Supporting Multilingual Classrooms: Training for principals and teachers for inclusive multilingual schools.

The Agency for the Management of the Education System, IP (AGSE, IP) and the Institute for Education, Quality and Evaluation, IP (EduQA, IP) held a workshop on April 28 and 29 entitled "Empowering Principals and Teachers for Inclusive Multilingual Schools," an initiative carried out within the framework of the program. Supporting Multilingual Classrooms, from the European Centre for Living Languages, of the Council of Europe.

The event took place at the Nossa Senhora de Fátima Seminary in Alfragide and brought together school principals, educators, and teachers from thirteen educational units across different regions of the country, involved in projects and practices related to Portuguese as a Second Language (PLNM) and the integration of migrant students in multicultural and multilingual contexts.

This action is part of the strategy of AGSE, IP, and EduQA, IP, to strengthen policies of inclusion, democratic culture, and the promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity in Portuguese schools, in a context marked by the increase and diversification of migratory flows. Within this framework, the workshop It sought to support school leaders and teachers in building more inclusive educational responses, aiming to promote the educational success and integration of newly arrived migrant students into the Portuguese education system.

The scientific and pedagogical aspects were facilitated by specialists from the European Centre for Living Languages of the Council of Europe, Katja Schnitzer and Catherine Carré-Karlinger, with the work taking place predominantly in English. The methodology adopted prioritized collaborative dynamics, debates, sharing of experiences, and joint reflection on practices and strategies for promoting linguistically inclusive school environments.

At the end of the initiative, participants expressed a high degree of satisfaction with how the initiative had been carried out. workshop, Based on their evaluation, the relevance and timeliness of the topic addressed are deemed demonstrated, particularly highlighting the references to the quality of the organization, the interest of the methodologies used, and the importance of disseminating best practices in this area. Among the testimonials collected, several participants also emphasized the inspiring nature of... workshop and the usefulness of the learning for future application in their respective schools.

The implementation of this initiative represents another step in strengthening international cooperation and developing educational policies geared towards inclusion, contributing to empowering Portuguese schools to meet the challenges associated with the growing linguistic and cultural diversity present in the national education system.