This is our students’ corner. Here you can find students’ attempt to reflect on intercultural topics such as intercultural dialogue, inclusion and tolerance which are essential to our future as knowledge professionals.
Featuring Milena Liakopoulou’s feedback on Switzerland’s 2020 Congress titled The future of Inclusion:
The Importance of Diversity in the Field of Education
Milia Eleni Liakopoulou, University of Patras
INTRODUCTION
The SIETAR seminar introduced us to the world of intercultural education and gave us the opportunity to follow through the presentation of various speakers and speakers views.The main thread was to learn about intercultural education and how it can be applied in the modern educational process.
Another point was to examine and have a more comprehensive view of intercultural education and how each country implements and integrates interculturalism in the field of education and teaching.
It is therefore necessary to refer to the term intercultural education where it has historically appeared as a term in official Canadian politics since the 1960s and a little later. The term began to be used and discussed in practice when the United States was confronted with a large percentage of non-speaking children, mostly Hispanic, in American schools and with the high rates of school failure and dropout presented by these children (Androusou, 2000: 11).
The main purpose of cultural education is to modify the traditional curricula of teaching, so that there is now a connection between the courses and the culture of the students, whatever it may be. Its main goal is to transform the school and the society, so that everyone has equal opportunities to express themselves as collective and individual personalities. To be able to express their views freely regardless of the cultural context to which they belong and to have the support and cooperation. Of the state in the search for their identity of freedom and their self-realization (Mark 1997: 50).
THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHER TRAINING
However, it is worth mentioning the role that a teacher should have, who is called upon to implement and follow an alternative curriculum, so that he can integrate as easily and effectively as possible children with different cultures, which makes the His role is particularly demanding and difficult as he will have to design the way of teaching in such a way that he can give the required respect to diversity.
Child, to have a democratic attitude and tolerance, to be fair and impartial, to have patience and conscientiousness, to have a multifaceted way of thinking not only limited to the class and school hours but also beyond that, to be sensitive and to respect the personality of each child. Τo be next to the child when he / she needs it, to highlight the elements e those of every child that will help him in his development. These are some of the many qualifications that must have a teacher who wants to deal with intercultural education (Kyriakopoulou, 2000: 18-19).
Therefore we can find that the role of the teacher is crucial and very important as well as difficult to be able to organize a program that will highlight the special characteristics of all children in the educational process. For this reason it is worth referring to the training that teachers will have to acquire in order to cope with the conditions of intercultural education.
Teacher training is a continuous and continuous process during their life as the developments in the field of education are many and continuous and for this reason an effective teacher should expand his horizons as much as possible, especially when he has to do with children who are from different cultures and should know some things about the historical background of each child, so that he can properly organize their educational approaches to the part of teaching.
It is noteworthy, therefore, to mention that nowadays distance education and training systems have been developed, thus giving the opportunity to all teachers to learn without the need for physical presence in the classrooms (Matralis, 1999: 41). This innovative possibility by utilizing new methods of education, such as open and distance education.
THE USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION
One last piece that I consider important to mention through the conference is the part of teaching methods that teachers can use in the educational process so that they can function effectively in the part of diversity and cultural culture.
One of these methods is teaching using new technologies. New technologies can support student-centered teaching as they help the teacher to individualize the teaching according to the needs of the children and their difficulties in specific areas of the lesson. This process, in addition to being more attractive and interesting than conventional books and learning materials.
Contributes to collaborative, experiential creative and exploratory learning, while contributing to an environment of collaboration, communication, exchange of experiences and feedback (Markou, C 1996).
Through the use of new technologies, both teachers and students are cultivated, autonomy and skills such as cooperation, initiative and self-confidence and social communication. In addition, people with mobility difficulties are facilitated in learning through the use of new technologies (Markou,C 1996). The teacher can through this practice create exercises for his students according to their needs and particularities.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this seminar gave me the opportunity to get to know better and more in depth the multiculturalism and how it is based in the field of education. Diversity and otherness are two concepts that we often encounter in the field of education, which is why we as professional teachers must give the necessary attention as we are the conductors in promoting cultural diversity both among children and later in society.
References
- Dietrich, I. (2006), «Παιδεία και πολυπολιτισμικότητα- η μεταβολή των αιτημάτων προς τα σχολεία», στο: Χατζηδήμου, Δ./ Χ. Βιτσιλάκη (επιμ.), Το σχολείο στην κοινωνία της πληροφορίας και της πολυπολιτισμικότητας, Πρακτικά ΙΑ΄ Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου, Ρόδος 21, 22 και 23 Οκτωβρίου 2005, Θεσσαλονίκη: Κυριακίδης, 45-60.
- Κεσίδου, Α. (2004), «Διαπολιτισμική εκπαίδευση: στόχοι και πρακτικές». Στο: Εταιρεία Επιστημών Αγωγής Δράμας (επιμ.) Προγράμματα Διδασκαλίας στην Εκπαίδευση των Βαλκανικών Χωρών, Πρακτικά 1 ου Βαλκανικού Συνεδρίου, 75-83.
- Κεσίδου, Α. (2007), Διδακτικές προσεγγίσεις στο πολυπολιτισμικό σχολείο: αρχές της Διαπολιτισμικής Διδακτικής, εισήγηση στην επιστημονική Διημερίδα με τίτλο: «Διδασκαλία και μάθηση στο πολυπολιτισμικό σχολείο: διδακτικές προσεγγίσεις και εκπαιδευτικό υλικό», Α.Π.Θ., 10 και 11/12/2007.
- Μάρκου, Γ. (1997), Εισαγωγή στη διαπολιτισμική εκπαίδευση. Ελληνική και διεθνής εμπειρία, Αθήνα: Ηλεκτρονικές τέχνες.
- Markou, C (1996).Approaches to multiculturalism and Intercultural Education – Teacher Training. Athens Ministry of Education, G.G.L.E.