European Dimension of Education

Policies and Practices for Teaching Sociocultural Diversity

A project of the Council of Europe (2006 - 2009)

Teacher education institutions have a crucial role in the process of developing competences for diversity in education. The Policies and Practices for Teaching Sociocultural Diversity project is intended as a response to certain key questions connected with initial teacher education and the introduction of common principles in relation to the management of school diversity. It is therefore addressed both to education policy makers, and to teacher educators.

The project started in 2006 and has been developed through three phases:

  • Policies regulating teacher education and aspects of teacher training institutions were the subject of a survey which an ad hoc advisory project team (ED-DS) set up. Some 18 member states contributed country reports, and 14 teacher education institutions took part in the survey. The results are published in the report Policies and practices for teaching sociocultural diversity – A survey report (Volume 1 in the project series).

  • Specifying the theoretical framework of diversity in terms of concepts, principles and challenges for teacher education on the basis of discussions at a workshop with representatives from 14 countries and within the project team. Outlining further knowledge and skills about diversity and inclusive practices that new teachers need in order to work meaningfully. The result of these discussions is published in Policies and practices for teaching sociocultural diversity – Concepts, principles and challenges in teacher education. (Volume 2).

  • Formulating competencies on the basis of these discussions and further through four consultation tables in Austria, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Estonia. This is reported in Policies and practices for teaching sociocultural diversity – A framework of teacher competences for engaging with diversity (Volume 3)