Bauman Z., & Portera A., Education and Intercultural Identity. A Dialogue between Zygmunt Bauman and Agostino Portera

Book review of "Education and Intercultural Identity. A Dialogue between Zygmunt Bauman and Agostino Portera" by Z. Bauman and A. Porter

Educating Communities for the Development of Intercultural Competence

The main purpose of the educational and training system, especially in today's increasingly complex and multicultural context, is to promote the development of intercultural competence, the possession of which is arguably essential for the conscious exercise of world citizenship. To achieve this, we cannot refer merely to a single technical-professional group of teachers, educators or trainers, but must instead extend responsibility to all categories without exception: parents, instructors, facilitators, etc. The reason must be sought in the construct of intercultural competence itself, which emphasises the active role of the individual to mobilise and orchestrate their resources by acting on material and social reality (Pellerey, 2004); therefore, in order to be appropriately monitored and assessed, it is necessary to adopt the use of various stakeholders. This article is written as a critical appraisal of the concept of intercultural competence and especially some key issues in the appraisal process, which should be addressed through consultation with the educating community sector

A new training model for native language teachers: the challenge of MaTE Erasmus+ project

The chapter presents an Erasmus+ project carried out by the Centre for Intercultural Studies of the University of Verona, Italy, together with Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey (coordinator), VisMedNet Association, Malta, Management, Accounting and Education Research Association (MAERA), Portugal, Norges Teknisk – Naturvitenskapelige Universitet Ntnu, Norway, and Wyzsza Szkola Biznesu I Nauk O Zdrowiu, Poland, and called ‘Mapping Teacher Education’ (MATE). Its final outcome was the development of a new model program for native language teachers in the context of the changing dynamics in todays’classrooms

Deconstructing white privilege through intercultural education

From the age of exploration, when Europeans set off in search of new lands and profits, to the era of Western capitalism, white privilege has been dominant across the globe. The prevalence of whiteness and white privilege work to maintain and perpetuate the power- less position of black and minority ethnic groups and therefore systems and structures are designed to do this. This article, covering concepts such as whiteness and white privilege and the procedures they operate to marginalise and exclude some groups over others, highlights the importance of challenging racism, exclusion and inequalities through the implementation of intercultural education

A status report on school intercultural mediation in europe

This paper provides results of an investigation into the research literature of intercultural mediation and how intercultural mediation has been implemented in Europe. To this end, a systematic quantitative literature review was conducted, which identified 77 conceptual and empirical manuscripts for this study. The review showed that little agreement exists on precisely what intercultural mediation is and how it should be structured and supported as a profession. The empirical works identified in this study can be characterized as ad hoc in nature, capitalizing on circumstances. The result is a patchwork of concepts and studies that collectively do not provide sufficient support or foundation for the use of intercultural mediation. In order to move the field forward, we argue that an immediate next step should be the development of a well-thought, systematic research program, grounded in the existing literature. A strong recommendation found in the literature is the use of evaluation to illustrate the value of intercultural mediation. Evaluation can provide data that could help those in authority make defensible decisions about policy support for intercultural mediation. Finally, considering the current situation in European schools, we propose that in the field of mediation the intercultural approach be implemented

Social cohesion and intercultural studies in the educational community

The article shows the important role of social cohesion as a social phenomenon, its impact on the development of society and intercultural communication. The social role of trust, in particular, in the development of social cohesion, is also shown. Social cohesion acquires acute relevance and importance in the current time of social transformations, as cohesion allows communities overcome various fluctuations and changes. The social cohesion as complex social phenomenon has been analyzed in the focus of intercultural studies. The aim of the research was to investigate the important spheres of social cohesion related to intercultural communication in the educational community, in particular, in the university community of National Pedagogical Dragomanov University. The research conducted several times, including the crisis states of society – pan-demic and war conflict in Ukraine. This research continues social cohesion studies, which are conducted in the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University since 2016, and demonstrates one of the current stages. The methodological tool is an adaptation of the "Social Cohesion Radar" model at the university community level. The study is based on primary data from the author's questionnaire. The important role of social cohesion, trust and values in intercultural communication is demonstrated

Educación y competencias interculturales en la escuela: resultados de un estudio exploratorio en Italia

The present time of globalization, interdependence and multicultural societies has brought about both opportunities and crisis that concern all fields involved with social welfare, especially education (Portera, 2020, 2006). Within the school environment, there is a growing need for intercultural education and competences at the cognitive, emotional and relational levels, which will endow teachers and students with the abilities to operate in linguistically and culturally complex contexts (UNESCO, 2015; Portera, 2013; Deardorff, 2009). However, the concepts of ‘Intercultural Education’ and ‘Intercultural Competences’ are often misunderstood and require more precise definition. The authors review the scientific literature on the aforementioned concepts and then report the results of a study carried out by the Centre for Intercultural Study at the University of Verona (Italy) which examines how teachers who work in different types of schools define and apply the concept of ‘intercultural competences’ in their praxis. The study uses a qualitative research methodology that includes a process of ‘triangulation’. Specifically, a series of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and participant observations were conducted in order to explore teachers’ intercultural competences, especially through the analysis of critical incidents. After discussing the results, the authors outline impplications for teacher education and school praxis in intercultural perspective.La época actual de la globalización, la interdependencia y las sociedades multiculturales ha traído consigo oportunidades y crisis que afectan a todos los ámbitos relacionados con el bienestar social, especialmente la educación (Portera, 2020, 2006). En el entorno escolar, por lo tanto, existe una creciente necesidad de educación y competencias interculturales a nivel cognitivo, emocional y relacional, que doten a profesores y estudiantes de la capacidad de operar en contextos lingüística y culturalmente complejos (UNESCO, 2015; Portera, 2013; Deardorff, 2009). Sin embargo, los conceptos de ‘educación intercultural’ y ‘competencias interculturales’ a menudo se malinterpretan y requieren una definición más precisa. Los autores, a partir de un trabajo de revisión de la literatura científica sobre los conceptos antes mencionados, presentan los resultados de un estudio realizado por el Centro de Estudios Interculturales de la Universidad de Verona (Italia) se centró en cómo los profesores que trabajan en diferentes tipos de escuelas definen y aplican el concepto de ‘competencias interculturales’ en la práctica. El estudio se basa en una metodología de investigación cualitativa que implica un proceso de ‘triangulación’. En concreto, se realizaron una serie de entrevistas semiestructuradas, grupos focales y observaciones de los participantes con el fin de explorar las competencias interculturales de los docentes, especialmente a través del análisis de incidentes críticos. Después de discutir los resultados, los autores esbozan impulsos para la formación docente y la praxis escolar en una perspectiva intercultural

Intercultural Competence Needs and Approaches for Teachers and Educators in the Global Context

The concepts of \u201cintercultural education\u201d and \u201cintercultural competences\u201d are often misunderstood and require a more precise definition. The present paper \u2013 based on a comprehensive review of literature on intercultural competence \u2013 intends to give further impulse to the discussion of intercultural competences and to offer concrete indications applicable to the field of education

Pedagogia e competenza interculturale: implicazioni per l'educazione

Il contributo rappresenta una riflessione teorica sulla natura della categoria interpretativa di \u2018compe-tenza interculturale\u2019 e su come possa essere promossa a scuola. L\u2019autrice, partendo da un lavoro direvisione della letteratura scientifica pedagogica sui concetti di pedagogia e competenza interculturale,passa poi in rassegna alcune azioni (a livello didattico, curricolare e istituzionale) che possono essereportate avanti dagli Istituti affinch\ue9 vi siano delle ricadute positive in termini di piena inclusione ebenessere non solo degli studenti, ma anche di tutti gli altri attori che gravitano attorno all\u2019universoscuola. Tali azioni comprendono: la mobilit\ue0 studentesca e l\u2019internazionalizzazione della scuola, la co-stituzione di partnerships con organizzazioni e istituzioni che si occupano (a vario titolo e grado) dieducazione interculturale sul territorio, attivit\ue0 didattiche che enfatizzano prospettive multiple e, ingenerale, la valorizzazione della relazionalit\ue0

La competenza interculturale e il ruolo del "saper sentire"

Il contributo si sofferma sul tema della competenza interculturale e, in particolare, sulla necessit\ue0 improrogabile di educare a un autentico sguardo empatico nell\u2019incontro con l\u2019Altro. L\u2019autrice, dopo aver chiarito i costrutti di competenza interculturale e di empatia, delinea alcune prospettive educative interculturalmente orientate