As Cultural diversity makes a Country a much more interesting place in which to live, in the same way Cultural diversity makes a classroom a much more interesting place in which to work! If we all thought alike imagine how boring the world would be! Thank God for diversity! 

Every student learns in a different way (Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences) and I can experience that every day at school.   

Promoting diversity is a goal shared by many teachers, but actually achieving this goal in the day-to-day classroom is often hard to do.

I really hope to learn more about cultural diversity and to improve my methodological approach and strategies.

discussion about diversity.  It is important to celebrate similarities, 

as well as discovering differences between 

students. Actually in my classroom are two foreign students: I think this is a great resource for the other students!

 

You are a reflective practitioner who is open to trying out new things to ensure the diversity of your students is valued and recognized in your teaching approaches. You make the learning process relevant to your students by adapting resources or providing examples that reflect the student’s experiences. You try to integrate cultural diversity as a topic in your teaching beyond prescribed moments in the curriculum. 

Take a look at this table with the different answer options to see other ways how cultural diversity can be addressed in the classroom.

I haven’t experienced cultural surprice in my classroom so far, but at home for my elder son. Two years ago, I experienced “People-to-People”, hosting an american student. The mission of this program is to connect student travelers to new cultures and new friendships and to accept and understand each other’s cultural differences. It was an awesome experience!   

 

 

The last project (but not the least)  was a stage show, “lo Schiaccianoci” (the Nutcracker). The project’s aim was to involve students with  disabilities and not to sing and play together in order to foster  integration and to implement an inclusive teaching methodology.  The stage was a challenging and rewarding setting, an effective means of collaboration and socialization that allowed the respect for others and their identity,  the sharing of  areas and objects. An awesome experience!

 

The essential elements for creating a sense of community in our classroom are teachers.  It is our loving, compassionate attitude towards the children in our classroom that creates a joyful community. 

It isn’t easy to make. It is a hard challenge!! Children learn best when they feel they are part of a community, where everyone feels accepted and where individuality is encouraged. Foster a sense of belonging where children learn how to participate in class meetings, work collaboratively, and resolve conflicts peacefully.

At the beginning of the school year, in my school we used to organize “the reception day” for creating a sense of community, an environment that says to students, "everybody is welcome here."  This new group of students bring with them divergent interests, abilities, cultures, and families. In our first months we focus on establishing  a nurturing environment. We try to build a community through family involvement, for examples by asking  phone number, email address, or by having a little chat when they drop off and pick up their children. Very often (in theme days), we invite family to visit and share their culture, work, and interests. 

 
I’ve very often practiced empathy games “If I were you….” or “walk in another’s shoes…” in my classroom or  activities that encourage the students to work together (cooperative learning) with peers supports.  I think these activities are the best solution for social and interpersonal interaction. But  there's a common belief that "you are how you are" interacting with other people, and thus, there's little or nothing you can do about it. 

Italy is made up by many different regions and provinces - each one with its own distinctive dialect, culture and history. In Sicily the way we speak is completely original. The most important element of communication are the gestures: the way we move our hands, hold our heads, move our shoulders, our facial expressions, as well as the way we use our eyes and mouths to make ourselves understood. We simply cannot talk without our hands. 

We are a generous, sunny and communicative people. We like to smile; we love to talk - preferably over a one or two hour meal followed by a good cup of coffee.

Italy is a strange and wonderful country that is well worth a visit!

Point out one thing (an idea, an impression, some important information, a best practice, an experience, a resource, etc) you will not forget from this course, and how do you think you could use this in one of your lessons or in your class. 

We (all teachers participants) have made up a multicultural virtual class. All of us have described 

a multitude of teaching strategies and experiences in educating diverse student learners. That was the greatest wealth I’ll take home!