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Learning
for change in
a multicultural society |
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Jan Durk
Tuinier, Geu Visser |
An Vleurick,
Marc Verlot |
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Laureates Evens Prize 2000 Operating since 1996, the Evens Foundation owes its existence to the
commitment and vision of Mr. Georges Evens, a businessman of Polish origin, a
philanthropist and supporter of European unity. The Evens Foundation develops its activities in the intercultural
field. The artistic component is its second core activity. The mission
statement of the Foundation is: 'To promote the respect for diversity in Europe'. In the intercultural domain, three main fields of action can be
identified: The 'Evens Prize for Intercultural Projects' is awarded to a project
deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to European social
integration in the field of intercultural education. Besides, the Foundation develops or finances European projects in this
field. Main topics are youth empowerment, media education, teacher training
and community building. Supporting conferences and seminars on racism, tolerance and
community-building aiming at analysing growing tendencies of new exclusions
from society is the third way the Foundation is contributing to the
realisation of its mission statement. The objective is to bring together
academics and different representatives of our society and initiate a
long-term reflection through dialogue.1. In the field of Art, the same pro-active structure is applied. The Evens Art Prize supports contemporary artistic research/practice
relating in a innovative way to society. Specific European artistic projects
and conferences in this area can also count on our support. |
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Evens Prize: an introduction to the debate, by Prof. dr.
Jaghlish Gundara P A R T O N E 1. Peace Education Projects, Utrecht, The Netherlands 4. The exchange of expertise and debate, Introduction
Debate Evens Prize 2000
1. Centre of Intercultural Education, Ghent, Belgium 2. Cooperative Learning in Multicultural Classes (CLIM) Example
II: A screw loose? 3. CLIM as a breakthrough project for intercultural
education in schools 4. The rationale 'behind' CLIM
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In 2000, the Jury of the Evens Foundation of Antwerp granted the Prize
for the best European Project in the field of Intercultural Education to the
Stichting Vredeseducatie (Peace Education Projects) of Utrecht and to the
Steunpunt Intercultureel Onderwijs (CIE - Centre of Intercultural Education)
of Ghent for their appealing approach to intercultural education. Exchange The jury felt both projects were complementary to each other and
urgently recommended both laureates to exchange their ways of working and
their methods and to learn from each other's expert knowledge. This is why
two internal debates were organised in Ghent and Utrecht. The debates turned
out to be very informative, instructive and animated. The debates were then
incorporated in a public debate that took place on September 24, 2001 in the
Open Education House in Antwerp. The debate covered the legitimacy and the methodical approach of
Intercultural Education. Some 25 Dutch people participated in the debate that
was attended by about a hundred visitors. As to Belgium, supervisors and
experts in the field of educational innovation participated in the
discussion. The debate was held in English because of the presence of
international jury members: Dr. Günther Dietz of the University of Granada,
Spain, Prof. Jaghdish Gundara of the London University, Great-Britain, and
engineer Theo Cappon, president of the Dutch Janusz Korczak Stichting. In its report, the international jury praises the excellent quality of
the projects developed in Utrecht and Ghent. Furthermore, it indicates that
they are complementary and in line. Interactive exhibitions The Foundation Peace Education Projects is granted the Prize for the
seven interactive exhibitions that have been organised in Western Europe and
in Russia in the last couple of years. The exhibition 'Vreemd is anders heel
gewoon' (Ordinary - Extraordinary) has been travelling through the
Netherlands and Belgium since 1994 and reached 100.000 pupils and their
teachers, whereas 'De Gewoon - Vreemd Express' (The Ordinary - Strange
Express) in a large truck, started in 1996. The new edition 2000 of the
latter is called the 'Terrific Express' and it is always "on the
road". The 'Herinneringscentrum voor de Toekomst' (Commemoration Centre
for the Future) was opened at the former military Fortress The Bilt in April
1999. This centre serves as a 'laboratory' within the research - project
Interactive Methodology Education World War II - Present: a project subsidised
by the Dutch government. The interactive methodology applied to these
interactive exhibitions is closely related to self-reliant learning. The
objectives in the field of knowledge, skills and attitudes are explicitly
formulated. Children and teachers alike are immersed in stories and
experiences about themselves and other people thereby focusing on prejudices,
scapegoats, resistance to injustice and dedication to people and the planet. Complex Learning The Centre of Intercultural Education of the Ghent University has
offered thousands of teachers a new perspective on intercultural learning, by
stressing the need to take into account all forms of diversity as locally
produced. Complex learning in multicultural classes (CLIM) is one of the
pilot projects of the centre. CLIM is a type of education in which the
learning process is 'managed' by the pupils themselves. The teacher assumes
the important role of stimulator and supervises the project. Different
aspects of diversity, concerning (sub)cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, gender, capacities,
interaction modes and learning styles are tapped into this method. The
CLIM-project promotes heterogeneity in the classroom and derives its strength
from the implicit approach of diversity. Intercultural thinking and acting
are generated by the meticulous organisation of the group assignments. Utrecht versus Ghent The final debate in September 2001 was opened by Mrs. Corinne Evens,
daughter of the late Georges Evens, who discussed the educational challenge
to strengthen European co-operation. The representatives of both institutes
then introduced their specific methods in the field of Intercultural
Education, after which the members of the jury drew attention to specific
topics. This gave rise to an interesting exchange of ideas with the people
present, moderated by Mrs. Christine Castille, director of the Evens
Foundation. The debate was critical and showed involvement. The methods of
both institutes adopt a different point of departure. The CIE intends to have
the pupils experience the diversity of life by conquering, challenging
concepts in the classroom. Peace Education Projects puts the tensions and
challenges of the multicultural society first, as objectives of the learning
processes in which the pupils themselves analyse problems and create
perspectives. Both learning methods do not exclude the other. The debate has
only strengthened their complementary nature. Contents of this brochure This brochure reports on both projects that were awarded the Evens
Prize 2000 by the jury. Peace Education Projects will describe its interactive projects in the
first part of the brochure. The second part will be dedicated to the Centre
for Intercultural Education and its CLIM-method. Both parts will contain
informative elements as well as polemic lines of approach. These are the
results of the debates that preceded this brochure. The final part contains
some conclusions that are endorsed by both laureates. Part one consists of an introduction of the concept 'Interactive
Learning', as developed by the Peace Education Projects during the past few
years. This concept is then illustrated by means of the exhibition at the
Remembrance Centre for the Future Fortress The Bilt. Some propositions on the
differences and similarities between both approaches are discussed in a final
chapter. In the introductory text of the CIE, the reader will find the mission
and the activities of the centre. Secondly, CLIM as a method for Cooperative
Learning in Multicultural Classes will be presented and illustrated. The
method will be linked to the pragmatic approach of the CIE. Thirdly you will
find a reflection on the role of CLIM as a breakthrough method of
intercultural education in school practice. Part two ends with the rationale
'behind' CLIM. Utrecht/Ghent, November 2001 Jan Durk Tuinier & Geu Visser, Peace Education Projects An Vleurick & Marc Verlot, Centre of Intercultural Education |
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Evens Prize: an introduction to the debate By Prof. dr. Jaghdish Gundara, president Jury Even Prize The Evens Foundation is to be congratulated on supporting projects,
which help the process of European integration and focus especially on
intercultural education. Mr. Georges Evens was very far sighted in
recognising the importance of diversity and difference while upholding
notions of unity in Europe. Such a perspective about diversity and unity is
as valid now as when he set up the Foundation. I have been privileged to chair the Jury, which awarded the Evens
Prize. The Jury, in judging the various projects used criteria on how the
problems were defined, what the goals of the projects were and what
programmes were used. Each project was evaluated on the basis of the
importance of its contribution, the target group of its work, and how such
intercultural projects related to the broader field. The Jury also took into
account the project partners and their network as well as how innovative or
creative their contribution is in this field. The Evens Prize 2000 was awarded to two organizations and is to be
shared by them. The two organizations presented two different but, in the
Jury's view, excellent projects, which the Jury thought, should share the
first Prize. It was felt that both the organizations could learn from each
other. The Stichting Vredeseducatie/Peace Education Projects in Utrecht
submitted their project entitled "Ordinary - Extraordinary". The
Steunpunt Intercultureel Onderwijs/Centre of Intercultural Education in Ghent
had worked on their project "CLIM - Cooperative Learning in
Multicultural Classes". The Jury's joint first Prize was to be awarded to both the above
Projects on the condition that they could, through a dialogue, develop some
shared understandings about each other's strategies and work. The two
laureates held meetings at each others' sites where the principles and
objectives they had developed were debated to broaden their understanding of
intercultural education. There are large numbers of educators, youth and community workers,
non-governmental organizations that work in formal and informal sectors whose
work largely goes unrecognized. We hope the Evens Prize 2000 will bring about
greater recognition of these efforts. In Britain we especially have the problem of groups of people who work
in isolation on projects and do not know what others are doing in this field.
It is therefore useful if people are not "re-inventing the wheel"
but can learn from each other's successes and failures. The Evens Foundation
by giving the Prize and publishing the work in this field performs this task
of making intercultural education better known. In this context what happens in formal education and institutions is
as important as what happens in informal education. Work in intercultural
Education needs to provide a critical perspective to the questions they
raise. In this sense both teachers and learners need to have a critical
understanding and competences, which raise higher-level issues about learning
and ensure a better educational outcome for all learners. From across the Atlantic there is a critique that intercultural
education is politically correct and waters down education and that good
students do not benefit from such measures. Hence, issues of equalities in
education are seen to be at odds with those of quality. We hope that the way in which the
Evens Foundation judges projects, will work towards ensuring that issues of
equality and quality in education go hand in hand and need to enhance good
education for all. From our perspective the role of intercultural education
and curriculum is not to replace the substantive with the trivial but to make
the substantive more inclusive and universal. This is a complex task and issue especially since the inequalities and
differentials in our societies are not easily bridgeable. Teachers and
schools on their own cannot bridge these gulfs and pedagogic devices:
curricular changes are necessary. However, this is only one step in this long
journey. Unless urgent and concerted social and public policy action is
taken, with both black/white, indigenous and immigrant poor, our societies
will inherit entrenched neo-fascist and fundamentalist siege communities and
mentalities. It is to obviate these polarisations that there is a need to
establish greater levels of cooperation among those who work in issues of
intercultural education. The projects, which are laureates at this event, are helping in the
process of not defining teachers and learners in essentialist or 'ethnic'
ways with singular notions of self or identities. The ideas of the complexity
of self and the group, the notions of learning together as an inclusive
process, as well as the complexities of the human mind and the person are at
the core of the assumptions of the projects in this field. These processes and assumptions need
to be refined further, to be institutionalized deeper, so that we can all
live in a safer and more inclusive Europe. The work of the formal sector as well as the informal sector is not
clearly divided. The classroom doors do not separate what happens in the
classroom from what happens in school corridors, the playground and the
communities. If teachers and learners have negative or routinised
imaginations and have shrunken dreams, then the educative functions of
teachers and schools will not be enriched or nourished. What is needed is the
creation of learning environments in classrooms, schools and communities so
that all learners and teachers can participate in developing creative
imaginations, which find learning exciting, and as an avenue, which improves
educational results, broadens young peoples visions of life, and their active
involvement in institutions, structure and society at large. These we hope
will in turn lead to stable and safe guard schools and communities. The re-enchanting of the disenchanted and engagement with the public
institutions and structures in European societies is a complex task. It is on
the one hand essential to increase educational equalities and results, while
at the same time deepening democratic involvement and active citizenship.
Both the civil society and the formal sector need to work together and
develop joint approaches and projects. Not one sector has all the understandings, knowledge or skills. By
sharing them across sectors more holistic strategies can be developed. We hope that the debate that follows will illustrate some of the
differences and difficulties but with so many educators, researchers and
experts, present at this afternoon's event we can try to work towards some
productive and fruitful discussions and cooperative projects. |
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P A R T
O N E Peace Education Projects, Utrecht, The Netherlands The first part of this brochure is dedicated to the projects developed
by Peace Education Projects. The Foundation will concisely introduce itself
in a first chapter after which the concept of Interactive Learning will be
described and thoroughly illustrated on the basis of the interactive
exhibition in the Commemoration Centre on the former military Fortress The
Bilt. In Utrecht. A number of elements from the debates held between Peace
Education Projects and the Centre of Intercultural Education will be
described too. A number of conclusions will close this first part. The Foundation Peace Education Projects employs some ten people who
are working at interactive methods in the fields of the multicultural
society, the commemoration of the Second World War in relation to the present
and the topic of violence. They are specialised in the development of
didactic concepts that result in educational software, movies and videos,
interactive exhibitions and innovative educational projects. These projects
are realised by order of third parties or result from own initiatives. A
characteristic feature of the co-operation with the Foundation Peace
Education Projects is the close involvement of target groups and clients.
This enables us to guarantee the high quality of the projects. Some
speech-making assignments were carried out in the past few years by order of
museums, municipalities, educational programmes and other institutes with an
educational mission. Fortress The Bilt The office of the Foundation Peace Education Projects is located at
Fortress The Bilt in Utrecht. Some 140 men, mainly members of the resistance,
were shot here during the Second World War. The grounds, property of the city
of Utrecht, have an educational destination. The Foundation Peace Education
Projects runs a 'Remembrance Centre for the Future' at the Fortress. This
centre focuses mainly on children and on young people. They get to know about
the resistance during the Second World War. They can also discover how they
can dedicate themselves to helping other people: to a world in which there is
no room for discrimination and scapegoats: to a livable world in which all
men have their home. Groups of adults can also follow an educational
programme departing from several perspectives at Fortress The Bilt. The centre
accommodates an interactive exhibition on the resistance movement during the
Second World War, built into the present. Some tens of thousands of children
and young people and their teachers have already paid a visit to this
Foundation Peace Education Projects. The Foundation Peace Education Projects
was granted the Tolerantieprijs (Tolerance Prize) by the City of Utrecht in
2001 for its educational activities at Fortress The Bilt. Abroad, the Foundation Peace Education Projects is active under the
name of Peace Education Projects. They have organised interactive exhibitions
on prejudices and on the scapegoat phenomenon in six European countries, such
as Russia, Spain, Italy and Northern Ireland. Interactive Methodology The interest in the history of the Second World War is still growing.
New initiatives are developed in the field of youth counselling. An
increasing number of people ask questions on the connections between the past
and the present. These questions are very divergent since the Netherlands
constitutes a multicultural society. Can we learn from the past? And if so,
what does it mean for our present society? The project 'Interactive
Methodology', carried out by the Foundation Peace Education Projects, wishes
to take these questions seriously and to investigate them. By doing so, the
history of the Second World War will become instructive for all Dutchmen,
whatever their ethnic backgrounds may be. 2. The Challenge of Interactive Learning Interactive learning covers all aspects of the learning process. The
concept 'interactive' concerns all learners aimed at by the objectives, the
subject matter and the didactic tools. The teacher occupies a central
position within this process, thereby sharing his or her experience of life
and expert abilities with the learners. Learning is a social process. People
continuously learn from each other and teach other new things. However,
society also confronts young children with problems that they will have to
deal with in their own lives. In this chapter we will systematically go
through a number of points of departure. These points of departure will then
be illustrated on the basis of the interactive exhibition organised by the
Remembrance Centre for the Future Fortress The Bilt. Intentional learning The subject matter, the way in which this subject matter is processed
and the learning results are to a large extent determined by the interaction
between the person involved and his environment. This environment does not
only consist of the direct learning environment such as the school or the
museum, but also of the influences of society as a whole and of the several
groups to which the learner belongs. The latter case mainly concerns ways of
non-intentional learning. We can for example stroll through a museum or have
a conversation with somebody who is an expert in the field of the hole in the
ozone layer. Attitudes of teachers and parents towards values and standards
are also often transmitted to children in a non-intentional way as well.
Within the framework of intercultural education we will confine ourselves to
intentional learning. Nevertheless, a lot of attention is paid to the
so-called hidden curriculum transmitting implicit values and standards by
means of attitude, language and other kinds of behaviour. Education describes
the learning process as accurately as possible in terms of objectives, target
groups, didactic tools and evaluation tools. Visiting an amusement park with
a group of children can be an instructive experience, but we do not call
these kinds of activities education until we can link verifiable objectives
to the visit. Interactive learning Interactive learning has its theoretical basis in several concepts.
This is what we call an eclectic approach. The developers of learning
processes do not adhere to one school or one theoretical concept but draw on
all kinds of sources. By doing so, seemingly incompatible points of departure
and methods are combined into one single programme. Interactive learning
contains elements taken from programmed instruction, experience learning,
self-tuition, and from open and closed end learning methods. These elements
are combined with group instruction, individual coaching and group meetings
during which values are explained by means of games, conversations and
several ways of expression. Dealing with diversity This eclectic approach fits within the framework of the present
post-modern era that is characterised by quite a number of seemingly
incongruous combinations, summarised as 'and - and' instead of as 'if - if'.
Nevertheless, this approach is also based on some didactic elements and on
some elements regarding contents. The eclectic approach is an answer to the
problem experienced by all developers of learning processes, i.e. how to deal
with the considerable differences between the pupils. These differences
concern ethnic backgrounds, socio-economic factors and gender aspects.
Moreover, pupils also distinguish themselves on the basis of their talents
and their learning styles. The result of this complex of factors is that each
specific method selects its own pupils. A method that puts a strong emphasis
on linguistic skills will stimulate pupils who already have a satisfying
command of the language, whereas it will be out of reach for the pupils who
are less fluent. Another effect is that programmes that are meant to eliminate certain
deficiencies often do not reach the pupils who would benefit from them and
improve the skills of the proficient pupils. Another method that is aimed at
'self-reliant research' or 'open-end learning' selects pupils who are good at
working on their own and at structuring themselves in order to tackle their
learning assignment and to motivate the other members of their group.
Children who are not or not sufficiently able to do so, will experience this
kind of learning climate as being chaotic and will hence not be incited to
learn. Learning in variations Interactive learning explicitly wishes to be eclectic and offers all
opportunities to vary strongly as to the didactic tools and the knowledge
transfer. Indeed, the word 'interaction' implies that the aspects of learner,
objective, subject matter and didactic tools make up a dynamic whole. Pupils
with diverse backgrounds, learning capacities, learning styles and talents
can process the learning objectives in their own way. Explanation of values Another aspect of interactive learning concerns the way in which the
learning contents are dealt with. Indeed, an eclectic approach combines group
instruction and knowledge transfer with its own research, open questions and
values communication. Our approach to interactive learning clearly contains
moments of knowledge transfer. However, this is always in function of the own
learning process that has a researching and dialogic nature. This is why we
have summarised this way of working in the following motto: 'Do not teach
children what they should think, teach them that they should think'. Mottos
are always over-simplified but still it remains an accurate summary of
interactive learning. Prejudices The learning contents regarding the topic of prejudices are fixed at
levels of definition and social-psychological backgrounds. However, the
pupils should discover their own prejudices and link them to facts and
opinions. The pupils are not being told that prejudices are wrong or morally
reprehensible. Instead, they receive the tools to detect prejudices
themselves. They discover that they are acquired and that people can cure
themselves of these prejudices. They learn that prejudices are all in the
mind and that they are linked to fear and uncertainty; That prejudices as
opinions can lead to discrimination in our acting. These are only some of the
possible results of interactive learning. Illustrations From 1991 onwards, the Foundation Peace Education Projects has been
organising a number of exhibitions that were called 'interactive'. These
exhibition were among others held in Belgium, Russia, France, Italy and
Spain. By the middle of 2001 the method for interactive learning was
integrated in an educational software package called 'Seeing Sense' that was
distributed by some institutions in Northern Ireland. The development of the
interactive method was based on the history of the Second World War. This is
why the next chapter will focus on the interactive exhibition at the
Remembrance Centre for the Future Fortress The Bilt. 3. Remembrance Centre Fortress The Bilt Interactive Learning Illustrated The developers of the Remembrance Centre for the Future Fortress The
Bilt are convinced that there is no better way of commemorating than to teach
children and young people how to live up to the democratic ideals of freedom
and respect for their fellow men in their daily lives. Indeed, these were
also the ideals of the 140 members of the resistance who were executed in
Fortress The Bilt during the Second World War. The entire programme of the
Centre aims at involving the pupils in this commemoration objective in a
well-varied way. Main objective The main objective pursued during a visit to Fortress The Bilt is: To
involve children and young people in the history of the Second World War,
specifically into the history of the resistance and of the role of Fortress
The Bilt, and to link this history to their own experiences of life in a
multicultural society that is characterised by diversity in a challenging and
accurate way. Attainment targets After their visit to the Remembrance Centre for the Future Fortress
The Bilt and the processing of the teacher's manual at school, the pupils
can: * use the twin concepts 'true-not true' and apply them to their
reality. * define the difference between a fact and an opinion and give an
example of both. * define prejudices and explain that negative prejudices can lead to
discrimination. * Explain the concept of the scapegoat and analyse the scapegoat
phenomenon within the context of the Second World War and on the basis of
their own everyday experiences. * name ways of resistance in the past and in the present and
interrelate them. * name motives of resistance to injustice within the context of Second
World War-Present. * express their own opinion on the phenomena resist to... and dedicate
oneself to... * appreciate their own culture and ethnic background and put them in
perspective. * learn how to deal with 'common and strange' within the context of
culture. Observe from the perspective of themselves and of others. * expose stereotypes and racist prejudices in order to create a
respectful attitude towards people who are 'different'. * name a personal action perspective in situations illustrating
oppression and the scapegoat phenomenon. Target group The interactive exhibition at Fortress The Bilt is meant for children
of ten years and older. In practice, the exhibition is best suited for groups
of seven or eight primary school children and for children of the first class
of secondary schools. The experiences with children of Secondary Special
Education were satisfying as well. Pupils with learning problems or with a
physical handicap feel very comfortable at Fortress The Bilt too. The
interactive exhibition is a challenge for these children and mainly concerns
the development and the expression of their own opinion. This is how a wide
group of children is taken seriously. The content of the exhibition is
neither complex nor childish. It is a surprising, exciting and fun thing to
do. Moreover, adult groups (team training, excursion, refresher courses, post
school education etc.) obviously also like to visit the exhibition too. Their
discoveries are just as fascinating as the children's. Working methods The working methods applied in the exhibition are structured in a challenging
and interactive way. This entails that the children are involved in the topic
concerned in an interactive way. They are challenged to think of answers to
express their opinions, to look for solutions and to work together. The
exhibition at Fortress The Bilt is not intended to give the children
opinions. It aims at having them discover how they can develop their own
opinions on social topics such as war, peace, pestering and the scapegoat
phenomenon. The keywords of the method to be followed are: discover,
experience and act. The appeal of the exhibition is increased by means of
colourful and attractive materials such as mirrors, peepholes, puzzles and
moveable panels. The pupils are challenged to: - observe in an analytical way - cooperate and debate - ask questions - live the situation of other people - search for solutions - develop their own opinion - make choices as regards the action perspectives Organisation The teacher divides the children into groups of two beforehand. The
children arrive and watch a video of about fifteen minutes. Each child then
receives a route map and a starting number (pupils of one group have the same
number). All assignments of the exhibition are numbered. Each twosome starts
at another number in order to spread the group. At the end, all pupils will
have carried out all assignments. Task of the supervisor The exhibition is structured in an interactive way. This entails that
the children 'guide' themselves and follow the numbered panels on the basis
of the route map. The role of the supervisor is mainly to enthuse the
children. Adults should not take the initiative. They should only discuss the
assignment with the children if they are rushing or if they have reading
problems and do not understand certain assignments. Stimulation and support
is important. Children must look for answers themselves and develop their own
opinions. Concentration Most pupils work for about one hour in the indoor exhibition. Pupils
sometimes experience concentration problems and cannot fight down their
impulse to be a pest. This is mainly seen with children who are not used to
working on their own. Their visit to the exhibition will gain meaning by
offering them more structure at that moment. Moreover, the other children
will be better able to concentrate. The exhibition is organised in several
rooms. It is important for the teacher and the parents present to cover over
these rooms and to supervise the children. The introductory movie The special movie that was recorded within the framework of the
introduction of the exhibition serves two purposes. First it aims at
stimulating the concentration of the visitors after their bicycle, car or bus
trip. It also introduces some topics and concepts. The pupils are challenged
to look for a remedy for pestering, which is a problem that all children are
familiar with. The socio-psychological phenomenon of the scapegoat is
carefully applied to the history of the Second World War and to today's life
in the world of children. The scapegoat phenomenon is an example of same
which everybody experiences in everyday life. The scapegoat phenomenon took a
very extreme form during the Second World War. We can discern four groups in
the phenomenon: the perpetrators, the victims, the hangers-on or the
spectators and the resistance. In the world of the child, these groups would
be the pests, the scapegoat, the hangers-on and the resistance. The compere
of the movie comes to the conclusion that resistance, however difficult and
risky it might be, is always possible. Resistance is no longer a thing of the
past, of the Second World War. Resistance can also be seen when children ask
a question or refuse to follow suit and scold, pester or turn to other forms
of violence. In other words there is a remedy for pestering: 'You can be this
remedy if you offer resistance.' Offering resistance can for example entail
calling in help or showing the victim that you are aware of the pestering.
Resistance to injustice and helping other people is no longer a thing of the
past. It is possible anywhere and anytime and present-day children can make
their contribution. The interactive exhibition THE INDOOR EXHIBITION Topic 1. True or not true, sometimes true 'Dutchmen can be recognised on the basis of their white skin'. Is this
true or not true ? The children discover that it is not. Indeed, Ruud Gullit
is a Dutchman too ! Topic 2. Fact or opinion A fact is always true and an opinion can be true but is linked to the
ideas of the child. By adding the correct answers, the pupils find the number
of the key of the door of the guardhouse in which they will find 'the nicest
child of the whole world'. When they open the house, they will see themselves
reflected in a mirror. Topic 3. Prejudices 'Handicapped people are pitiful', 'Refugees are profiteers'. These are
two statements on groups that are not correct. They are prejudices and we all
have our own prejudices. They are not innate but acquired. The pupils learn
how to recognise prejudices by means of a game. They weight up facts and
opinions against each other. Topic 4. Common or strange The children discover that what is common in one culture can be
strange in another: blow your nose in a handkerchief, eat raw fish, gramps
and granny living in a home for the elderly, telling children that there is a
horse on the roof, unwrap a present in the presence of the giver, pray five
times a day, boys falling in love with boys and girls falling in love with
girls. Topic 5. The scapegoat The children discover the characteristics of the scapegoat phenomenon
in their own environment. There are pests and a group of hangers-on. The
children read three poems. The first is written by a pest, the second by a
hanger-on and the third by a scapegoat. Many children recognise the
situation. They are challenged to look for a solution for the scapegoat. They
conclude this exercise by writing down an experience of their own. Topic 6. Refugees This exercise shows five filled and opened suitcases of children who
were once refugees. Another suitcase is empty and the children are asked what
they would take with them if they had to flee. Topic 7.Resistance This is an extensive component of the exhibition covering all kinds of
things. Three members of the resistance serve as an example for other people.
They are Herman Benschop and Jo Kievits who performed acts of resistance and
were shot at Fortress The Bilt. The third portrait is that of Manfred
Lewinsohn, a Jewish member of the resistance who was active in the Children's
Committee of Utrecht that procured safe houses for Jewish children. The children meet Aike who tells them that his grandpa died at the age
of thirty. He was murdered at Fortress The Bilt. Two Surinam brothers have
lost their father and their uncle. They were killed at Fort Zeelandia in
Paramaribo. The children are then invited to present a medal to a person or an
organisation. Who will they choose ? Rosa Parks, Arkin Birdal, The Salvation
Army or Green Peace ? The pupils who wish to do so can, as an act of resistance, sign a fax
to a prisoner. The fax can be sent from the Centre, but it is usually sent at
school. A prisoner is 'adopted' in co-operation with Amnesty International.
This prisoner has been Min Ko Naing since the opening of the exhibition at
Fortress The Bilt in April 1991. Min Ko Naing used to be a student leader in
Myammar/Burma who asserted democratic rights in a non-violent way. He has
been in prison for more than ten years now. The children also get to know three people who were affected by the
war in a dramatic way. Carry was a woman courier during the Second World War.
Four of her resistance friends were killed at Fortress The Bilt. Jan gave the
order to shoot an Indonesian resistance fighter in the Dutch East Indies. He
has offered his apologies to the family. Nette is the daughter of a member of
the NSB and was pestered for years on end after the war. Topic 8. Peace and unrest The children complete a special questionnaire at the end of the indoor
exhibition. Their opinion is important. The children indicate what they fear,
what they hate, what they like and who is their biggest enemy. OUTDOOR EXHIBITION Part 1. Commemoration at the monument The pupils take the paved path and walk towards the monument. This
monument is erected on the execution ground. It is a simple monument showing
a mournful mother with her son and a skinny dog. The children are always
impressed. The symbolism of the flowers, the laurel wreath, the dog, the
vulnerable woman and the naked child clearly shows that they mourn the death
of a husband and a father. Part 2. Visit to the death bunker The casemate was built in the thirties. This bunker served as a prison
during the Second World War. Members of the resistance were sometimes
imprisoned here before they were executed. The bunker was sealed hermetically
and the prisoners had to pump oxygen into the building themselves. A
handwritten ode to queen Wilhelmina is still partly legible on one of the
walls. Part 3. Visit to the name-stones The children got to know Herman Benschop, Jo Kievits and André Doosjen
in the indoor exhibition. They are three members of the resistance who were
shot at Fortress The Bilt. The pupils look for their names and their ages on
the name stones. Part 4. What does resistance start with ? A continuation of the famous poem by Remco Campert is visible through
the loophole of another former machine-gun casemate. Resistance begins very
humbly. Somebody wonders about injustice. A question that entails risks.
Resistance grows if this question is asked to other people as well. Part 5. I offer resistance to / I dedicate myself to The opinions of the children are gathered in two former depots at the
end of the visit to the Remembrance Centre for the Future Fortress The Bilt.
They write down what they would like to offer resistance to. They also
indicate what they would like to dedicate themselves to. These are two
concepts that play an important role in our society. Resistance to injustice
and dedication to people, to our planet. 4. The exchange of expertise and debate Introduction speech Debate Evens Prize 2000 by Peace Education
Projects Directly after the attack on the innocent civilians in the United
States on 11th of September 2001, the appeals for revenge began. The fear and
insecurity of many people materialized as hatred and aggression towards all
moslem believers and everybody who showed the stereotypes of an Arab. This
reaction of negative prejudices and the scape-goating process is human.
Although the reaction is still understandable for people in crisis, we have
to try to deal with the existential feelings that our lives are vulnerable.
For we know from history and our own experiences as educators prejudices will
finally produce more fear and the scape-goat process will finally produce
more violence. Objectives In our interactive exhibitions in the Netherlands and six other
European countries, we want to strengthen the multicultural society, by
processing the own experiences of children and confronting them with social
events and the biographies of other people. We offer children between 10 and
14 years old, tools: - To investigate their own opinions - To unmask their own prejudices - To analyze their own role in violent group dynamics as the
scape-goat phenomenon and - To create perspectives of peace in their daily life. Learning in the exhibition Children visit our interactive exhibitions in groups of about 30 and
it takes roughly one hour and a half. After a short introduction by a
video-film, to make an appeal to the pupils' concentration, the children work
concentrated in pairs. First they interact between the panels with the
subjects. In the second place they interact with one another and write down
their opinion or solution in a booklet. The pupils manage their own learning
process and most of the admissions are self-correcting. The teachers and
other adults, play a role in the background. They are prepared to stimulate
the pupils so they can develop their own opinions and find their own
solutions. Afterwards, in the classroom, the booklet provides material for
follow up activities. And that is the third reason for naming this education
interactive. We frequently call the exhibition a game circuit to illustrate that
for most of the children, learning in such a context is serious but also a
great pleasure. For the teachers a manual is developed, containing some
theoretical backgrounds of the methodology and the theme of the multicultural
society and as well as a lot of different educational means and group
activities. Historical background of Multicultural Society When the first migration to Western Europe's industry areas took place
in the sixties of the last century, one could observe a society strongly divided
in Us and Them. It was the same for the people of our former colonies,
Indonesia, Surinam and the Dutch Antils. Educational research taught that the
development of a multicultural society, needs another educational approach,
especially when we realized that the migrant workers and their families
settled down. In all kind of education you could find programmes which have a
touristic approach. From a stereotype orientation and a eurocentred view, we
teach children about the tradition and culture of the others, especially
concentrated around food, clothing and celebrations. We have to recognise
that these programmes still exist in schools, for a lot of people think that
the multicultural society is still far away. In our exhibition we ask
children to react on the expression: True or False: All Dutch people are
white! Some children and a lot of adults think this is true. It is quite new
for them to discover that Ruud Gullit and about 1,5 milion Dutch are black. In the eighties there arose a need to design educational materials
which makes diversity in general subject of the programmes. We all differ in
character, gender, ethnic background, talents, social, cultural and economic
aspects. Neutralizing elements and political correctness We also know that (ethnic) violence, scape-goating and prejudices are
a part of the daily life of nearly every child. So we want to integrate these
concepts in the school curriculum. In opposition to the view of the Centre of
Intercultural Education according to their Complex Learning Programme, we
believe strongly that the justification of intercultural education lies in
the tensions and challenges of the multicultural society. The Centre of
Intercultural Education strongly embraces the view that it is not the
contents but the process of the learning group that is important. More
strongly expressed: 'Good education is intercultural education'. This brings
about the risk that the objectives put forward are too general and that,
consequently, they cannot be evaluated in a proper way. Complex Learning of the Centre of Intercultural Education seems to be
an example of non-political education that fits in the post-modern trend
nowadays. It seems to neutralize the social and political issues. We wonder
if this approach has something to do with the fact that the multicultural
society in Belgium is a hot issue for we have to deal with a large extreme
conservative political party and racist movement. Elaborating social contrasts We feel strongly that we must introduce social contrasts as a subject
of intercultural education. To discover the origin of the scapegoat, to
analyse the roles of the victims, the witnesses, the perpetrators, the
resisters and put ourselves as a subject in the centre of the scene. This
process of education has a rational component, for every judgment is empty
without knowledge and insight. But knowledge is always confronted with the
experience and emotions of the individual. We try to educate and learn with
our head, heart and hands from the angle of respect for children. The
rational component is illustrated by the fact that children can define a
prejudice, that they can give an example out of their own life. Prejudices
are part of their natural defense system. We are not born with prejudices. We
have learned them and that means that we can also unlearn them: that has a
rational, emotional and an active element at the same time. Open Ended Learning is limited Learning is a social process. People learn always and everywhere. Some
researchers are convinced that we learn even in our dreams. But education is
different. It is an organized and structured process with clear objectives
and a methodology to teach, learn and evaluate. So there is a difference
between multicultural learning and multicultural education. From our
observation, we have the feeling that the Centre of Intercultural Education
promotes diversity learning which has little to do with the multicultural
society as a social challenge. It is called Open Ended Learning. We think
that Open Ended Learning has his limits. Of course it is learning, but when
it is implemented in an educational curriculum, it needs themes, concepts and
structured means to achieve clear objectives. Maybe the Centre of
Intercultural Education wants to go far from traditional ways of learning
where the educators put all the readymade knowledge and opinions into the
empty heads of children. We also want to distance ourselves from that
approach but in our view multicultural education needs an implicit and
explicit approach. Institutional implementation During our earlier debates with the Centre, we discussed the teacher
whose role has been experienced as very complex. The teacher nowadays has a
low social status, whereas her social tasks and responsibilities are increasing
enormously. The personal and professional attitude of the teacher is
extremely important. We have experienced in Holland and also in Russia, that
children also play an important role in the implementation process. New
methods can only be successful if the teacher feels safe and expects
beforehand that the children will appreciate his or her efforts. The children
like our exhibitions very much. We tell them afterwards that there will be a
follow up programme in school. We have often seen that the children remind
the teacher to start the follow up programme. Of course we can appreciate
this. Besides we think that our efforts to implement the interactive
methodology in teacher training colleges are very effective. Our projects
don't want to attack the whole educational system. They can be perceived as
impulse activities which encourage the early innovators in the system and
challenge the indifferent participants to review their positions. Indoctrination During the eighties we were involved in peace education as a part of
the anti nuclear movement. We were often accused of indoctrination, mostly
from the conservative angle. Indoctrinating guiltless people and in
particular children with a very bad disease called Hollanditis. We have
always taken these accusations seriously by designing clear educational
objectives and means. We have a strong desire to develop tools for children
to make peace real in their daily life. We looked upon ourselves as
instrument - makers, not as architects. We want to provide tools, not
ready-made houses. We want children to be architects of their own life,
although, as educators part of that life. P A R T
T W O The Centre of Intercultural Education, Ghent, Belgium The Centre of Intercultural Education (CIE) of the Ghent University
was established in 1995 with the support of the Flemish government. In 2000,
the CIE was granted a five-year recognition as an academic support centre by
the Minister of Education. At the time it is probably the largest research,
training and development centre in Europe focusing on intercultural
education. The main goal of the CIE is to support the interculturalisation of
the Flemish educational field by providing coherent and scientifically-based
support to professionals and organisations active both inside and outside of
education. Approach to intercultural education The CIE's central subject is the social and cultural diversity in
societies and its consequences for learning. The CIE does not only reflect on
intercultural education, it also intends to shape it by introducing profound,
innovating and concrete strategies, methods and actions in Flanders as well
as abroad. The CIE adopts a pragmatic approach to interculturalism. The point of
departure is the everyday interaction rather than normative assumptions.
Consequent to the globalisation of the economy and the increasing
possibilities for travel and communication, the educational system requires
'intercultural learning'. This is realised through a more efficient contact
between individuals and groups which differ at the social, cultural, gender,
linguistic, religious, etc. levels. Teachers do not have to reinvent intercultural learning. Students are
not blank pages, but already have certain skills, including intercultural
skills. Teachers can work on and further develop the skills already present.
Furthermore, intercultural learning is innovative from a didactic point of
view. Teachers are about to redefine their own role, which is no longer
transmitting knowledge but rather becoming mediators on the learning path. Facing our current multicultural society, intercultural education
becomes the natural way to work at inclusiveness within the Flemish school
system.1 This implies a pragmatic strategy that integrates all aspects of
diversity occurring in everyday school life. 2 Looking at the situation in Flanders, we perceive on the contrary that
the transmission model is predominant in the organisation and the content of
the educational system. Learning is done within a hierarchical interaction
model, with the logical-mathematical and the verbal-linguistic intelligences
as the top two. The teacher is seen as an absolute expert standing on a
pedestal, having all the skills and knowledge the pupils are to acquire. The
ultimate goal of education is to obtain the same fixed level of academic
knowledge for each pupil in the classroom. This approach has a homogenising
effect on pupils and leads to the exclusion of those who cannot reach the required
level. This predominance of the transfer of knowledge and skills in a one-way
path from teacher to pupils contrasts sharply with the variety of skills,
values and attitudes pupils need in everyday life inside and outside these
classrooms. In daily situations it is necessary to combine skills and
interaction patterns. The fact that we can become aware of the kind of
skills, values and attitudes required in a specific context proves that we
can learn to deal with various situations by means of various actions. This
is what we call the acquisition of intercultural competence. When observing pupils and teachers, we notice that they cope with
social and cultural diversity every day, without the interference of the
educational system. Within daily, spontaneous interaction people acquire
knowledge and develop attitudes and skills to handle differences. On the
basis of the existing ability to deal with diversity and pluralism, the
pupils and their educators can broaden their intercultural competence through
intercultural education. Viewed from this pragmatic perspective we define the
concept of intercultural education as "learning to deal more adequately
with all occurring aspects of diversity within the given school or
organisation context". Activities The CIE combines a range of activities: research, development and
training. They are all co-ordinated on the basis of constant exchange and
co-operation within a multidisciplinary team. Research The CIE carries out qualitative research into processes and strategies
of intercultural learning. The point of departure is the everyday life of the
people involved. The aim is to obtain a better understanding of the way in
which individuals and groups deal with diversity. Action research, evaluation
research and ethnographic research have been carried out in classrooms,
schools and school environments. Training The training offered by the CIE aims at informing and motivating all
educational agents to take up the challenge of interculturality, to enhance
their professionalism by means of high-quality teaching in contexts of
increasing complexity, to develop strategies to identify and strengthen
intercultural skills, to build an intercultural school climate and to support
school advisory services and inspectorates in their supportive and evaluative
role. Development The CIE designs exemplary materials that stimulate the innovation of
intercultural education. The materials developed within the CLIM project
illustrate this objective. Cooperative Learning in Multicultural Classes
(CLIM) is a Flemish variant of Complex Instruction, a teaching method
developed at the Stanford University of California by Elizabeth Cohen. The
Centre develops units as good example materials that guide schools in the
direction of an optimal use of interaction and diversity. The CIE designed so
far 14 CLIM units for primary and secondary schools. The development process
was sustained by a study group with a delegation of the Centre for Language
and Migration and the Flemish Education Council. Key actors in the process of interculturalisation need to monitor,
plan and assess intercultural actions at the classroom and school levels. To
that end the CIE develops instruments for classroom observation and school
screening instruments. They are designed to enhance the quality and
self-learning capacity of school staffs. 2. Cooperative Learning in Multicultural Classes (CLIM) Cooperative Learning In Multicultural groups, or CLIM, is derived from
Complex Instruction (CI), a methodology for conceptual learning as an answer
to the insufficient achievements of 'inner-city-kids'. CI argues that all
pupils can learn, regardless of their linguistic, social, cultural ...
backgrounds. To that end, CI creates a highly structured and sustaining
didactic framework, whilst at the same time taking the heterogeneity of the
group into account. Status is rendered to every pupil in the group through
the optimal use of his or her multiple intelligences. This happens by means
of cooperative learning in which mutual dependency and responsibility are
decisive. The task-oriented and motivating approach of CI offers a helping
hand to obtain good learning results. The main objective of CI is to bring
pupils to a higher level of learning. CI incites teachers and curriculum developers to adapt the classical
curriculum in order to develop open-ended and uncertain tasks evolving around
big questions, thereby addressing multiple intelligence abilities. Secondly
it offers an opportunity for the teacher to delegate authority to the pupils
without any loss of impact on the learning process. The teacher observes,
mediates and helps to establish the local status of pupils in order to obtain
a higher and more equal level of participation in the learning process for
every pupil. CI not only enhances academic learning, it also provides a strong
basis for intercultural education. For this reason the CIE decided to develop
CLIM. CLIM offers the opportunity to acquire intercultural competence, during
the whole process of experiencing attitudes, skills and values inside and
outside the classroom. CLIM attempts to combine intrinsic content elements
with social skill building. The contents of the materials for teachers and
pupils depend on the chosen theme. The concepts are comprehensive and
generate reminiscences of the pupils' living environments. Ethnic diversity
is integrated in the materials as an important but not predominant
contribution to the learning process. CLIM embodies the main characteristic of intercultural education:
learning from diversity and interaction. The 'climbing' groups ('klim' means
'to climb' in Dutch) have to stick to a limited set of basic rules. They have
to work on open-ended tasks in a rotating structure. They have to take into
account social standards and roles as far as interaction is concerned. As
such they function as resources for each other. The group products have to be
presented to the class so that other groups can further develop them. These
measures structure the group work and provoke respect and solidarity between
the pupils through the exchange of meanings and experiences. A teacher sets off for school in the morning with a tool box. This box
contains all kinds of working methods and several types of approaches. He or
she chooses the appropriate tool dependent on what he or she wishes to teach
the pupils. CLIM is one of the means to bring some variation into his or her
teaching, to prepare the pupils for their later life and to offer each pupil
scope to develop. CLIM depends on a number of solid rules. The rules are the so-called
'building blocks for cooperative learning'. The pupils feel that these rules
are indispensable in order to be able to cooperate and this is how they learn
to stick to them. In our opinion, it is of paramount importance that the
pupils themselves experience the significance of mutual responsibility. At a seminar, a car mechanics teacher was introduced to the concept of
the 'jigsaw puzzle'. He decided to test this working method in his class. The
course subject was the differential gear of the car. This is obviously a
complex component. Consequently, the teacher invests quite some energy in the
transfer of all the information. This time the teacher tackles the subject in
another way: by means of cooperative group work. Each individual pupil of
each group had some information on the differential gear of the car at his
disposal: text, drawings, pictures, calculations. The pupils were asked a
number of open questions the answers to which could be found on their
resource cards. After some time the teacher regrouped the pupils in so-called
'expert groups' giving them the assignment to compare their solutions and to
continue their work together. The 'basic groups' were restored in a third
phase. The pupils informed each other of their results. The teacher explained
afterwards: 'I must admit that the pupils have learned more about the subject
than when I leant over backwards to explain what the differential gear is. A
secondary effect was that discipline was less of a problem. The pupils kept
on working on their assignment in a well-motivated way.' Each CLIM-topic has its own fixed structure. The introduction is a
class event. The introductory activities appeal to the pupils interests. The
introduction is followed by five rotating activities, evolving around a
central concept. Five groups are working simultaneously. Each group has its
own specific assignment. The activities are repeated five times in order to
enable each group to carry out all the assignments. The synthesis activity of
each topic consists in a concrete action towards the broader school context
or the local community. A rotation activity is developed as follows. The teacher tackles the
rules agreed upon, the building blocks of cooperative learning, the multiple
skills applied and the roles during the orientation moment. The pupils gather
information during the group work of the A-activity and carry out an
assignment in the B-activity. The groups submit their product to their
classmates during the presentation. These products keep their value as
resources for the benefit of the assignments in the next rotation. In what follows we elaborate the basic structure and content of two
CLIM-topics. These examples, titled: "Celebrating together?" and
"A screw loose?", are developed for primary schools, second
graders. Celebrating together? A CLIM-topic always focuses on a certain concept. This concept is the
basic idea that we wish to transmit to the pupils. It must be suitable for
generalisation and sufficiently comprehensive. The concept must be linked with reality to make
it transferable. The focal point of 'Celebrating together?' is 'to party'. What are the common characteristics of all
parties, wherever and whenever they are organised ? In order to make this
key-question more concrete the group work concerns the organisation of a
class party. The pupils gradually develop their own class party during the
rotations. They draw up a party scenario during the synthesis activity. Introduction During the introduction, the pupils eagerly look forward to the coming
activities. At the same time, the necessary information is provided. The
pupils choose the occasion for organising their own party. Do you want to party? The pupils draw up a scenario for the class party during this
activity. They bear in mind the classroom, the reception, the programme and
the party menu. Organisation and planning are important skills that are
tapped. This scenario does not need to be complete. The next groups further
develop it. This entails that they are also allowed to add alternatives, take
different roads, polish or just continue the work of the previous groups.
This scenario will be passed on from group to group and is an important tool
for the realisation of the ideas during the synthesis activity. Shall we dance? This rotation taps a completely different intelligence from the
multiple intelligence areas as formulated by Gardner, i.e. the physical
intelligence. Each group demonstrates dancing skills. The pupils ask
questions on the accompanying music and develop a choreography for the dance
party. It is important for the teacher to keep a low profile during the
discussions on the type of music and to give youth culture a prominent
position within this activity. Who's the partygoer? Based on illustrations, the pupils try and find the meaning and the
use of masks. The resource cards show masks from different cultures and
historical periods. The pupils make each other up thus visualising the topic
of the class party. Spread your colours The pupils receive quite a lot of information on all kinds of
decorations. One of their assignments is to embellish part of the classroom.
A wall, the ceiling, the windows, the hallway and the exterior wall can be
decorated. By doing so, the outside world gradually learns of the existence
of the class party. What an idea! The pupils draw up an invitation thereby clearly defining the shape
and the contents of the message. They are able to do so since their target
group and the topic of the party had already been decided on during the
introduction. The pupils can also opt for a bellman or for a musical
invitation. Synthesis All possible ideas that were uttered during the five rotations are put
into practice during the concluding activity. The party scenarios can play an
important part in doing so. The pupils apply the working method of the
'jigsaw puzzle' and discuss and explain their proposals. Newly learned skills and contents are
now concretised. The result is a class party organised by the pupils
themselves. The pupils will have to face reality. Is there a budget ? Is there
sufficient time ? Who will be invited? Is there enough room ? Who takes care
of what? They start working autonomously in order to cope with these
problems. A screw loose? The concept of this topic is the relationship between man and
technique. Man and technique are bound up with one another. Man develops all
kinds of techniques that make life more pleasurable. The key question is: how
do people make use of technique. This topic results in an exhibition on
technique during the synthesis activity. Introduction The teacher can choose one of the course suggestions. All suggestions
start and end with a group discussion. The different groups work with texts
(on the construction of a kite and the pressing of olives) or on the basis of
propositions. Another course suggestion helps the pupils reduce complex technological
devices to their initial aim. The introduction does not explicitly tackle the concept. The concept
and the accompanying key question are developed and answered during the
rotation activities. How do we get across? The group must choose one of five ways in which to cross a river. They
then build a construction thereby taking into account three set conditions.
Each group is confronted with a different situation. How does this device work? A box contains a number of simple devices: (a corkscrew, a tin
opener...). Each group chooses one device. A different technical principle is
studied in each rotation on the basis of this device (screw, wheel,
pulley...) The group tries to find out how the device works and develops a
device to make life at school more pleasurable. How does the landscape change? The pupils range drawings of evolved landscapes. Their assignment
consist in the selection of a landscape in which they would like to live
themselves. They organise a parade and try to convince their classmates. How naughty is the telly? The pupils make a poster propagating the good use of a technical
application and advising against the bad use of this application. They have
heard certain statements during the information session (about the cellular
phone, the chopper, the TV, the clock, the motorboat) and were given the opportunity to
take several stances on the use of objects. How do we build a play-o-rama? The pupils discover several types of drive mechanisms on the resource
cards. They see that power can be generated by means of the sun, the wind and
the water. But man also can apply his force to put things in motion. The
different groups process their insights by constructing a mutual play-o-rama
in which everything can move. Synthesis The pupils organise an exhibition. The information gathered during the
rotations and the experiences gained constitute the basis of this exhibition.
The group products are incorporated. An exhibition plan is developed. The
rest of the school is shown round the exhibition. The pupils can thereby act
as guides for the visitors of other classes. 3. CLIM as a breakthrough project for intercultural education in schools While observing pupils in class, teachers can see that CLIM initiates
a closer collaboration. An additional advantage is that lower status pupils
who are often left out, are more appreciated for their contribution when the
group's products turn out to be a success. However the classroom does not
mirror social life. When lower status pupils return to the playground,
exclusion or bullying often starts again. It takes time and experience to
transfer the interdependence in the classrooms to the outside world. When
systematically applied, CLIM seems to make that transfer possible. Teachers
tell us that a regular CLIM practice generates positive effects; it enhances
tolerance and respect between the learners. CLIM also seems to affect the
teachers: it changes their perspective on pupils and stimulates them to
reconsider their approach to teaching. Working with CLIM generates 'good examples' for teachers and pupils.
It especially stimulates teachers to look beyond the 'failing' of pupils.
While working with CLIM, school staff discovers the advantages of
heterogeneous groups. By normalising heterogeneity CLIM thus prevents
exclusion and discrimination in schools. In many schools it is the first step
in the integration of diversity in the learning process. It often leads to
further actions in the school. As such, CLIM is a true Trojan horse: it
attracts teachers because pupils seem to do better academically, while at the
same time they start appreciating the added value of diversity for learning.
In conclusion, CLIM functions as a teaser to convince schools to come to
terms with the multiform reality of society. It enables schools to become
more interculturally powerful learning environments. 4. The rationale 'behind' CLIM In striving for a more inclusive education we need to formulate
careful and complex answers to a whole range of questions. How can
intercultural education create equity in schools ? Can intercultural
education provide fair competition and at the same time prevent exclusion ?
Should interculturalism be made explicit in curriculum contents or is it
better to implement it 'between the lines' ? Parts of the answers follow
below. As we choose for dialogue rather than for one-way presentations, we
formulate our answers as 'propositions' We hope that our ideas can inspire
you for further elaboration and we welcome your reflections. Making differences and similarities explicit can be a pitfall Stressing differences and similarities between pupils in combination
with a strong suggestion for action based on a transcultural morality, is
often seen as 'the' thing to do. Focusing on the transfer of knowledge and
cultural assumptions entails the risk of strengthening the traditional
concept of culture.3 Multicultural societies are often represented as a
mosaic of ethnic groups, juxtaposed by their cultural traits. Clinging to
recognizable, external differences (such as food, folklore, celebrations,
physical appearances...) is very tempting. When a well-intentioned teacher
asks a newcomer in class to talk about her e.g. Moroccan background, the
teacher reduces the pupil to one single aspect of her identity. The same
holds for obvious similarities (we are all human, we all eat, need love, have
two arms, etc.). Emphasizing similarities between people in spite of the
inherent diversity, will not do either. Both approaches tend to simplify the
complex and ambiguous realities and differentiated experiences of children. Working together in a deliberate way and applying the skills present
is a very effective antidote to homogenisation. It takes all aspects of
diversity into account as experienced by the pupils (in contrast with as
defined by adults/parents/teachers). Taking the experience and the ability of
the pupils seriously, means that it is up to the pupils to name and
categorise differences that are relevant to them. Role rotation, sharing
information and multiple intelligences enable pupils to recognise and use
different abilities. Rather than limiting diversity to ethnicity or culture
as adults often do, pupils experience diversity as concrete differences in
interests, characters... In the end it dismisses us from 'heavy moralising'
or having to 'change the system'. The structured group-work frame stimulates
pupils to take advantage of their (temporary defined and therefore changing)
differences in a natural way. Beyond the categorizing of cultures All categorizations are mere constructions. Deconstructing them can be
worthwhile, but tends to become an ideology in itself or leads to nihilism.
Another approach is the promotion of a dynamic view on culture, by showing
teachers new approaches to the given context. We intend to convince schools
to make the positive choice for inclusive education as we are ourselves
convinced that every school can become a powerful environment that is
creative enough to enhance intercultural learning. Conclusions 1. Who is who in Intercultural Education? Intercultural Education is a structured means of learning and teaching
diversity in society. Often there is confusion about the target group. The
majority, minorities, the parents, the children, society as a whole? Would
there be intercultural education when there are no immigrants in society? For Peace Education Projects, intercultural education is directly
linked to the tensions and challenges of today's society. Taking this as a
starting point, the Centre of Intercultural Education focusses on the way
people deal with diversity as a main characteristic of society. Both
laureates share the intentions of being instrument-makers, to offer children
and young people tools to construct their own ideas. 2. Common challenges It is the challenge of education to create a learning environment.
There is no difference in the learning contents and the process, as far as
the pupils are concerned. The challenges of education are: 1. To help children establish and maintain their own individual
position in society by acquiring a clearer understanding of how society works
and encourage them to become active participants; 2. To encourage children to exercise 'social skills' and to encourage
them to take their responsibilities in society. 3. Different backgrounds - simular missions One of the most important differences between the two laureates is
their position in society. Peace Education Projects was originally based on the European peace
movement that came on the political stage in the early eighties. The
organization was founded as a private association. It has been founded as a
civil initiative. This social origin meant that their educational efforts
have always had a political impact. Sometimes the organization was accused
for confusing education with propaganda. The representatives of Peace Education
Project do recognize the political impact of their activities but they deny
the accusations of propaganda. Peace Education in itself excludes any
absolute answer and any kind of propaganda. The Centre of Intercultural Education is a part of the Ghent
university and in this way a part of the educational system. The Centre is a
formal organization, based in society but primarily focused on research and
the implementation of research linked methodology. 4. Learning for change in a multicultural society There are in general two approaches of education: the prescriptive and
the preventive approach. The prescriptive approach prescribes the transfer of absolute opinions
and values about life and society. The experiences and expertise of children
on these matters have a minor role in the learning process. Didactically,
memorisation and rehearsal are important. The result of learning can be
measured statistically and the individual disappears in the collective. The preventive approach is aimed at enhancing intercultural
understanding. The pupils' own social background is confronted with
knowledge. While communicating, the pupils are encouraged to exercise social
skills and to take responsible actions. During this confrontation new values,
new ideas and new behavioural perspectives are constructed. Thanks to this
preventive approach the pupils themselves are enabled to bring the
intercultural ideal of learning for change into practice. The multicultural society is a fact. There is no need to stimulate a world
as a global village for it already exists and it is expanding. Because our
society is so complicated, there is great need for education as a life long
learning. There is a need to bring children into a situation of giving
significance to their society and to offer them tools to lead their own life.
When people ask the question: which approach to intercultural education is
the most appropriate to nowadays school curriculum, both laureates will
subscribe a preventive approach. Although their starting points are
complementary according to the jury, their didactic means differ. Peace Education Projects will say: make the richness, tensions, and
challenges of the multicultural society explicit. Give insight and exercise
in tools and expertise of prejudices, the scape goat phenomenon and
group-dynamics. Make cultural, ethnic and social diversity explicit,
including aspects of gender. Let children work on a problem and form that
experience, so they can take their responsibility in society now and in the
future. The Centre of intercultural education will say: take the experience of
the learners as a starting point. Look at the classroom and the working
groups as the social environment of learning. By executing a mission in
little groups where tasks and roles change from time to time, learners draw
on different abilities and learn diversity at practice. This is an example of
an implicit approach. The pupils learn to learn and handle diversity as a
'normal' part of life. The hope in both approaches is that children will implement the
diversity skills, which they learned by doing (explicit or implicit) in the
different areas of society. Evens Foundation Mrs. Christine Castille Van Bréestraat 14 2018 Antwerp Belgium Phone:
+32-3-2313970 Fax:
+32-3-2339432 E-mail: ef@evensfoundation.be Internet : www.evenfoundation.be Peace Education Projects/Remembrance Centre Fortress The Bilt Mr. Jan Durk Tuinier Mr. Geu Visser Biltsestraatweg 160 3573 PS Utrecht Phone:
+31-30-2723500 Fax:
+31-30-2723563 E-mail: info@vredeseducatie.nl Internet : www.vredeseducatie.nl The Centre of Intercultural Education, Ghent University Mrs. An Vleurick Mr. Marc Verlot Sint Pietersnieuwstraat 49 9000 Ghent Belgium Phone :
+32-9-2647040 Fax:
+32-9-2647049 E-mail: an.vleurick@rug.ac.be E-mail : marc.verlot@rug.ac.be COLOPHON This brochure is a result of discussions and debates between the two
laureates of the Evens Prize 2000, The Foundation Peace Education Projects,
Utrecht, The Netherlands and The Centre of Intercultural Education of Ghent
University Belgium. The brochure is published in December 2001 by the Evens
Foundation, Antwerp, Belgium. The authors of the contributions in this
brochure perceive the ownership of the copyrights. Participants internal debates Peace Education Projects: Jan Durk Tuinier, Geu Visser The Centre of Intercultural Education: An Vleurick, Marc Verlot Evens Foundation: Christine Castille, Ellen Preckler Text Jan Durk Tuinier, Geu Visser, An Vleurick, Marc Verlot Editor Jan Durk Tuinier Translations part
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