Cultivating Culturally Inclusive Mindsets

Answering the call of the Leave No One Behind promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we thank VLIR-UOS for the opportunity to collaborate globally and share experiences, expertise, challenges, and diverse views. This web site and its community of practice focus on lifelong learning and empowering each other to make teaching more culturally responsive and inclusive. We aim to support students who trust our institutes to provide an environment where they can be themselves and strive toward their full potential personally, professionally, and globally through responsive teaching. We strive to succeed more and more in this through culturally responsive teaching practices.

This pedagogy is based on the belief that cultural diversity is an asset to be celebrated and leveraged in the classroom, and that students will perform better academically when they see themselves and their cultures reflected in the curriculum as it helps students connect on a more personal level, and which can lead to increased motivation and engagement while developing a more positive school culture and sense of belonging among students. (Routledge, 2023)

Next to the exploration of theory, methodologies and good practices in the field of intercultural learning; a fundamental part of the web site will be reflecting on one’s own teaching identity, teaching practices, and the development of critical skills to constantly evaluate and adapt teaching strategies. The objective is to enhance skills in designing teaching materials that are flexible and adaptable to different cultural and linguistic contexts, and work to implement strategies that are fair and representative of student diversity.