Aims and results of the Comenius Regio project devoted to foreigners, national and ethnic minorities in Silesia region Cultural Competence Toolkit for Teachers Katowice, 9 June 2015 r.

Aims of the project: Increase teachers’ sensitivity to the issue of multiculturalism in the Polish educational Develop ability to identify and prevent stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination; Improve teachers’ competences and competences of schools as institutions in dealing with diversity when working with multicultural students.

Information about the project Project dates: August 2013 r. – July 2015 r. Participating countries: Poland and Great Britain Project budget: €

Information about the project Completing at least 24 instances of mobility for each partner country; Preparing final results of the project; Completing tasks connected with the question of multiculturalism; New abilities gained by project participants.

Project partners – English group Cambridgeshire Race Equality and Diversity Service (CREDS), Cambridgeshire County Council – the main project coordinator Ridgefield Primary School, Cambridge Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum

Project partners – Polish group Department of Education in Katowice – coordinator Regional Teacher Training and Pedagogical Information Centre „WOM” in Rybnik Primary School nr 43 in Zabrze Primary School nr 5 for German minority in Racibórz

CREDS - Cambridgeshire Race Equality and Diversity Service Tasks: supporting children for whom English is a new language by:  cooperating with teaches to develop suitable teaching strategies;  disseminationg examples of best practice in school ;  providing bilingual suport for new students;  helping students coming from abroad to develop their language abilities;  offering translation for families which do not know English;  training on equality.

Actions within the project: Mobilit; Poland 25, Great Britain 24 Training for project participants and teachers on working with multicultural students: 5 trainings; Diversity Days in schools involved in the project: events – competitins, presetations on culture and traditions of different countries; Contest – Project logo design; Language contests for participants; Buying professional literature on multiculturalism.

Mobility results: Group work on toolkit for teachers; Learning about English educational system; Learning how to work with multicultural students; Improving language competences; Learning about British history, culture, traditions, and everyday life.

Measurable results: Preparing a toolkit for teachers: „Cultural competences in education”, which includes:  activities for teachers and students;  examples of good practice – case studies;  Practical advice on how to include multiculturalism into school curriculum.

Multicultura education in Silesian schools and educational institutions includes students from German ethnical minority; students from Roma ethnical minority; foreigners.

National minorities National minority, according to law, is defined as a group of Polish citizens who meet the following conditions: they are lower in numbers than the group of other citizens of Poland; they significantly differ in language, culture, and traditions from other citizens; they strive to prevent their language, culture, and traditions; they are aware of their historical, national community and are oriented towards its expression and prevention; their ancestors have lived on the territory of Poland for at least 100 years; identifies itself with a nation organized in its own country.

Ethnical minority Ethnical minority, according to law, is defined as a group of Polish citizens who, together, meet the following conditions:  is lower in numbers in comparison with the numer of Polish citizens;  significantly differs from other citizens in language, culture or tradition;  aims at preserving their language, culture or tradition;  is aware of their historical, ethnic community and aims at its expression and preservation;  their ancestors have lived on the territory of Poland for at least 100 years;  does not identify itself with a nation organized in its own country.

9 national minorities live on the territory of Poland: Belarusians, Czechs, Lithuanians, Germans, Armenians, Russians, Slovaks, Ukrainians, Jews and representatives of 4 ethnical minorities: The Karaites, Lemkos, Roma, Tatars.

Silesia Region Belorus minority 352 Czech minority 580 The Karaites minority 42 Lithuanian minority 188 Lemkos minority 126 German minority Armenian minority 167 Roma minority Russian minority 829 Slovak minority 264 Tatar minority 74 Ukrainian minority 1041 Jewish minority 557 Minorities altogether National and ethnic minorities, communities using Kashubian in Silesia region

Multicultural students in Silesia region according to SIO (information system for education) data from 31 March 2015 German national minority: learners in 203 schools and kindergartens; located in the following delegacies: Rybnik Gliwice, Bielsko, Częstochowa, Katowice City. Roma ethnic minority: 298 learners in 56 schools and kindergartens, including 51 learners in schools for children with special needs; Foreigners: 382 learners – mainly from outside European Union.

Legal regulations Polish Constitution, article 35, guarantees Polish citizens belonging to national and ethnic minorities freedom to maintain and develop their own language and culture, preserve their customs and traditions. Act from 6 January 2005 on national and ethnical minorities, and regional language. Act from 7 September 1991 on educational system; according to it schools and educational institutions enable students to maintain their national, ethnical, language and religious identity.

Regulation of the Ministry of Education from 14 November 2007 on conditions kindergartens, schools and public institutions should allow students belonging to national and ethnic minorities, as well as communities using a regional language to maintain their national, ethnical, and language identity; Regulation of the Ministry of Education from 2 January 2015 on conditions kindergartens, schools and institutions should accept children who are not Polish citizens or children of Polish citizens who studied in other countries, and on providing additional lessons of Polish language, additional remedial classes, and lessons in language and culture of their country of origin.

Problems of Roma community Discriminated, disadvantaged, and excluded group:  economically disadvantaged,  socially disadvantaged,  educationally disadvantaged.

Barriers affecting the low rate of education in the Roma community no kindergarten education; low level of Polish language; students leave educational system at early age; migration of Roma families; absence in classes; lack of motivation and parents’ suport; Lack in teachers’ preparation how to work with culturally divergent students.

Reasons for Roma children attending schools for children with special needs children are diagnosed based on tests which do not take into consideration childrens’ bilingual and multicultural environment; they do not know Polish language; attractive environment in schools for children with special needs – school equipment, teachers are well prepared to work with students with special needs, lower educational requirements; these are the reasons why parents prefer to send their children to this type of school, especially if they themselves or their older children attended this type of school.

Parents lack knowledge about procedures concerning sending Roma children to schools for children with special needs and the possibility to move a child to a state school at any stage of education; school business – schools can receive additional financial suport as a part of educational subsidy because of Roma children attending those schools, on the other hand, state schools are not pedagogically prepared and are not interested in working with children with special educational needs.

Roma educational assistants: 11 Roma assistants in Silesia region; Tasks:  helping with school duties;  building positive relations between students’ parents and schools;  Informing parents about their students’ learning progres;  Checking attendance and learning progres.

Programme on integrating Roma community in Poland Educationally oriented tasks:  after school tasks – activity clubs;  different forms of educating children and youths.

Teaching the language of German minority Legal regulations provide:  additional language lessons for students who declare their belonging to the minority;  possibility to learn history, culture, and geography of a country.

Difficulties in learning the minority language The declaration to learn the language can be withdrawn at any time during the school year; Lack of interest in learning the minority language in lower secondary and secondary schools. Lack of books for learning the minority language – teachers use textbooks for foreign languages and additional materials.

Challenges for teachers working with foreign students: Language barrier – lack of knowledge of the Polish language blocks educational success, interest in learning and doing homework; Low school attendance, skipping classes – going outside the school; It is difficult to qualify students to classes; It is difficult to work in classrooms with Polish students and individually with foreign students at the same time; Cultural differences;

Challenges for teachers working with foreign students: Obligation to take tests and external examinations after passing only a partial course of education; It is difficult to contact foreign students’ parents; Parents do not control their childrens’ progres, they rarely contact schools; It is difficult to diagnose childrens’ school failure (if they do not concern the language barier).

Thank you for your attention Marzena Zabiegała Educational Department in Katowice tel. 32/