Balancing academic standards and cultural sensitivity in Jewish–Arab teacher education

This article examines lecturers’ efforts to strike a delicate balance between maintaining academic standards and intercultural sensitivity in a mixed Arab–Jewish Israeli college of education. Informed by Bennett and Deardorff’s intercultural sensitivity and competence models, the study explored the dilemmas of 21 faculty members through thematic analysis of in-depth interviews. The findings show that participants viewed cultural diversity as a major educational resource, yet faced ongoing tension between professionalism and inclusion. They suggested three strategies: avoiding or replacing sensitive content, combining sensitive content with critical education, and applying trigger warnings. Four additional pedagogical strategies were proposed: slowing down, providing more background and explanations, working in small groups, and using role reversal to balance power relations. The article examines the ethical and pedagogical implications of these practices and highlights their role in developing teachers’ intercultural competence as change agents in a fractured society. It concludes that culturally responsive teaching requires flexibility, ongoing reflection, and institutional support to foster a shared society.