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Interkulturelles Lernen durch Vielfalt ("Wir haben viele Heimatländer")
Start date: Jul 1, 2014, End date: Jun 30, 2015 PROJECT  FINISHED 

The background of the project is formed by the three-year-old “Charlotte-Pfeffer-Schule“ for pupils with the emphasis on mental development, which numbers 86% of pupils with an immigrant background in the school term 2013/14. The emphasis of support result in pupils with mild intellectual as well as multiple disabilities attending our school. This fact, together with the different cultures of origin of our student body makes, obviously, a particularly sensitive educational access necessary and also a particularly narrow unprejudiced and sensitive work with their parents. The focus of the project was, according to the application, particularly on structural aspects to ensure, that diversity and sensibility against prejudices remain the basis of action at the school and even continue to evolve. For this purpose, it was important to continue working on the school program from this perspective and to ensure the task on working on the school's internal curriculum from this perspective. To gain further knowledge on the issues beyond the resources of the school, three colleagues from different educational branches as well as with different personal backgrounds where offered to participate in advanced inter-cultural training. As a part of the advanced training “Diversity in European Classrooms” numerous methods and contents were offered, which allowed access to the understanding of diversity. By meeting teachers from other countries as well as by the joint development of the topic and the intensive exchange concerning the inter-cultural experience, horizons of every participant were extended. Additionally, new ideas for teaching methods and a general dealing with diversity have been developed, presented, discussed and tested. Respect, tolerance and acceptance were always important companions on every level of the gatherings and will contribute the advancement of professionalism in dealing with diversity and the related cooperation with our pupils as well as their parents. This knowledge will hence be used by the training participants of our school as multipliers in the work at different levels in the academic fields of action. As intended in the application, diversity is deliberately brought into discussions and reflects the educational actions from this perspective. This is done, e.g., by developing a sex-educational-concept for the school, but also in reflecting the increasing use of force of and experience of violence by the students as a part of an academic day. It was planned also, to carry out projects on the topic of diversity at our school. Due to construction measures in the school and the difficulties involved with it, it had been decided, to initiate this not yet for the entire school. Instead, materials are collected in a private area of our school's homepage and made available to the teaching staff only. This enables the teachers to use customized materials concerning their pupils special needs, when needed. The materials of the advanced training mentioned above are also made accessible in form of an information folder in the staff room. Information meetings for class projects or for specific materials are sometimes already offered by some colleagues as well as staff meetings are used to exchange experiences. Diversity in all its facets is always and clearly in the focus, disability-related aspects are considered, immigration matters are increasingly discussed and sexual diversity was a crucial point of advanced training. For the intended quality development the application required for the work with parents, the multipliers and a school social worker act on request only on an advisory basis in the preparation or implementation of parental involvement. Through this diversity of perspectives sensibility against prejudices is ensured. For a better cooperation between school and parentage, plans for a “parents-café” were, together with the representative of the joint parents council, introduced. From first grade on, parents are part of school festivities and performances. The work with parents in the class structure is characterized primarily by parents colloquies and parents' evenings, but also through participation in specific school subjects. If necessary and desired interpreters are invited by the school social worker. At parents' evenings, parents are also encouraged to support each other (verbally). Due to the frame of a student body with mostly mental disabilities as well as a high proportion of families of Non-German origin, dealing with diversity is self evident. However, much more awareness for it arose from the project and also other proportions of diversity came increasingly into the focus of dealing with each other. By this change, appreciative consorting with one another obtains a foundation which is responsible and of immense value for the educational mission of the school as well as for the coexistence within.

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