Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School - National Council ...

INTERCULTURAL EDUCATION ACROSS THE CURRICULUM 5senior cycle is built around a number ofkey concepts-the human habitat,population, settlement patterns andurbanisation, and patterns of economicactivity. All these concepts are relevant tointercultural education and provide ampleopportunities for exploring issues of equity,justice and interdependence. Amongst theaims of Geography at junior cycle are to• encourage in students a sensitiveawareness of peoples, places andlandscapes, both in their own countryand elsewhere• contribute to students’ understanding ofimportant issues and problems incontemporary society (Syllabus, p.4).The development of empathy with peoplefrom diverse environments and thedevelopment of an understanding andappreciation of the variety of humanconditions on the earth are key outcomesof the geography curriculum. In this regardteachers have an important role to play inensuring that ‘third world’ countries arenot depicted as simply a basket ofproblems. A balanced perspective is vital inovercoming negative stereotypes of thedeveloping world and its people.Geography also affords the opportunity forstudents to explore the normality ofdiversity throughout the world - that manycountries are multilingual andmulticultural.A detailed audit of the opportunities forincluding intercultural themes inGeography as well as sample lessons canbe found on the CD-ROM and atwww.ncca.ie.HistoryThere is substantial correspondencebetween the aims and objectives of thehistory course and those of interculturaleducation. The introduction to the JuniorCertificate history syllabus notes, ‘it(history) helps young people to develop atolerance and respect for the values, beliefsand traditions of others, and to preparethemselves for the responsibilities ofcitizenship in a national, European andglobal context.’ In Junior Certificatehistory, students engage with humanexperience in all its multiplicity anddiversity. The syllabus ‘provides youngpeople with a wide tapestry of past events,issues, people and ways of life…’ and,in the study of this ‘wide tapestry’encourages ‘An acceptance that peopleand events must be studied in the contextof their time’. The awareness of diversityand context are also central to interculturaleducation.The underlying values and approach ofJunior Certificate history are alsocomplementary. Students are encouraged tostrive for objectivity and fair-mindednessand to develop an ability to detect bias andidentify propaganda. The recognition thathistory is always mediated through humanperspective and hence we can have manyaccounts of the same events providesstudents with a critical capacity to explorethe role of the historian in ‘creating’history. Students too can be helped to seethe relationship between history andidentity and the role of history in providingpeople with a shared story and collectivememory of the past. Such anunderstanding is critical in fostering anappreciation and understanding ofdiversity. The working atmosphere of thehistory classroom, therefore, is one inwhich the values of intercultural educationshould be readily assimilated.In an inclusive History programme• students encounter diverse aspects ofhuman experience in a variety ofcultural contextsIntercultural Education in the Post-Primary School 67