Course content – KITA-24
The modules of this course – work through them in order.
11. Module 11 · Openness to the World – All Children Benefit
A gain for all children
Intercultural education is a gain for all children – not only for those with a migration background. All children can learn openness to the world, respect, tolerance and how to deal with diversity – valuable for life in a diverse world.
Learning objectives
- You understand that all children can benefit from intercultural education.
- You know the competences that all children can develop.
- You can foster openness to the world.
All children can benefit
An important thought: intercultural education and cultural diversity are a gain for all children – not only for children with a migration background or from other cultures (a common misunderstanding). In a culturally diverse, interculturally open day-care centre (Kita), all children can learn something valuable: they learn to deal with diversity and to experience it as normal and enriching; they develop openness to the world (openness and curiosity towards other cultures, languages and people); they develop respect and tolerance (appreciation and regard for other cultures and people); they develop empathy (feeling with others); they get to know other languages, cultures and perspectives (which broadens their horizons); and they experience that people are different and belong, and that diversity is normal and valuable. These experiences, competences and attitudes are valuable for the whole of life and for life in a diverse, global world. Intercultural education prepares all children for life in a diverse world and equips them with openness to the world, respect, tolerance and the ability to deal with diversity. It is therefore not a "disadvantage" for children without a migration background (who do not "miss out"), but an enrichment for all children.
Openness to the world
Openness and curiosity towards other cultures, languages and people.
Respect and tolerance
Appreciation and regard for other cultures and people.
Empathy
Feeling with others.
Dealing with diversity
Experiencing diversity as normal and enriching.
New perspectives
Getting to know other languages, cultures and perspectives.
Figure (Module 11): What all children can learn in an interculturally open Kita. Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).
Fostering openness to the world
Intercultural education fosters openness to the world in all children – an open, curious, appreciative attitude towards the diversity of cultures, languages and people. This openness to the world is fostered by: the shared life in the diverse community (children who grow up with diversity experience it as normal and learn to deal with it); the role model and lived culture of the adults (who value diversity and meet it openly); the making visible and valuing of diversity (getting to know and honouring different languages, cultures and festivals, Modules 6 and 9 – which awakens curiosity and appreciation); the fostering of empathy, respect and positive interactions across cultural boundaries; and engaging with prejudice and reducing it (Module 4, anti-bias education (vorurteilsbewusste Bildung)). It is important to foster the curiosity about differences that many young children show and to counteract the early development of prejudice. Fostering openness to the world in all children is a valuable aim of intercultural education – it equips children with an open, appreciative attitude towards the world that is valuable for life in a diverse world and for good, respectful living together.
1 Shared life
Growing up in the diverse community, children experience diversity as normal.
2 Role model
Adults who value diversity and meet it openly.
3 Making diversity visible
Getting to know and honouring languages, cultures and festivals (Modules 6 and 9).
4 Empathy and respect
Positive interactions across cultural boundaries.
5 Reducing prejudice
Engaging with prejudice (Module 4) and fostering the curiosity about differences that many young children show.
Figure (Module 11): Five ways of fostering openness to the world. Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).
Going deeper: Preparing for a diverse, global world
Fostering openness to the world and intercultural competence in all children is becoming more and more important in view of the increasingly diverse, global, interconnected world, in which the children are growing up and will live. Our world is diverse and is becoming ever more interconnected and global: people of different cultures, languages and origins live together and meet one another; societies are becoming more diverse; migration, globalisation and networking are increasing. In this world, the ability to deal with diversity, to meet other cultures and people in an open, respectful and appreciative way, and to live together well in a diverse community is an important, valuable life skill – for personal life, for living together, for work and for society. Children who grow up today will live their lives in a diverse, global world in which this intercultural competence and openness to the world matter. Intercultural education, which gives children openness to the world, respect, tolerance and the ability to deal with diversity, therefore prepares them for this world and equips them with an important life skill. It lays important foundations for this in early childhood: children who grow up early in a diverse, interculturally open community and learn openness to the world, respect and how to deal with diversity can develop an open, appreciative attitude towards the world that can stay with them throughout their lives and that is valuable for life in a diverse world. At the same time, intercultural education contributes to an open, appreciative, peaceful, diverse society (similar to the inclusive Kita as a model for society, the separate course on inclusion): it fosters people who value diversity, meet others openly and respectfully and live together well in a diverse society – and it can help to counteract prejudice, exclusion, hostility and conflicts between groups. Intercultural education thus makes a valuable contribution – for the children (who develop an important life skill and attitude) and for society (which depends on open, appreciative, peaceful living together in diversity). This significance of intercultural education for preparing children for a diverse, global world and for open, peaceful living together in diversity is an important, forward-looking idea. It shows that intercultural education is not just a "special topic" for children with a migration background, but a valuable, forward-looking education for all children that prepares them for life in a diverse world and contributes to open, appreciative, peaceful living together in diversity. When a Kita lives an interculturally open culture that values diversity and gives all children openness to the world, respect and the ability to deal with diversity, it makes this valuable, forward-looking contribution – for the children and for an open, diverse, peaceful society.
Analysis: This worry is understandable and should be taken seriously. Intercultural education and cultural diversity can be a gain for ALL children – including the child without a migration background. The practitioner (or the Kita) can explain to the parents that their child can learn something valuable in the diverse Kita: openness to the world, respect, tolerance, empathy and how to deal with diversity; they get to know other cultures, languages and perspectives (which broadens their horizons); and they are prepared for life in a diverse, global world (an important life skill). The Kita can also explain how it supports German for all children (Module 9). Cultural diversity is therefore not a "disadvantage" for their child, but an enrichment that gives them valuable experiences, competences and attitudes. The Kita can communicate this transparently and make the enrichment brought by diversity and intercultural education clear to the parents. In this way it can allay the worry and win the parents over to intercultural education. The case shows that intercultural education is a gain for all children and that this needs to be made clear (also to parents).
The worry
Parents fear their child might "miss out" or be disadvantaged in the culturally diverse Kita.
What the Kita can explain
Intercultural education can be a gain for ALL children, including children without a migration background; German is supported for all children (Module 9).
In practice
Communicate transparently what the child learns and make the enrichment of diversity clear to the parents.
Figure (Module 11): From the parents' worry to a clear explanation in the case study (fictional). Source: own illustration (AI-assisted).