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

Nowadays, schools and educational programs are welcoming a wide variety of people whose socio-cultural backgrounds are very diverse. To help students adjusting to a new cultural environment, on the one hand, and to model critical and open minds valuing and celebrating diversity rather than rejecting it, on the other, is one of the biggest challenges for teachers.  
The new edition of the course “Intercultural learning and cultural diversity in the classroom​” took place in Palermo from 28/09/2025 to 4/10/2025. The participants came from all across Europe, with Liisa from Gradia Jyväskylä in Finland  and Sarah from Astrid-Lindgren Schule Nordhorn in Germany
The course started with acknowledging the importance of reflecting on the meaning of words. The participant altogether tried to build an understanding of what “intercultural learning” means to them and explored the differences between “multicultural”, “cross-cultural” and “intercultural” to become more attentive in describing and interpreting the interaction of different cultures.
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 and learning styles. The goal of the exercise was to think about the attention and sensitivity that teachers need when specific cultural patterns arise in the classroom.

The last topic we worked on was inclusion. First, participants have been involved in simulation activities to acknowledge and discuss about the challenges of intercultural communication. The activities can help students questioning common assumptions while thinking about finding connections among different cultures. Another round of group activities was performed around the concept of memebership and empathy. The group challenges proposed can be adapted to different subject and classroom activities, allowing students to understand the importance for every member of the class to bring valuable contributions and to empathize with other classmates’ needs and diversities. 
As part of the learning process and the (inter) cultural offer of the course, participants had the chance to meet a representative of a local association in Bologna dealing with intercultural projects. They were thus given the chance to see Bologna from another perspective, making them even more eager and curious to put the knowledge gained in classroom into action while discovering the city and interacting with our locals. Not only they discovered hidden places but they recorded their discoveries in a Padlet, enriching a collection of local experiences perceived through mutliple glasses! ;)
Discover more about this course here.