From September 24 to 27, 2024, I had the honor of accompanying the ÖFEB Congress at the Pädagogische Hochschule Wien with my graphic recording. Under the motto “Diversity Discursively,” more than 400 participants from the education and research sectors gathered to discuss educational scientific approaches and pedagogical perspectives on the topic of diversity.
The festive opening was phenomenally accompanied by the music of PHabrik, whose choir got everyone singing and dancing along with a mash-up of chart hits and multilingual children’s songs. Moderated by Christian Aspalter and Elke Poterpin, Yasmin Hafedh, Kenan Güngör, and Salma Baghajati shared exciting insights into their experiences and viewpoints on the reality of diversity in the educational context.
On the second day of the congress, Vice-Rector Norbert Kraker officially opened the event after a musical contribution from the choir of the student teachers under the motto “Everyone Belongs” and a poetry slam by Katharina Wenty. In her keynote, the rector of PH Wien, Barbara Herzog-Punzenberger, emphasized the importance of diversity in teaching. She called for overcoming “methodological nationalism” and strengthening the role of teachers as identity shapers in a migration society.
A highlight was the keynote by Prof. Dr. Alisha Heinemann on Thursday, where she introduced the concept of Critical Diversity Literacy. She urged participants to question privileges and not to simply accept “apparent normality.” The last day of the congress featured a profound engagement with the topic of ableism through Rahel More’s keynote. She focused on a shift in perspective that questions the inflated expectations of human abilities and showed that the pressure for self-optimization affects us all.
Throughout the three days of the congress, up to 13 parallel sessions took place, discussing diverse perspectives and approaches to diversity in education. With my graphic recording, I visually captured the key topics and insights from these discussions. For me, it was a great experience to accompany the congress with my visual notes. The diversity of topics and the intense discussions were inspiring and once again demonstrated how important the exchange on diversity in the education sector is.
