Transitioning from Multiculturalism to Interculturalism in Greek Second Chance Adult Schools

 For educational structures to succeed in the years to come, managing multiculturalism and transforming it into interculturalism is essential.

This article is authored by Christos Manolis, the Director of SDE DELTA and an IT teacher with a master's degree in adult education.

The movement of people from Asian and Balkan regions to Greece in recent years has brought about changes in the student population of both formal and adult schools. Many refugees and immigrants enroll in Second Chance schools to integrate into the local society, learn the Greek language and culture, and obtain a high school diploma, which is necessary to complete compulsory education in Greece. As a result, classes are now multicultural, with students from various countries speaking different languages, having different customs and religions, and trying to coexist and cooperate.

For Second Chance schools to succeed in the years to come, managing multiculturalism and transforming it into interculturalism is essential. This means that people from different backgrounds should not only coexist in classrooms but also cooperate and work together as a team to acquire knowledge and new skills. However, achieving harmonious pedagogical coexistence is not easy and requires effort and a methodical approach.

Trainers in adult education structures sometimes make the mistake of focusing exclusively on their subject matter after an initial correspondence, without enhancing the interaction of learners with activities. To cultivate social and soft skills, trainers need to spend time on group activities, perhaps in the form of a game, at regular intervals, beyond the subject matter. These activities can encourage cooperation, communication, acceptance, and empathy among learners. In cases where language communication is an issue, activities can be designed where learners must communicate using signs, mime, or other means.

Multiculturalism in many schools is limited to presenting local foods, festivals, and cultural elements of the country of origin. However, the goal is for learners to cooperate and communicate with people who have grown up in completely different environments, to overcome the ideologies and stereotypes that diversity generates, and to create a learning environment suitable for achieving the learning objectives.

To successfully lead the transition from multiculturalism to interculturalism, continuous communication between teachers and feedback from the implementation of classroom activities is essential. There is no clear measurable answer to how much time should be devoted to team-building activities in relation to the subject, as it depends on the dynamics and specificities of each group. However, a part of the teaching time should be devoted at regular intervals, perhaps every week, to achieve acceptance, empathy, and cooperation in multicultural classrooms.