Addressing educational needs of teachers in the EU for inclusive education in a context of diversity: VOLUME 1 â Teachers' intercultural competence: Working definition and implications for teacher education

Abstract

In spite of policy impetus, research shows that teachers struggle to address increasing diversity in classrooms, among others, due to lack of competences to deal with it. The acquisition of Intercultural Competence (IC), which could be defined as the ability to mobilise and deploy relevant attitudes, skills, knowledge and values in order to interact effectively and appropriately in different intercultural situations, is a crucial need for teachers to deal with diversity and to be successful in their teaching. In this context, in 2019 JRC launched INNO4DIV project with aim to support polices in field of IC of teachers, through analysis of literature and innovative good practices which have successfully addressed existing barriers for teacher's IC development. The conceptual framework presented in this report aims at providing, for purpose of research project, a model of reference for development of IC in teacher's education in Europe. It offers an overview of international frameworks elaborated during last decade in order to provide teachers with competences for addressing cultural diversity in classroom, including UNESCO Intercultural Competence, OECD Global Competence and Council of Europe (CoE) Competence for Democratic Culture frameworks, analysed within perspective of EU 2018 European Council Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong learning. The first part concludes by posing CoE Reference Framework on Competences for Democratic Culture as most suitable framework model for research purpose, for its comprehensiveness and policy endorsement at EU level. The report also elaborates on additional requirements for developing IC among teachers, such as institutional support, pedagogical approaches, assessment methods and tools, as well as personal and professional transformation.