EUROPEAN SOCIAL FOUNDS: PROJECT of the NATIONAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE of the REPUBLIC of SLOVENIA 2004- 2006: Teacher

1. EUROPEAN SOCIAL FOUNDS: PROJECT of the NATIONAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE of the REPUBLIC of SLOVENIA 2004- 2006: Teacher/Multiplier Training on Active Citizenship & Citizenship Education INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION IN THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE PROJECTS Prepared by Goranka Kreacic

2. Four pillars on Education for the 21st century/ J. Delors�et al.: Report to UNESCO, 1996/ Learning to know, Learning to do, Learning to live together, Learning to be. Learning to live together implies respect for diversity and equity.

3. What is multicultural education? One of the main aims of the intercultural education is to learn to live together. Our societies are diverse in terms of identities, cultures and interests. Because the diversity we find in present day Europe can make it difficult to live together. Europeans must learn new strategies how to cope with diversity. Although we are different we need to share a feeling of belonging to a wider community, based on mutual respect. Dealing with diversity is not confined to different cultural backgrounds, but to all aspects of an individual including gender, talents, interests, skills, knowledge etc.

4. Intercultural Education in the Council of Europe Projects 1 TEACHER TRAINING AND EXPENDITURES for the EDUCATION of MIGRANTS� CHILDREN The project�s Working group underlined their objectives in highlighting the importance of including an intercultural dimension in such areas of education as the human and social sciences, artistic expression, and religion. More of the themes explored in the Aquilla Symposium have re-emerged in the 2003-2005 programme developed in �Intercultural Education and the Challenge of Religious Diversity and Dialogue in Europe�.

5. Intercultural Education in the Council of Europe Projects 2 EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP The objectives of the latter phase of project directly coincide with those of �Intercultural Education and the Challenge of Religious Diversity and dialogue in Europe� including a joint-effort �European Year of Citizenship through Education� in 2005. The development of materials to facilitate the dissemination of information, an exploitation of information technology for the purpose of enhanced communication and exchange, an emphasis on co-operation among various practitioners of member states all provide a common ground for promoting human rights standards, life skills for democratic citizenship, and intercultural/interfaith communication.

6. Intercultural education in the Council of Europe projects 3 INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE AND CONFLICT PREVENTION The project is a representative of innovative cultural policy on the advancement of the intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. Targeting the local, regional, and national levels of civil society, this initiative aims to promote the dialogue as a means of encouraging mutual understanding and reconcilliation as well as taking measures to prevent conflict among cultural and religious communities.

7. Intercultural education in the Council of Europe Projects 4 INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION: THE CHALLENGE OF RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND DIALOGUE IN EUROPE (from Conceptual framework by Batelaan P. (2003). Strasbourg: Council of Europe (CD �ED). The goal of project is to provide educational authorities, schools, teacher education institutes and teachers working within the various systems, with policy guidelines, ideas and criteria in order to contribute to the over �all goal of intercultural education: learning to live together. The project is confined to education, focusing on how schools can contribute to a process of integration (learning to live together), which includes the promotion of the inter � religious dialogue

8. �The challenge of religious diversity� is an euphemism for �problems�?(P. Batalaan: Conceptual framework, CD-ED 2003)) The reason why the issue of religious diversity has emerged in Europe as an educational issue is that governments and schools face problems such as stigmatisation, discrimination and violence.

9. Where do these problems arise from? These problems arise from the emphasis on differences in values and traditions such as: Clothing (chador), Family relations, Gender roles.

10. The role of schools Preparing for participation in dialogues (developing skills, knowledge and attitudes). Dialogue is a part of the learning process. A school, as an institution, is also a partner in dialogues with the community, with other schools, and with authorities. It is important that the teachers and the school�s own behaviour as partners in dialogues at the inter- and intra- institutional level correspond with that is taught in school.

11. Co-operative learning The use of co-operative learning is one of the most effective ways of learning.

12. Three common basic values in democratic societies (Batelan, P., Gundara, J: Cultural Diversity and the promotion of Values through Education, 1993). Respect in the relations between people, Respect in the relation between people and culture, Respect in the relations between people and nature.

13. The following values are threatened by counter forces The relations among people are based on the right to exist, as well as on respect for human dignity and human rights. They are threatened by ethnocentrism, racism, fascism (in other words by feelings of superiority), and by manipulation of facts and information. The relation between people and culture is threatened by vandalism and violence. The relation between people and nature is based on �reverence for the earth� and is threatened by pollution and consumerism.

14. At school,we can discuss the following values It is also possible to enter a conversation with students about the fact that these values are inspired by religions and philosophies. For instance, reverence of the earth is a key feature of Hindu and Native American belief systems.

15. Getting a grip with controversal issues It is more difficult to deal with controversial issues, particularly when they can potentially lead to bullying or violence.

16. Controversal issues Schools should have a policy regarding intolerance and teachers should have the skills to take the necessary measures to cope with consequences of such policy.

17. Schools Schools can be viewed as an institution that facilitates dialogue, both by organising dialogues and providing students with skills and knowledge required for a dialogue.

18. Dialogue in schools What may or should happen in the classroom, depends highly on the local culture, the mission and the organisation of the school. Openness in the classroom is only possible when there is an openness in the school. The school and the classroom need to be places where the participants feel that they are safe. This implies: That they feel being taken seriously, That what they say will not be used against them.

19. Implications for policy For learning to live together it is important that children/students from different backgrounds actually learn together and are not separated from each other. At the national level, governments need to realise that education is embedded in day-to-day political discourses, including those that relate to religious diversity, as well as attitudes towards immigrants and asylum seekers and their religions.

20. Implications for policy Governments, and consequently the media, should refrain from creating an atmosphere or fear based on prejudices or overexposure to terrorist-related information. It is important that the private domain should also be protected by legislation in the public domain.

21. Teacher�s training Preparation of teachers is the responsibility of the national policy. The context in which teachers are working is constantly changing, and schools are constantly confronted with new knowledge about learning and the effectiveness of pedagogical and didactical activities. In-service training is one of the main instruments that can be used to improve the quality of teachers, who as pedagogues and professionals are also expected to contribute to a more tolerant society.

22. Picture�s sources: internet, 3.4.2005 1. 1.www.cg95.fr/.../droits_de_lenfant/expo.html 8. www.izferl.org/images/photo/religion-tolerance-hp.jpg 9.http://.amherst.edu/~careers/images/multicultural passport.gif 10. www.izferl.org/images/photo/religion-tolerance-hp.jpg 11.yccd.yosemite.cc.ca.us/�/images/BD08832.gif; 12. www.reseandpeaches.com/dax/2.7.01.htm 14.www.humanawareness/tolerance.jpg 16.http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/iie/appleweb2.jpg 15.http://www.jainworld.com/literature/dictionary/pica.gif 17.http://www.peacemakershool.com/finallogo.gif 20. www.uwex.edu/diversity/