Benefits – intercultural exchange

 By better understanding a multitude of cultures, we better understand ourselves. We can

assess whether or not we want to accept the current culture’s values or whether we prefer
values that flourished in societies of the past. By knowing our own values better, we also
have a clearer idea on how we should interact with and possibly contribute to culture.

The benefits of intercultural education for all children include the following:

 It encourages the child’s curiosity about cultural and social difference.

 It helps to develop and support the child’s imagination by normalising difference.
 It helps to develop the child’s critical thinking by enabling the child to gain perspectives on,
and to question, his/her own cultural practices.
 It helps to develop sensitivity in the child. It helps to prevent racism.

 Intercultural education may give rise to conflict and to a range of strong emotions. When
people (children, teachers, parents, and others in the community of the school) explore their
own attitudes and values, and when they look at their own past reactions to certain
situations they may get defensive, angry, or upset. Learning to deal with one’s own emotions
and the emotions of others is central to the development of intrapersonal (self-
understanding) and interpersonal (understanding of relationships with others) skills, which
the curriculum identifies as being essential for the child’s personal, social, and educational
fulfilment. This is best done within a school and classroom ethos that is characterised by a
caring relationship between school staff and children, and by providing children with a
successful and happy school experience.
 Intercultural education provides benefits to all children, whether they are members of the
majority community or members of a minority ethnic group. Although particular issues may
emerge in classrooms where there are children from minority ethnic backgrounds, for
example, specific language needs or the need to prevent discrimination, the development of
an intercultural classroom environment will be of value to all children. Irrespective of the
cultural or ethnic profile of the school environment, it will aid their understanding of the
normality of diversity and help them to develop their imagination, their critical thinking
skills, their ability to recognise and deal with prejudice and discrimination, and their social
skills.