Building democratic schools from an intercultural approach

Commitment of educational counselors and teachers to equity

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study whose purpose was to provide proposals consistent with the intercultural approach, to be used by educational counselors in advising and supporting primary and secondary education teachers. The aim is to formulate specific recommendations that guide teachers' practices, assuming a commitment to equity based on the recognition of diversity as normality. Commitment and recognition that, we understand, are unavoidable in democratic societies in which compulsory schooling is only justified if it is useful and good for everyone and not just for some groups or profiles. The following question was raised: Who are the teachers that assume the commitment to offer meaningful experiences to all in their teaching practices, so that everyone can learn and benefit from school? Our premise has been to consider that knowing who these teachers are, what their pedagogical beliefs are, what experiences and training they have had, will allow us to learn from them and establish recommendations aimed at counselors, contributing to build permanent spaces for dialogue with teachers, in which they share concepts and concerns related to equity and non-segregation of students. We have resorted to qualitative methodology of a narrative nature, analyzing fifteen in-depth interviews. These were carried out during the period 2020/2023, with teachers who work or have worked in public schools in four Spanish Autonomous Communities. The results enabled us to establish practical recommendations for counselors in their roles as facilitator/trainer and support for good pedagogical practices.