Culturally Diverse Classrooms Now the Norm

culturally diverse classrooms

Culturally Diverse Classrooms Now the Norm

With thousands of people seeking out Europe for shelter and sustenance, culturally diverse classrooms are now the norm. At all education levels, you find diverse classrooms and lecture halls, tasking educators with inclusion and integration.

Teachers find themselves in a place where it falls to them to provide multi-faceted support that goes far beyond imparting knowledge. While European countries and the bloc as a whole have recognised the need to provide training and resources, teachers must design strategies and implement them to cater not just to diverse student groups but also to respond to their manifold needs in every lesson.

This post examines some issues teachers face while introducing proven strategies.

culturally diverse classrooms

European lecture halls and classrooms have never been more culturally diverse. Mobility, migration, and globalisation have seen millions of people settling in Europe. According to 2022 Eurostat statistics, 1 in 10 students were born outside the EU or had one parent born outside the bloc. In some countries, including France, Sweden, and Germany, the proportion of non-EU students was as high as 30 per cent.

City schools boast the most nationalities, with Brussels at up to 50 and Berlin between 30 and 40.

The war in Ukraine saw over 1 million children enrolling in European schools, over and above the hundreds and thousands of migrants from worn-torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq and refugees from other countries.

In March 2023, over 35 million people in Europe were either citizens of another EU state or of non-EU origin. The EU Commission has made integration a top priority, thus reinforcing the values of the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

2021-2027 EU Action Plan on Integration Highlights the Key Role Education Plays

In support of Member State national governments, the EU outlines its integration strategies, actions, and funding drives with a focus on housing, education, healthcare, and employment. The aim is to build cohesive and economically viable societies across the continent.

The Commission recognises the crucial role education plays in inclusion and integration:

Education and training are among the most powerful tools for integration and access to them should be ensured and promoted as early as possible. The acquisition of basic skills is the foundation for further learning and the gateway to employment and social inclusion.

The Action Plan envisages inclusion at all education levels, from early childhood learning to graduation and the labour market. Language learning and recognising non-EU qualifications are among the recommended key actions.

Supporting Teachers

Today’s teaching differs fundamentally from teaching in the past. Juggling existing curriculum demands, student needs, and parent requests is already a tall task. Integrating many nationalities at the same time multiplies the workload. While all teachers embrace the opportunities a culturally diverse classroom brings, most report a new set of challenges.

Six-Nation Project IMMERSE (Integration Mapping of Refugee and Migrant Children in Schools and other
Experiential environments in Europe) examined how migrant children faired at European schools.

The findings sound a positive note, with most minors reporting that they feel happy and supported by peers and teachers. Children at primary level reportedly felt much more supported than older children, highlighting just how much work remains.

The EU Commission encourages Member States to collaborate in conceptualising best practices and co-designing structures and methodologies relating to the following:

  • Assessing language skills and integrating unaccompanied minors
  • Welcoming new students and determining their learning levels
  • Encouraging linguistic and cultural diversity
  • Promoting intercultural dialogue

With the EU Commission furnishing policies, priorities, and objectives, national education authorities have created resources in support of teachers in culturally diverse classrooms.

culturally diverse classrooms

New Needs to Meet for Teachers

Teachers of migrants and refugees must cater to a whole set of new needs:

  • Cultural Sensitivity: Teachers learn about students’ cultures and share them with the class, building cohesion and eliminating stereotypes.
  • Safe Spaces: Educators recognise trauma and create a supportive, inclusive, and open space.
  • Flexible Instruction: Methodologies adapt to migrant student needs.
  • Language Support: Pupils learn the language of communication quickly for best learning outcomes.
  • Parent Involvement: Communication with parents promotes integration.

These are only some of the tasks teachers must tackle as part of their integration strategies.

National Resources – International Networks

Teachers of migrants rely on their educational authorities to deliver curriculums and resources for diversity and inclusion. For its part, the EU has funded networks such as Sirius to bolster teacher skills and support.

With inclusion, a core Erasmus Plus objective, thousands of education stakeholders partner in creating diversity-enhancing projects. Teachers discuss best practices and learn from one another’s experiences.

Such cross-border collaboration in education contributes significantly to the quest for inclusion and the creation of rich, multicultural societies packed with happy citizens.