ERASMUS+ KA1 MOBILITY TO ITALY 2017

The member of the Pedagogical Group of the Environmental Center of Vamos, Eleni Despotidou, attended the seminar “Facing Diversity: Intercultural Classroom Management” organized by Europass Teacher Academy on 1-7 Octomber in Florence, Italy. This seminar attended teachers/tutors and head masters from Greece, Germany and Hungary and was implemented in English.

This Erasmus+ course is for Teachers (primary, secondary, vocational, adult, special needs), Teacher trainers/ Careers officers, educational guides and counsellors, Headteachers/ Principals and Managers of schools/organizations offering adult education working in multicultural classes and Other (Paid or voluntary) management staff in institutions/ organizations.

Diversity challenges traditional teaching strategies and asks for innovative solutions.  This introductory course addressed issues such as: how is it possible to create a syllabus suitable both for native and for non-native students. How can educators face language and communication difficulties. How can students interact in a productive way regardless of their cultural belonging. 

Through case discussion, sharing of good practices and engaging activities, participants explored intercultural educative practices. They received prompts to foster communication in their classes and explored solutions to plan activities aiming at meeting newcomers’ needs without interrupting the regular didactic flow. Teaching strategies with concrete, across-the-board objectives were presented (role-playing, cooperative learning and many others).

Specifically, the objectives of the seminar were as follows:

·      Students’ different learning approaches: knowing about them to be able to choose the correct teaching strategies,

·      Ability to choose suitable methods for different classes, contexts and moments during the lesson,

·      Teaching strategies with concrete, across the board objectives: roleplaying, cooperative learning,

·      Expertise related to intercultural communication.

Overall the course helped participants gain broader awareness about different learning approaches, intercultural communication, innovative methods, and how to convert diversity from burden to opportunity.

EUROPASS is an international course provider with over 15 years experience in organizing courses for European teachers.  The main trainer of the seminars was Sheila Crown, English teacher.