On Wednesday 3rd March over 60 keen Stranmillis students crowded into the Students’ Union to take part in a free workshop provided by the teaching union The Association of Teachers and Lectures (ATL).

The session was entitled “Coping in Multi-Cultural Classrooms” and was delivered by Bronagh Crummey-Bryan, a EAL specialist teacher. The aim of the workshop was to suggest ways in which teachers can cope with the challenges of multi-cultural classrooms as well as explore the opportunities of such diversity. During the 90 minute interactive training session students became aware that there are currently over 70 languages spoken in Northern Ireland and many different ethnicities, religions and cultures represented in our classrooms. With this in mind students were given the opportunity to share their own knowledge and experience of multi-cultural classrooms in order to exchange ideas and examples of good practice. Throughout the session tips and advice were given on how to manage difference and promote understanding within school communities, as well as suggestions for supporting children with English as an Additional Language.

All in all this was an extremely successful event and we look forward to providing similar opportunities in the future.