In the eighties and early nineties there was a kind of optimism in education about the possibilities of  intercultural education to contribute to a humane and just  multicultural society. Nowadays that hope is almost absent. The debate on and in education in Europe focuses on basics, measurable outcomes and integration of immigrants ( Bhatti, Gaine, Gobbo & Leeman  2007).  In the highly ethnically segregated Dutch big cities a new type of intercultural education is emerging.  This current intercultural activity consists of short term pupil exchange and encounter,  between primary schools that  have a  predominant  ‘immigrant’ and a predominant ‘Dutch origin’ pupil population. It is not organized by the schools, but by an agency/ organization that  has been temporary subsidized by special funds or the local authorities.

International research evidence based on Allport’s contact hypothesis (1954) suggests possible effects of exchange and encounter on the personal intercultural attitudes of the pupils. However, the preconditions that facilitate these effects such as preparation, coaching, the duration of the activity, are of importance here. It is striking  that the role of the teacher in this kind of activities has been unaddressed. It is argued that teachers are of  importance for the quality and the effects of contact activities. They are certainly not a neutral factor. Their perspective on and imagination about multicultural society is crucial (Gobbo 2009).

The research questions  of this project are:

a.       What is the teachers’ evaluation of the intercultural activity? What kind of role did they take and what did they learn during the activity about their students?

b.      What is the teachers’ perspective on and  imagination  about the Dutch multicultural society, and what kind of learning activities do they  value  for their pupils?

Allport, G.W. (1954) The nature of prejudice: A comprehensive and penetrating study of the origin and nature of prejudice. Garden city, NY: Addisson-Wesley Publishing. Bhatti, G., Gaine, C., Gobbo, F. & Leeman, Y. (2007) Social justice and intercultural education. An open-ended dialogue. Stoke on Trent, UK and Sterling, USA: Trentham Books. Mason, J. (2002) Researching your own practice. The discipline of noticing. London and New York: Routledge and Falmer. Gobbo, F. (2009) On metaphors, everyday diversity and intercultural education: some further reflections. Intercultural Education 20(4) 321-332. Schultz, K. (2003) Listening. A framework for teaching across differences. New York and London: Teachers College Press.