Intercultural competences for teachers in Spanish inmersion bilingual education in Minnesota, USA. Case: Casa de Corazón

Abstract

The relevance of the interculturality of the bilingual education program of Casa de Corazón (2002-2020) is validated, in its initiatives for the continuous training of its teachers, based on what is supported by Ipiña (1997) and UNESCO (2017). This research presents a series of coincidences in the framework of the intercultural competence of teachers and the level of satisfaction of the families of the students of the preschool education program in the state of Minnesota (USA).

Here are exposed the attitudes that teachers who teach Spanish immersion should have from a global context with a holistic pedagogical perspective as supported by Conboy and Kuhl (2013) that highlight the impact of intercultural teacher training in the learning process of students. 

The results of the correlation of the approaches of Ipiña and UNESCO are presented, with the initiatives of the training program in intercultural competence of Casa de Corazón. The coincidences in the three approaches on the characteristics that teachers who work in global intercultural contexts must possess are highlighted.

The procedure used to reach these conclusions was through anonymous quantitative and qualitative surveys of families, teachers, and administrators. It was concluded that Casa de Corazón is a benchmark for the promotion of inclusive intercultural initiatives and these competencies are aligned with objective 4 of the sustainable development goals established by the UN. Unites Nations (2015) that suggests the need for quality education from global contexts and where a master plan is proposed to achieve a sustainable and inclusive future for all.