Building Cultural Sensitivity in Secondary Schools

At a secondary school in the Netherlands, a workshop on cultural diversity was held for all student teachers completing their internships at the school. Organised in collaboration with a teacher education institute, the workshop aimed to raise awareness of ethnic inequality in education and to foster more culturally sensitive teaching practices among future teachers.

The initiative was prompted by internal research conducted at the school, which revealed a striking disparity in exam success rates: students with a non-Western migration background were 31% less likely to pass their final exams compared to their Dutch peers. This pattern was consistent across all educational levels and reflected national trends. While socio-economic status (SES) is often cited as a key factor, the data also pointed to an unexplained difference, suggesting the presence of unconscious bias and ethnic inequality in the education system.

The workshop began with an “Over de Streep” (Cross the Line) activity, where student teachers physically stepped forward in response to personal statements such as “I feel I have to prove myself more than others at school” or “I have felt discriminated because of my ethnicity.” This exercise immediately revealed the diversity of experiences in the room and created space for honest conversations.

Following this, student teachers engaged with stories based on student experiences at the school. These included role-play scenarios involving teacher-student interactions around grading, school trips, and inappropriate comments. One case, for example, involved a student questioning the fairness of a school trip lottery after noticing that all his non-Dutch friends had been excluded. Another addressed a student’s frustration over receiving a lower grade despite improving her work with help from a university-level relative. A third case explored the impact of a teacher’s insensitive joke during a festive classroom visit.

These scenarios sparked lively discussions and reflection. Some students chose to act out the cases in role-play, while others preferred to analyse them in small groups. The goal was not to find the “right” answer, but to become more aware of the assumptions and expectations we all carry and how these can influence our behaviour as a teacher in the classroom.

The workshop introduced key concepts such as the Pygmalion effect and self-fulfilling prophecy, highlighting how teachers’ expectations can unconsciously shape student outcomes. Student teachers were encouraged to reflect on their own biases and to consider how cultural sensitivity can be developed through practice, dialogue, and openness.

The session concluded with practical tips for becoming a more culturally responsive teacher: get to know your students’ backgrounds, be mindful of stereotypes, diversify teaching teams, and avoid humour that may alienate or offend. The workshop demonstrated that cultural sensitivity is not a fixed trait but rather a skill that can be learned, strengthened, and embedded in everyday teaching practice.