The European Union (EU) is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights and values, which Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) considers common to all Member States. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union^[1] describes human dignity as an indivisible and universal value. It places the individual at the heart of the activities of the EU, establishing EU the citizenship and creating an area of freedom, security, and justice. In recent years, however, the EU has witnessed tensions and increasing hostile attitudes towards culturally diverse communities among young citizens as well as anti-European movements. It is questionable whether education has failed to create a shared sense of belonging among EU citizens. In response to these trends, the so-called Paris Declaration signed by the EU Ministers of Education in 2015 reinforces the role of education to ensure that humanistic and civic values are safeguarded. Intercultural competences (IC) for teacher education are a crucial element in this endeavour based on inclusive learning practices which are of paramount importance to promote constructive interaction, understanding and affinity among students. 

This research responds to the need of providing and Evidence based policy for the development of intercultural and democratic competences in teacher education bases on innovative and efficient practices. The aim of this study is to provide policy makers with recommendations for a reference framework of competences for teachers Intercultural and Democratic Competences (IDC) development.

The theoretical framework of the study analyses existing Competency frameworks and provides a brief comparison of the most internationally relevant frameworks for intercultural competences  which have been endorsed by policy makers, researchers, and international institutions: the UNESCO Framework The OECD PISA Global Competence (2018)^[2], the EU Framework for Life Long Learning Competences (2006)^[3] and the Council of Europe (CoE) Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC 2018)^[4].

Following these frameworks Intercultural competences are a complex and challenging quality that goes beyond simple skills development. The underlying assumption is that the acquisition of IC is primarily based on the recognition of diversity as an asset for society.

The innovative impute of the present research resides precisely in the fact that cultural diversity is understood as an integral part of EU society. It also provides a new definition : Intercultural and Democratic competence inspired by the CoE Reference Framework of Competence for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) Based on the above-mentioned analysis, the INNO4DIV research project project has identified the CoE’s RFCDC as the most appropriate reference for the development of Intercultural and democratic competences in teacher education.

The presentation will analyse in depth the CoE RFCDC as a framework which focuses on individuals and their response to democratic and intercultural situations and emphasises personal engagement and ethical and social commitment. Furthermore, values are highlighted in the framework as a core issue for learning. Moreover, the CoE framework provides specific knowledge and pedagogical recommendations for teacher training environments and offers detailed guidance for policy. The proposal will also explore the implications of this conceptual framework as a reference base for the development of IDC in the European teacher education

The final research results on the study of innovative practices for IDC development and a proposal for an innovative model will also be discussed

Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used A prior research, which served as a departure point for the present study, was carried out by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. JRC also identified several challenges and barriers to be taken into consideration for IDC development. It also highlighted the lack of scientific sources and literature references for the development of a evidence based conceptual model in the field. This study builds on the need to provide researchers and practitioners with further academic sources that support the conceptual definition of key enabling components and barriers for teachers’ development of IDC. The Conceptual framework was developed to in order to provide an initial definition of teachers IDC. A systematic literature review (LR) addresses the needs identified by the JRC was held, integrating reports and sources that were not identified in the original research. The LR also furnished researchers with evidence-based knowledge for the establishment of inclusion and exclusion criteria for the selection of inspiring and innovative practices in teacher education and IDC development Once the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the selection of cases was established, an in-depth analysis of inventory of innovative cases for IDC in teacher’s education was implemented that will be followed by a cross-case analysis of practices and a validation event by experts in in order to extract a series of policy recommendations to support educational policymakers, curriculum developers, higher institutions and other relevant stakeholders in the development of Teachers IDC

The analysis of the most relevant competence frameworks for the development of IDC (the UNESCO Framework, the OECD PISA Global Competence, the Council of Europe Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) and the Recommendation of the EU Parliament and of the Council on key competences for Life Long Learning) has identified the CoE’s RFCDC as the most appropriate reference for the development of IDC in teacher education. The RFCDC emphasises values as a core issue for learning, provides specific knowledge and pedagogical recommendations for teacher training environments and offers detailed guidance for policy makers on how formal education can be used to equip young people with the competences they need to actively participate in democratic culture and to promote and defend human rights. Regarding the key enabling component for Teachers IDC development the research demonstrate that training needs to address the personal experiences of teachers, as a basic source for the learning process. Providing teachers with experiential knowledge is has been identified extremely important key enabling component. Away to increase the effectiveness of teacher preparation to deal with cultural diversity, leading to the development of the intercultural sensitivity of teachers, and subsequently, of student teachers and their pupils. As stated by Cushner& Mahon: Culture learning develops only with attention to experience and the affective domain that is then linked to cognition. It is through impactful experiences, where people are challenged to make sense of their new environment and accommodate to the difference, where they ultimately gain more sophisticated knowledge about other people and a feeling of being at home in a new context (Cushner and Mahon, in Deardorff, 2009, 316).

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