Well-being at school

Teacher Development Program

School Well-being Project

The project called “Well-being at school” benefited from EUR 171 895.00 in funding. The total amount of funding awarded was co-financed in 85% from the funds received from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway under the EEA Funds and in 15% from the state budget. The aim of the project, which we carried out with the Icelandic partner Art of Living Iceland, was to develop and implement innovative educational methods and tools on mental resilience for teachers and school children, and to conduct pilot studies, a report and recommendations during a two-year project with the participation of a minimum of 110 teachers.

Project Successes

As many as 18 out of 28 surveyed people (65%) participating in the program declared that they had started practicing selected methods and techniques. It is worth mentioning that 2 people (out of 14 giving quality statements) declared that due to lack of time and life circumstances, they were unable to implement the exercises they had learned.

Platform

91 people were subscribed to the www.edu.uderstanding.pl platform during the period of the quantitative survey, i.e. until the end of October 2023. 54 people actively used it (data as of the end of December 2023). At the end of January 2024, the number of people signed up on the platform increased to 130. This shows the interest of the target group. Probably additional people signed up under the influence of a recommendation and a campaign in social media.

Competition

11 people participated in the “Good Beginning” competition, and finally we received 6 essays.
Below we present an excerpt from one of them:

The “Well-being at school” training first of all opens the eyes of teachers and makes them reflect.
In our work, we usually put children – students, their needs, requirements and well-being first, completely forgetting about ourselves. Our attention is focused on students: we solve their problems, conflicts, help them overcome limitations and difficulties, often at the expense of their own well-being. We forget that if we are nervous, stressed, if there is no inner peace in us, our students will not achieve it either.

Webinars

There were also 3 motivational webinars in August-September 2023 – a total of 27 participants took part.

Final Gala

The gala ending the project was attended by 30 people in person, and 50 people watched the conference live online. Even after the conference, the participants returned to the recording, and there were also new viewers – currently the 2.5-hour video from the conference has 137 views

Numerous studies show that there is a high demand for the implementation of development programs for teachers in terms of mental resilience. Burnout among this group is a serious problem, both social and pedagogical. Taking on the frustration of students and parents, long-term, chronic stress and a sense of loneliness, without the possibility of receiving institutional support, leads to professional burnout. On top of that, there are difficult working conditions, a lack of teaching aids, pressure from superiors and low wages.

The “Well-being at School” project aimed to develop and implement innovative educational methods and tools on mental resilience for teachers and school children and to conduct pilot research, report and recommendations during a 2-year project with the participation of at least 110 teachers.
The final beneficiaries were teachers in training and people working with children, school children and parents. Indirect beneficiaries are teachers, school staff, institutions supporting school education and educators.

About the project

During the training in Kombornia in October 2022, it was possible to gather a group of experts and teachers involved in the project. As a result of the week-long training, a number of multimedia educational materials were created for teachers to use in their work. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the educational materials on our PLATFORM

Assumptions

As part of the project, the following were developed:

  • Mental Resilience Guide for School Teachers
  • multimedia training package for teachers, tools and exercises for teachers to work with each other
  • Pilot Teacher Training Research and Analysis Report, Recommendations and Articles
  • two booklets with exercises for primary school children and instructions for teachers, people working with children and parents

When developing the above-mentioned results, we used different concepts from all over the world to make them tailored to different people (teachers, people working with children, children) and their current needs at every stage of life.
The resulting educational programs and tools are diverse, comprehensive, and flexible.
Each teacher and child will be able to choose what suits them best at a given moment.

Adopted methodology

As part of the project, we used the following concepts and methods:

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Neuroscience for Teachers

exercises to build a sense of security and emotional stability

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Qigong

physical exercises to release tension from the body, calm and relax

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Yoga

physical, stress-relieving and energizing exercises

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NLP

improving self-esteem, managing emotions

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EFT

tapping method, learning to accept emotions

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NVC: Nonviolent Communication

communication based on respect, kindness and empathy

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Positive and Cognitive Psychology

Psychological tools for building mental well-being

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Relaxation & Meditation

Mindfulness practice to support distance building and regeneration

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Positive Discipline

how to work systemically with the classroom to maximize student collaboration

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Breathing exercises

Exercises That Boost Immunity and Build Calm Through Breathing

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Self-regulation

exercises supporting the identification and reduction of stressors, analysis of areas where mental resilience resources can be built

Join us and help us build healthier, more resilient, and happier communities together!

Expert and teacher views

Get to know the opinions of experts and teachers about the project

Platform

Register for the Platform>>> Unlimited access to free materials Design!

Reports

Welfare at scholl results and recomendations

"Good Start" Contest

Winning Contest Essays

Final gala of the project

Promotional video from the conference

Project Partners

Our partner in the project is Art of Living Iceland from Reykjavik. It is an international organization with programs and workshops for personal development, including elements of yoga, meditation, breathing techniques and practical knowledge that leads to the elimination of stress and the improvement of the quality of life. More than 30 million people around the world have participated in the workshop so far. All the activities of Art of Living have one goal in common: to improve health and increase the level of happiness.