Because of the defined right and the encompassing mandate laid out by the UN Convention, all schools and education systems in Europe face the challenge to develop an inclusive culture, inclusive structures, and inclusive practices (Ainscow, 2007). This means that the diversity in schools will grow and they will have to respond to this diversity. In Iceland there has been a rapid growth of immigration in the past decades and schools are becoming more and more diverse. Following the educational legislation in 2008 in Iceland, a new national curriculum for early childhood, compulsory and upper secondary education came into effect in 2011. The curriculum guide presents a move from detailed objectives towards a focus on learning outcomes and basic educational ideas. The educational policy evident in the national curriculum is based on six fundamental pillars of literacy in the widest sense, education for sustainability, democracy and citizenship, education for equality, creativity and health (The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, 2012).  

Thus, for teachers it is the continuous search for pedagogy and approaches to meet this diversity in inclusive schools. Ideas of inclusion assume that every student has equitable access to education and that schools organize learning spaces that accommodate everyone in the spirit of universal design. Facing these challenges, school systems and teachers have to consider how they can respond. Teachers are the key, to developing inclusive practices and pedagogies in dealing with heterogeneous classes, because they are the ones who, based on their beliefs and knowledge, decide and choose the learning environment where students are meant to learn and work within the structures of the school system (Ainscow, 2007; Meijer, 2003).

The practice of teaching diverse groups of pupils is grounded in pedagogy that includes more than a skill in using prescribed instructional practices. Rather, this practice integrates professional knowledge about teaching, learning and child development, and involves an ethical and social commitment to children (Guðjónsdóttir, 2000). Inspiring teaching practices promote inclusion, honor diversity, cultures and ethnic experiences, and build the learning environment on the different contributions and identities of each student. The concept of inclusion goes beyond developing strategies of participation for a special group or removing barriers only for them. Rather it is a socio-political principle, a contrast of exclusion. If we say that an excluding society is an undemocratic society we can say that an inclusive society is a living democracy.

Teachers that respond to multiculturalism define what their pupils have in common and what their differences are. They recognize different culture and language, they learn about the diversity in their society and it reflects in their teaching (Banks, 2007).

Teachers in these practices understand the experiences and perspectives their students bring to the educational settings and respond to the diversity in the group as they design the curriculum, learning activities, classroom climate, instructional materials, teaching techniques and assessment procedures (Gay & Kirkland, 2003). Pedagogical qualities of the responsive professional teacher are witnessed in teachers who understand child development and individual differences, are committed to the education of all pupils, and who have a knowledge base which enables them to differentiate between pupils as they develop a curriculum for all pupils (Guðjónsdóttir, 2000).

The purposes of this research is to learn how teachers organize their teaching in diverse classrooms according to multicultural education and respond to diverse pupils emphasizing human rights, respect and education for equality. The aim is to gain examples of innovative teaching in order to promote the development of multicultural education. 

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