Course content – KITA-24

Diversity of cultures and languages

Many day-care centres (Kitas) are culturally and linguistically diverse today. This diversity is both an enrichment and a task: it requires intercultural competence and good handling of multilingualism. The aim is to value and live diversity and to prepare all children for a life in a diverse world.

Diversity is normal and an enrichment

Many day-care centres today are culturally and linguistically diverse: children and families bring different backgrounds, cultures, languages, religions, values and ways of life. This diversity is the normal situation in many settings – and it is an enrichment: the differences between cultures, languages and perspectives enrich the community, the way people live together and learning. Children who grow up in a culturally diverse community can experience diversity as normal and enriching, learn how to deal with it and develop openness to the world, respect and tolerance (Module 11). As with inclusion (see the separate course on inclusion, to which intercultural education is closely linked), the point is to see diversity as normal and as an enrichment and to value it – not as a problem or a deficit. Cultural and linguistic diversity is a wealth that should be appreciated, lived and made fruitful for everyone.

The aims of intercultural education

Intercultural education pursues several aims. It wants to value and live diversity – to respect the different cultures, languages and backgrounds, make them visible and experience them as an enrichment. It wants to meet all children and families with openness, respect and appreciation – to respect and welcome every child and every family in their background, culture and language (which strengthens identity, self-worth and belonging). It wants to promote multilingualism as a resource (Module 3) – to respect the first languages and to support German well. It wants to reduce prejudice and promote openness to the world (Modules 4, 11) – to develop, in the children (and adults), an open, appreciative, prejudice-aware way of dealing with diversity. And it wants to prepare all children for a life in a diverse world – to equip them with openness to the world, respect and the ability to deal with diversity. These aims make intercultural education a valuable concern that honours diversity and enriches and strengthens all children.

Figure (Module 1): The five aims of intercultural education. Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).

Going deeper: Intercultural education as part of inclusion

Intercultural education is closely linked to inclusion (see the separate course on inclusion) – it is, in a way, a part and a dimension of inclusion. Both rest on the same basic idea: valuing diversity as normal and as an enrichment and enabling every person – whatever their particular characteristics, background, culture or language – to take part, to belong and to be appreciated. Inclusion covers all dimensions of diversity (disability, background, culture, language, social situation, gender and others, see the separate course on inclusion); intercultural education focuses in particular on cultural and linguistic diversity. Both share the same basic stance: value diversity, welcome every child, enable participation and belonging for all, and reduce barriers and exclusion. And both share important principles: the appreciative, open stance; making diversity visible and living it; strengthening the identity, self-worth and sense of belonging of every child; actively promoting participation and countering exclusion; and the gain for everyone (not only for children with a migration background – all children can benefit, Module 11). It is important to see this close connection: intercultural education is not an isolated "special topic" for children with a migration background, but part of the comprehensive inclusive stance and education that values the diversity of all children and enables the participation and belonging of all. It shares the basic stance and the principles of inclusion and applies them to cultural and linguistic diversity. For the Kita, this means understanding and living intercultural education as part of a comprehensive inclusive stance and culture – a stance and culture that values diversity in all its dimensions (cultural, linguistic, but also with regard to disability, social situation and others) and enables every child to take part, to belong and to be appreciated. Intercultural education and inclusion therefore belong together and complement each other: both aim at an appreciative, open, inclusive Kita and society in which every person is welcome and belongs with their diversity and individuality. Anyone who understands and lives intercultural education within this comprehensive inclusive stance combines the appreciation of cultural and linguistic diversity with the appreciation of diversity as a whole – and so contributes to an inclusive, open-minded, diverse Kita and society in which everyone belongs. This connection between intercultural education and inclusion is a valuable, fundamental idea that places intercultural education within the larger framework of the inclusive stance and education and makes clear its significance and its link to the comprehensive concern of valuing diversity and enabling participation for all.

Figure (Module 1): Inclusion and intercultural education – focus and common ground. Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).

Figure (Module 1): Ways of working in the case study (fictional) – from stance to practice. Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).