Professor Lázár has extensive experience in teacher education and has conducted research on intercultural competence development, EFL methodology, cooperative learning, formative assessment and self-directed learning. To provide our school community with insights into intercultural competence development and its importance in today’s diverse world, we asked Professor Lázár a few questions:

1. What is your first impression of our school?

My first impression is that this is a very friendly school, where teachers and LSEs do their best to help every child. This is obvious from the general feel of the school and what I can see in the classrooms and corridors. It is obvious that the school is investing in the teaching and learning experience to include everyone.

2. How would you define intercultural competence, and why is it important for students and educators to develop it?

Intercultural competence has attitudes, skills and knowledge components and it helps us communicate effectively and appropriately with people from different cultural backgrounds. Attitudes include openness, curiosity, empathy and non-judgemental thinking. Perhaps the most important intercultural skills are active listening, critical thinking, multi-perspectivity and mediation. Knowledge and understanding of different social practices, values, beliefs and world views are essential. In a multicultural world, intercultural competence is crucial for teachers and students alike in order to ensure that we live in a peaceful and cooperative society.

3. What are some effective strategies that educators can use to foster intercultural competence in the classroom?

Effective strategies include experiential, learner-centred methods which go beyond traditional knowledge transmission. Alternative assessment methods and tools should also be an integral part of this process.

4. How can educators address cultural stereotypes and biases in the classroom, and what role does self-reflection play in this process?

Educators can address stereotypes and biases through modelling non-judgemental attitudes and by addressing instances of harmful stereotyping in the classroom explicitly.

5. In your experience, what are some of the biggest challenges that educators face when teaching intercultural competence, and how can they overcome these challenges?

I think this is really country and context dependent. In general, the students bring with them a lot of biases from outside the school and teachers might feel “lonely” or unprepared to debunk and question these biases because they are considered as sensitive and risky issues.

We are excited to learn from Professor Lázár’s wealth of knowledge and experience during her visit to our school.