resources and a reference to the web page for consultation purposes.

Click to download

II. Curricular design and development document
ENSEÑAR Y APRENDER EN CLAVE DE DIVERSIDAD CULTURAL (Teaching and learning in situations of cultural diversity).
Some action proposals from the perspective of the school taken in-context
Guidelines and basic strategies on how to approach cultural diversity, teaching methodologies, organisation of space and time, participation, values education, work with families and introduction of cultural elements corresponding to minorities into the school curriculum. It includes references to resource materials and support entities for each participating country with a reference to the web page for further consultation.
The text was published in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Slovak and English.

Click to download


III. Educating for tolerance and communication among cultures
¿ESTAMOS TODOS Y TODAS? (Are we all on board?) Primary Education.
Values education programme with sequences of activities for the three primary school levels including student work sheets and a teacher’s guide. The aim is to foster the development of attitudes such as tolerance, solidarity and mutual help on an equal footing and based on communication.

Click to download

b) International seminar report
Compilation of experiences presented at the international seminars and debate and discussion conclusions.

tolerancia@fsgg.org

c) Web page
Consultation service for teachers or other education professionals on approaching cultural diversity in the school: framework for action, methodology and materials designed to help deal with cultural diversity (especially Roma culture) and the possibility of gaining access to all products developed through the project.

d) Consultation and support service for continuing teacher education on the topic of Inter-cultural Education and approach to diversity
Service provided in response to demands voiced for guidelines and consultation on approaches to cultural diversity and Roma culture in the classroom: specific consultation in response to requests regarding diversity measures voiced by teachers and support for the management of training processes in Inter-cultural Education.