Conceptions and practices of intercultural education in Preschool and Elementary School

Abstract

In an admittedly heterogeneous society, where diversity takes shape each day, the intercultural dialogue for the enhancement of the relationships and the equity of opportunities in school context plays a key role in the promotion of an education for everyone. This article is based on an empirical study developed for the completion of a master degree in Pre-school education and Teaching of the 1st cycle of Basic Education, with which it was intended to deepen the knowledge and reflection on the theme of the school as a place of encounter for the cultural diversity, and on the intercultural education. Thus, after a short literary revision of several key-concepts related to the intercultural education and the role of the school within this approach, we presented and analysed the data collected through the interviews conducted to pre-school and basic education teachers, through which we sought to understand conceptions and practices relating to intercultural education that would help us to get a better knowledge about what happens in real school contexts. Finally, we presented a set of considerations that synthesize the main learning that both the frequency of the masters (and in particular the supervised pedagogical practices) and the execution of this empirical research allowed us to attain.