A journey towards a democratic teacher ethos and a democratic culture in schools Being a “democratic teacher” requires more than just being good at one’s subject. Among other things, it requires the ability to listen to learners, colleagues and parents and openness to the cultural affiliations and practices they bring to the educational process, empathy and a sense of responsibility for the well-being and empowerment of all learners. The teacher self-reflection tool aims to support teachers and other educators to develop their own competences relating to democratic culture and a “democratic professional ethos”, which builds on the values of democracy, human rights and intercultural dialogue. It offers guidance throughout this development process and on working with the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC). The tool can be used as a means of getting acquainted with the RFCDC, but it can also be used as a companion to self-reflection on teaching and democratic competences.

Preparing teachers to work with and for diversity in their classrooms and beyond is an objective that seems to be globally accepted in pre-service and in-service teacher education. However, what diversity means, what it entails and how to engage with diverse individuals in educational contexts can take on multiple shapes in different parts of the world. This Element suggests that the multifaceted and polysemic notion of interculturality could be useful to unthink and rethink (ad infinitum) working with diverse people in education. The Element surveys the different meanings and ideologies attached to the notion, using a multilingual perspective to do so. Recent research published internationally on the topic and its companions such as multicultural is also reviewed. The main addition to the field is a critical and reflexive perspective which is proposed for teacher educators, (students) teachers and researchers. The proposal draws from Dervin's most up-to-date theoretical and pedagogical work.

Given the economic, social and historical changes of recent years, education today needs a re-thinking of its methodologies and goals. This book presents an innovative approach to language and culture teaching and learning in a context of full-immersion: EUFICCS (European Use of Full-Immersion, Culture, Content and Service) . Only thanks to a comprehensive and holistic way of conceiving the educational path, based on the practice of reflection, can students be empowered with those intercultural and democratic competences necessary to function as future global citizens. The EUFICCS approach offers some guidelines that can be applicable in several educational contexts, all around the globe. This publication is specifically addressed to educators, language and content teachers and all education practitioners, but it also discusses more general issues, such as interculturality, relations with the other, and service in the community.

This book provides a contemporary and critical examination of the theoretical and pedagogical impact of Michael Byram’s pioneering work on intercultural communicative competence and intercultural citizenship within the field of language education and beyond. The chapters address important theoretical and empirical work on the teaching, learning, and assessment of intercultural learning, and highlight how individual language educators and communities of practice enact intercultural learning in locally appropriate ways. The book offers comprehensive, up-to-date and accessible knowledge for researchers, teachers, teacher-trainers and students.

Learning how to deal with controversial issues is at the heart of education for democratic citizenship and human rights education. Highlighting best practices from case studies across Europe, this guide offers innovative approaches and practical tools to handle controversy in schools effectively. Controversy and controversial issues are at the centre and at all levels of our democratic societies. This means that learning how to deal with such issues must always be at the heart of an effective education for democratic citizenship and human rights education (EDC/HRE). That learning takes place in schools and other education settings as children and young people progress in their education from early years, through primary, lower secondary and upper-secondary phases, into tertiary and higher education and beyond. The Council of Europe has an outstanding record in promoting education for democratic citizenship, human rights education and intercultural dialogue, and in fostering and teaching about the importance of democratic culture. It is therefore fitting that the Council of Europe, in partnership with the European Union, through the Joint Programme “Democratic and Inclusive School Culture in Operation” (DISCO) – formerly known as the Human Rights and Democracy in Action Pilot Projects Scheme – has helped to facilitate the creation of this very timely good practice guide, which complements the manuals Teaching controversial issues and Managing controversy.

Democracy, sustainability and social justice: the leading role that higher education must play in maintaining these three principles This publication, Higher education leadership for democracy, sustainability and social justice, arises from the global forum that the Council of Europe, the International Consortium for Higher Education, Civic Responsibility and Democracy, the Organization of American States and the International Association of Universities organised at Dublin City University in June 2022. It also arises from the challenges of Covid-19, which both highlighted and contributed to the fragility of democracy, with the increasing erosion of democratic participation, the deepening of extreme inequities, the strengthening of identity and nationalistic politics and the promotion of populist anti-intellectualism, involving attacks on science and knowledge itself. In this book, authors from Europe, the United States and Latin America argue that democracy, sustainability and social justice are inextricably linked, and that we can impact none of them unless higher education plays an important role in identifying the issues and helping society devise a viable and robust response. The book argues that higher education must do more than develop and disseminate knowledge and understanding. Higher education must influence the way individuals and societies behave. Higher education must lead. The importance of this leadership is illustrated by the inclusion of the Dublin Global Forum in the programme of the Irish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and will be borne out by the positions and actions of the higher education community.

How can you effectively motivate young people to engage with foreign language learning? How can young people engage with new ideas and cultural experiences within and outside the classroom? The new and fully revised edition of A Practical Guide to Teaching Foreign Languages in the Secondary School offers straightforward advice and inspiration for training teachers, newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and teachers in their early professional development. Offering a wide range of strategies for successful teaching in the languages classroom, this third edition includes separate chapters on the core skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening and new chapters on pronunciation and the science of learning. The chapters provide detailed examples of theory in practice, based on the most up-to-date research and practice, as well as links to relevant sources supporting evidence-informed practice and cover: Strategies for planning engaging lessons Integrating formative and summative assessment Digital tools and services for teaching and learning Helping pupils develop better listening skills Effective speaking activities The role of scaffolds and models in developing writing skills Teaching grammar The intercultural dimension of language teaching The role of multilingualism in foreign language education Engaging with critical pedagogy A Practical Guide to Teaching Foreign Languages in the Secondary School is an essential compendium of support and ideas for all those embarking upon their first steps in a successful career in teaching foreign languages.

Preparing learners for the labour market and shaping them as active democratic citizens by integrating the RFCDC into vocational education and training The Council of Europe Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) sets out 20 competences that learners need to develop to live and participate as active citizens in democratic societies. The competences are organised into values, attitudes, skills and knowledge and critical understanding. Vocational education and training (VET) is crucial to the economic development and growth of modern nations because it develops the skilled workforce that is needed to maintain the efficiency and competitiveness of public and private enterprises. However, VET is not exclusively about preparing learners for the labour market. At an education level, VET also prepares learners for life to act as democratic citizens. This publication explores how the RFCDC can be used in VET and offers suggestions for implementing the RFCDC in an integrated approach.