Varianty

Activities of the Project

courses and seminars

Varianty project oganizes seminars and long-term trainings for secondary and primary school teachers. Trainings are provided in the field of intercultural education and development education. Teachers are being informed about important contemporary issues and trained in using interactive teaching methods and techniques. Courses and seminars for teachers are run in an interactive way. Varianty also organizes similair training courses for university students of pedagogy. Finally Varianty provides training for future teacher trainers in the field of intercultural and development education.

e-learning course of intercultural education

The internet course eVarianty follows the “classical” attendance educational courses held within the project Variants - intercultural education. This e-learning course offers those who cannot attend the standard courses the possibility of gaining skills and knowledge essential for implementing intercultural education into classes. The course is primarily focused on educational professionals at all educational levels. Though, the course might be found useful also for members of other professions and the general public.

What knowledge and skills will the graduates of the course learn?

• knowledge of different concepts of multiculturalism and of models of coexistence of different socio-cultural groups in different countries
• basic orientation in anthropological, sociological and philosophical terms related to intercultural education
• knowledge of current trends in pedagogy and of interactive methods of teaching
• knowledge of minorities in the CR; members of different sociocultural groups; different ways of perceiving and understanding the world; different sociocultural patterns and value systems
• competencies in leading groups and classes
• orientation in institutions and organizations active in the field of multicultural coexistence
• intercultural competencies: the ability to perceive and assess behaviors of individuals with different sociocultural backgrounds, to sustain a dialogue and cooperate with them
• basic lecturer’s skills essential for leading interactive education
• ability to apply IE methods in classes
• ability to apply methods of critical thinking in classes
• information and methodology materials

Two attendance seminars which are focused on the didactical part of intercultural education are part of the internet course. During these seminars an eStudent has a chance to experience and train using the techniques used in intercultural education. The attendance educational form allows participants to improve their own skills in leading groups and classes and to deepen their understanding of group dynamics. At the same time, the participant has a chance to train in praxis methods learned during the internet course.

Tutors and lecturers lead eStudents during the entire course. Tutors provide participants with consultations to individual topics and lessons, lecturers lead and facilitate the attendance seminars.

The content of the eVarianty e-learning program will be extended with topics of global development education, media education and human rights education in the future.

More information about the eVarianty webpage and its content can be found at www.evarianty.cz (only in Czech).

resources

Varianty project produces information and didactic materials of intercultural education and development education for teachers and students. Also Varianty produces publications for education and training of other target groups, such as university teachers, policemen, labour office employees and others.

Most recent publications in Czech language include:

• "Common world" – Information and Didactic Manual for Secondary School Teachers
• Varianty - Intercultural Education (not only) for Secondary School Teachers
• Intercultural Education (not only) for Secondary School Teachers II
• Theoretical Grounds of Multicultural Andragogy
• Police Officer in a Multicultural Environment
• Czech Language for Foreigners Without Knowledge of Latin Alphabet

school curricula

Varianty project works with primary and secondary schools on integrating intercultural and development education into their School Educational Programmes based on the Typical Educational Programmes issued by the Czech Ministry of Education. These programmes form the new curricula for primary and secondary schools containing development and intercultural education as cross-cutting themes. Varianty produce materials and organize trainings for schools providing them with instructions and examples of how to integrate these themes into different subjects and into the whole educational process

website

As a support for teachers Varianty project runs the website www.varianty.cz This website contains:

• texts and information on development and multicultural issues for teachers
• class activities to be used by teachers
• theory of interactive teaching and learning approaches
• overview of relevant literature in Czech
• links to organizations and websites relevant for development and interculral issues

school linking

Within Varianty project school links between Czech school and schools from developing countries are initiated and maintained. The first two pairs of schools that have beem started are links between two Czech primary schools and two primary schools in Ethiopia in the Awassa district. Pupils and teachers learn about their partners’ school life via the exchange of fotographs pictures and letters.

other

Varianty project is working on a collection of life histories of persecuted Roma who have survived concentration camps during Second world war.

The Variants webpage provides information, texts and methodical material for the usage of intercultural, global development and media education. The webpage offers tools to reach the goals and contents of the Framework Educational Program through interactive way of teaching.