Education for Diversity and Inclusion

The guiding principle of the programme Education for Diversity and Inclusion is the promotion of diversity as 'a potential asset or resource that can be used to make learning activity purposeful and meaningful across cultures' (Haines 2017, p. 45). The interdisciplinary undergraduate programme comprises the following disciplines: education, psychology, social education, and special and inclusive education. The interdisciplinary areas adressed in the key profile courses include inclusive and intercultural education, social justice and global learning, psychological aspects of learning and teaching, self-experience-based learning and mindful reflection, theory and methodology of education, and research methods in education. The objective is to develop students' capacity to critically evaluate and communicate cultural, international, and ethical insights in education, to engage in effective and appropriate behavior in intercultural situations, and to address and find solutions for educational issues in their locallities as well as internationally. The programme further aims at skills and understandings beyond the expertise in education by developing the whole student in the context of their professional, personal, and social lives and by equipping the student with transversal skills relevant for both local and global markets. The programme is built on fully internationalized curriculum and learning outcomes: students engage in international tasks and teams and develop the ability of effective and culturally sensitive communication and cooperation with others in the context of diversity; students enhance their capacity to relate well to people from diverse educational and social backgrounds and recognize intercultural issues relevant to the theories and practice in education; students demonstrate their understanding of education in the national context, are able to relate the knowledge to the local context, and see the interdepedence of educational and social issues on local and global level. The internationalised curriculum of the programme aims at engaging students' and teachers' international and intercultural experience by implementing comparative methodology which integrates international perspectives and topics into the teaching content and compares similarities and differences in educational practice across the borders. The methodology also provides for students' mindful reflection of knowledge, theories, and intercultural experience in the process of learning. The learning assessments and teaching methods are sensitive to the cultural needs of students and further enhance students' international experience. Further, students utilize their knowledge and understanding gained through the curriculum by participating in field trips and teaching practice, volunteering in non-profit organizations, and engaging in community work both locally and abroad.

Praxe

In the first semester students take the course School and Educational Institutions and visit educational institutions and local organizations for observation. In the second semester students in the selective course Education for All-Experiences from practice can go to schools with the assistance provided by Czech students and in international teams, to observe the conditions of education of pupils with special educational needs and compare educational conditions and systems across countries. In the third semester, students do teaching assistant practice under supervision, 60 hours including lesson planning, or 60 hours of tutoring pupils in socially disadvantaged families. There is also an opportunity for practice in the field of special education. In the fourth semester, students have a 12-week long, 15-credit international internship abroad in one of the key disciplines (school education, social education, or special and inclusive education) or cross-disciplinary. The essential idea is for students to put in practice and implement in different environments and in culturally diverse situations the knowledge and skills they gain in the curriculum. Alternatively, students can take the course International Teaching Practice to do teaching practice under supervision at faculty schools. Non-native speaking students undergoing their practice in the Czech schools and organizations will work in groups or in tandem with Czech students enrolled in their own programmes. This will provide an opportunity to the Czech students on practice to accomplish the “internationalization at home” requirements of their study programmes. All students prepare for, monitor their progress in, and reflect on their internship experience in the course International Internship Reflection. The overall time and length of practice students undertake in the programme is 14 weeks.

The demand for the graduates is expected in both local and international labor markets, in the educational sector, in schools, organizations, governmental and non-governmental agencies, and non-profit organizations and especially where is a demand for creation and implementation of policies and practice of equal access to education and inclusion of learners of diverse backgrounds. In the private sector, the graduates are needed as coaches/facilitators in global businesses to promote interculturally inclusive environment for multinational/multicultural workforces.

Examples of the nature of professions and prospective employers include:

Teacher assistant – in education and educational administration the graduates will be assisting to teachers in the classroom, under supervision they will help teachers to refine their instructional approach and develop lessons with the emphasis on engaging pupils’ diversity and inclusion; they will create action plans for sustainable support of heterogeneity and children’s inclusion in classrooms as well as during extra-curricular activities after and outside school; they will foster meaningful relationships and a cooperative community with pupils, staff and parents.

Homeschool consultant – the graduates will work with parents to help them refine educational process and reach learning objectives; they will observe parents while they are teaching and under supervision of fully qualified teachers will help parents with lesson plans and curriculum design with the focus on learner’s individual needs.

Civil service administrative officer in education and social care – the graduates will provide expertise, administrative, and organisational support to senior members of staff in designing policy projects, implementing community work, and developing educational trainings related to inclusive and intercultural education and social care.

Education specialist in an international non-governmental organisation - the graduates will provide support to senior members of international teams working on projects in transforming education systems and developing quality learning to those who are marginalized; they will assist in project management and development of strategic communication plans with local and global community leaders involved in child-centered development programs.

After school programme/recreational activities director – the graduates will be working with coaches and teachers to design a programme of after school activities, social, physical, and entertainment events for children.

Coach/facilitator of multinational/multicultural workforces – the graduates will work in coaching firms that provide assessment of development needs for diverse and foreign-born workforce, design strategies towards facilitating employees’ active engagement in differing perspectives about how to address and solve common problems and how to collaborate with people of differing views and backgrounds towards common solutions for the business outcomes and/or for the public good.

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Průvodce přihláškou

It is expected that graduates of the proposed programme will pursue their study in a follow-up Master’s degree programme in English focusing on Leadership skils in Education that that will be created at the Faculty of Education following the proposed study programme. Graduates with an interest in the special and inclusive education track will be also able to pursue Master’s study degree in Special Education in English at the faculty.