In today’s multicultural and complex society, training on diversity issues becomes an indispensable foundation for the full development of the skills needed to meet today’s challenges. Within formal and non formal educational contexts, first and foremost schools, there is an increasing need for professionalism capable of managing and initiating multicultural practices. In other words, it is a matter of satisfying differentiated needs that require qualified and up to date training. In this sense, the multicultural orientation in the educational context aims at defining an intentional project to promote dialogue and cultural exchange for all. In this way, diversities of all kinds, cultural, gender, social class, become a privileged point of view of educational processes, offering the opportunity for each person to develop from what they really are. Multicultural education, in fact, emerges from many quarters as a tool for reflection and educational action, not only for school workers, but for all those who find themselves living in a “society of interdependencies”. Multiculturality calls us, therefore, to make a choice of meaning, to develop a critical ethnocentrism and to work on building bridges and roads, in search of a possible dialogue and new co-constructed identities. Multicultural education, as extensively set out in this contribution, concerns everyone, and only acquires meaning and reason to exist within broad frameworks that stem from the conception of dignity and respect for all individuals, with a view to the develop- ment of equal opportunities for choice and personal development and wellbeing. In line with this perspective, the volume has been divided into two parts. The first part of the text is dedicated to an indepth examination of the concept of multiculturalism from a perspective that tends to analyse it, clarifying theories, concepts, and terms, useful to create a lexicon, a common, scientifically supported language that facilitates understanding. The second part, on the other hand, aims to clarify how, starting with a correct approach to educational work in schools, one can hope to spread an increasingly necessary “culture of diversity”, which must be properly designed and constructed. The importance of acquiring knowledge and skills useful for intercultural dialogue is also emphasised, not only as a training objective for students, but as a relevant element for teaching professionalism. From this perspective, the Italian school is called upon to choose to adopt the multicultural perspective, i.e. the promotion of dialogue and confrontation between cultures, for all pupils and at all levels: teaching, curricula, disciplines, relationships, classroom life. Opting for a multicultural perspective means, therefore, not limiting oneself to mere integration strategies for immigrant pupils, nor to special compensatory measures. Instead, it is a matter of taking diver- sity as a paradigm of the very identity of the school in pluralism, as an opportunity to open the entire system to all differences. Becoming aware of the relativity of cultures, in fact, does not mean arriving at an absolute relativism, which postulates neutrality towards them and thus prevents their relations. Multicultural strategies avoid separating individuals into autonomous and impermeable cultural worlds, instead promoting confrontation, dialogue, and even mutual transformation, in order to make coexistence possible and address the resulting conflicts. Within these trajectories of meaning, multicultural education and training can take new steps to achieve a truly democratic society, representing an important space for personal and social growth and emancipation. This contribution therefore aims to explore the topic of multicultural education through the integration of theoretical aspects, practical experience, and empirical research. These aspects, which are clos- er to the observable reality, allow for a comprehensive and in-depth analysis with respect to the issues of multiculturalism and education.
EDUCATING FOR DIVERSITY. A CONSTRUCTIVIST PEDAGOGY FOR INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION
lo presti francesco
;
2023-01-01
Abstract
In today’s multicultural and complex society, training on diversity issues becomes an indispensable foundation for the full development of the skills needed to meet today’s challenges. Within formal and non formal educational contexts, first and foremost schools, there is an increasing need for professionalism capable of managing and initiating multicultural practices. In other words, it is a matter of satisfying differentiated needs that require qualified and up to date training. In this sense, the multicultural orientation in the educational context aims at defining an intentional project to promote dialogue and cultural exchange for all. In this way, diversities of all kinds, cultural, gender, social class, become a privileged point of view of educational processes, offering the opportunity for each person to develop from what they really are. Multicultural education, in fact, emerges from many quarters as a tool for reflection and educational action, not only for school workers, but for all those who find themselves living in a “society of interdependencies”. Multiculturality calls us, therefore, to make a choice of meaning, to develop a critical ethnocentrism and to work on building bridges and roads, in search of a possible dialogue and new co-constructed identities. Multicultural education, as extensively set out in this contribution, concerns everyone, and only acquires meaning and reason to exist within broad frameworks that stem from the conception of dignity and respect for all individuals, with a view to the develop- ment of equal opportunities for choice and personal development and wellbeing. In line with this perspective, the volume has been divided into two parts. The first part of the text is dedicated to an indepth examination of the concept of multiculturalism from a perspective that tends to analyse it, clarifying theories, concepts, and terms, useful to create a lexicon, a common, scientifically supported language that facilitates understanding. The second part, on the other hand, aims to clarify how, starting with a correct approach to educational work in schools, one can hope to spread an increasingly necessary “culture of diversity”, which must be properly designed and constructed. The importance of acquiring knowledge and skills useful for intercultural dialogue is also emphasised, not only as a training objective for students, but as a relevant element for teaching professionalism. From this perspective, the Italian school is called upon to choose to adopt the multicultural perspective, i.e. the promotion of dialogue and confrontation between cultures, for all pupils and at all levels: teaching, curricula, disciplines, relationships, classroom life. Opting for a multicultural perspective means, therefore, not limiting oneself to mere integration strategies for immigrant pupils, nor to special compensatory measures. Instead, it is a matter of taking diver- sity as a paradigm of the very identity of the school in pluralism, as an opportunity to open the entire system to all differences. Becoming aware of the relativity of cultures, in fact, does not mean arriving at an absolute relativism, which postulates neutrality towards them and thus prevents their relations. Multicultural strategies avoid separating individuals into autonomous and impermeable cultural worlds, instead promoting confrontation, dialogue, and even mutual transformation, in order to make coexistence possible and address the resulting conflicts. Within these trajectories of meaning, multicultural education and training can take new steps to achieve a truly democratic society, representing an important space for personal and social growth and emancipation. This contribution therefore aims to explore the topic of multicultural education through the integration of theoretical aspects, practical experience, and empirical research. These aspects, which are clos- er to the observable reality, allow for a comprehensive and in-depth analysis with respect to the issues of multiculturalism and education.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
