How does intercultural education work in school?
Intercultural education in schools is about ensuring that all students have equal participation, regardless of their cultural background, and that they are enabled to achieve the highest possible level of education. All students, regardless of their origin, should be able to live out their potential equally, so that they can acquire the foundations for a successful professional life. The school for an intercultural education must be free of discrimination and the different students should show appreciation for each other.
The school must see itself as a place of learning for each pupil and cultivate a culture of intercultural dialogue so that all pupils feel part of the school community. In the classroom, intercultural education can promote the consideration of the subject matter from the perspective of majorities and minorities. This enables the students to change their perspective.
In addition, project days on intercultural topics can be offered. The school should take into account the linguistic diversity through different nations and, in the best case, promote multilingual pupils. The multilingualism of the pupils can also be reflected in the rooms and in the public relations work. In addition, the school can engage in intercultural and interreligious cooperation with institutions or schools from other countries.
How do you deal with religious differences?
In schools or kindergartens that place a lot of emphasis on interreligious education, children, parents and educators are challenged to find a way to give children food for thought without overstepping the boundaries of religious respect. This means that the needs of the children, which arise from the religious definition of the parental home, are respected and respected. At the same time they should learn to understand other religions.
This is also demanded of the parental home, since this also shapes the child’s thinking. Accordingly, the children should also learn respect for other religions from their parents and look again and again at the connecting themes of the world religions, such as respect for creation, respect for the neighbor, respect for parents and ancestors, etc. In the best case, the educational offer of the institutions, such as KITA or school, is designed in such a way that it enables the children to acquire knowledge about the other religions.
This aims to enable the children to understand and classify the behavior of children with a different religious background. They should also develop an attitude and attitudes that are characterized by openness, tolerance and respect, so that they are able to communicate with children of other religions. In schools, religious education or ethics education can serve this purpose. The next article might also be interesting for you: Erziehungsbeistandschaft
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