Methodologies and pedagogical approach

The activities in this book were developed by the project partners, who have many years of experience with innovative learning methodologies.

For a deeper understanding of these methodologies, we refer you to the sections of the Handbook where you will find information on Critical Incident Methodology, Theatre of the Oppressed, Process Work, Storytelling and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. These methods allow for a profound transformation of the learning environment. In addition, we also included in the Handbook a chapter on Best practices when working with ethnic and/or religious minorities,, which can help teachers understand the conflicts, discriminatory behaviours and cultural shocks that they regularly encounter and which can negatively affect the learning environment if not dealt with in an inclusive manner.

Overall, the collaboration that led to the creation of these activities was inspired by an emancipatory approach to teaching, such as that developed by Paulo Freire in his Pedagogy of the Oppressed. In this approach, the teaching-learning process becomes a motivating, collective and inclusive space, reflecting a non-hierarchical relationship between heritage mediator and learners/audience. Concretely, this means:

1. People should not become objects of a process, they must always be subjects. All people, no matter their age, background or situation, can teach and learn, are owners of some knowledge, have the same right to speak, be heard and address options, contents, problems and solutions.
2. In the learning process, reflection and action must go together in a process of increasing self-awareness: awareness of ourselves as part of a community and awareness of the structures which bind such communities.
3. The teaching-learning experience is built on dialogical relationships of exchange and sharing, so that learning becomes ‘an encounter among persons who name the world, it must not be a situation where some name on behalf of others’ (Freire, 1970, p. 89).

Addressing diversity in training gains particular relevance in situations of vulnerability (in work with refugees, migrants, ethnic minorities, etc.). Diversity needs to be addressed through an intersectional perspective with attention paid to cultural diversity, body, gender, age, sexuality, health, socioeconomic and family situation, among other areas, so as to fully understand the impact of education on learners’ well-being.

The activities in this book are intended to provide tools to integrate all of these concepts, methods and approaches and to foster an inclusive learning environment.