On the first day of the autumn vacation, around 40 teachers from both banks of the Dniester, including teachers from the Transnistrian region, met in a Training Program in the field of intercultural education, with the generic “Culture of Good Neighborhood”. Held within a long-term project, implemented by CE PRO DIDACTICA, with the support of the international network for the prevention of armed conflicts – GPPAC and facilitated by the Agreement signed with the General Directorate of Education, in the person of Mrs. Larisa BRĂTUCEAN, the activity contributed to the personal and professional development of the participants.

The group of primary school teachers benefited from the unique performance of the national trainer, Mrs. Daniela STATE and continued the methodological familiarization, started in August, in the field of teaching and learning of the no. 1 discipline from the list of options for primary classes, recommended by the MECC in the Study Plan of this year – Culture of good neighborhood. Thus, the successes and problems registered from the beginning of the school year were shared, and, subsequently, the contents of the Student’s Notebooks for Part II of the Curriculum were analyzed participatively and analytically.

The group of class masters and teachers, who teach the new discipline “Personal development” in the gymnasium, was led in the didactic approach by Prof. Viorica GORAȘ-POSTICĂ. The objective of the sessions was to introduce the practitioners to the problem of developing intercultural competence, as a continuation of the ones learned in the primary classes, especially on the basis of the Teaching Assistant “Intercultural competence” and of the vast collection of open teaching resources from the Adress. It has been demonstrated with practical arguments the versatility of the materials and their functionality both at the hours of Personal Development from different classes and at other school disciplines.

In conclusion, we appreciate the great interest of the participants, coordinated responsibly, at the local level, by the specialists from the district Direction, Mrs. Lilia RUSU and Svetlana ISAICUL. The beneficiary teachers repeatedly thanked for this unique opportunity to be involved in such a program, claiming that they were challenged to try new ways of applying what they learned with children in the future. It has been recognized that today’s students are in great need in today’s multicultural context, so dynamic with vast knowledge about different cultures, with ever-increasing interpersonal communication skills and with tolerant attitudes, openness, acceptance of the Other, different from them. Postmodern diversity is an inexhaustible source of spiritual enrichment and by no means a reason for isolation, ignorance or conflict.

Viorica Goraş-Postică, project coordinator