Teacher Training
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Personal and Professional Teachers’ Wellbeing
Teacher wellbeing is a positive emotional state that combines the personal needs and expectations of both learners and their teachers. The quality of teachers and their wellbeing is regarded as one of the most important factors for student success, happiness, satisfaction and performance. However, the stress and professional burnout teachers often experience impedes their teaching practice. Emotional support, empowerment, and other positive coping strategies offered by the field of Positive Psychology, can be applied to help teachers to work within the challenges of their profession adaptively. The proposed “Happy Teachers” program aims to combine Positive Psychology and Character Education with the assertion that the holistic development of teachers can enhance their well-being and improve the quality of their teaching.
The program is built on six pillars: Positive Emotions and Growth Mindset, Values, Character Strengths, Positive Relationships, Psychological Resilience and Happiness.
- Psychological Resilience for Teachers
- Positive School Relationships
- Communication Skills
- Character Education
- Teaching Life Skills
- Prevention of Negative Behaviors in schools
- Multiple Intelligences/ Emotional Intelligence in schools
- Gender Sensitive Pedagogy
Σχολείο της Ευτυχίας
Το «Σχολείο της Ευτυχίας» αποτελεί ένα εγχειρίδιο για εκπαιδευτικούς, που βασίζεται στο επιστημονικό υπόβαθρο της Θετικής Ψυχολογίας και της Εκπαίδευσης Χαρακτήρα, μέσω της καλλιέργειας αξιών ζωής. Θέτει ως βασικό στόχο την προσωπική ευτυχία και εξέλιξη των μαθητών/τριών, καθώς και την ηθική και κοινωνικο-συναισθηματική τους ανάπτυξη. Το «Σχολείο της Ευτυχίας» περιλαμβάνει επιλεγμένες δραστηριότητες και μεθόδους διδασκαλίας που ενισχύουν το αίσθημα της ευζωίας και της ψυχικής ανθεκτικότητας. Οι δραστηριότητες απευθύνονται σε παιδιά δημοτικού σχολείου (κυρίως 8-12 ετών), ωστόσο με μικρές προσαρμογές μπορούν να αξιοποιηθούν και για παιδιά μικρότερης ή μεγαλύτερης ηλικίας, ακόμα και για ενήλικες.
Για να λάβετε το εγχειρίδιο “Σχολείο της Ευτυχίας”, επικοινωνήστε μαζί μας στο schoolofhappiness@iodevelopment.eu
Character Education
The IoD has been implementing the “ARETI” programme, which is an education programme in 12 basic life values which form the basis for shaping good character. The programme fills a gap in the upbringing of children with special emphasis on the moral, emotional and social development. The programme is addressed to children, parents and teachers. Its implementation started in 2007 and it continues every year until today. Approximately 3000 children have participated in the programme until now as well as hundreds of parents and teachers. The Ministry of Justice and Public Order has introduced it to its action plan for the prevention of violence and delinquency. Therefore, our programme can be used as a prevention and/ or a way of dealing with aggression, bullying, gender-based violence (GBV), anxiety, stress, depression, and burnout.
Positive Education
“Schools are not places just to learn the skills of achievement, but institutions to educate children on how to live lives signified by good character and values and to promote the wellbeing of both teachers and students” (Sha-en, 2011)
Positive Education combines traditional education principles with research-backed ways of increasing wellbeing and happiness in a holistic perspective in the classroom and beyond, providing students with knowledge and life skills to flourish in their present and future life. This contemporary approach is based on Positive Psychology, which is the scientific study of human flourishing and optimal functioning, and focuses on strengths and virtues that enable individuals, organisations and communities to succeed.
Our work in Positive Education is based on PERMA, the positive education model developed by Dr Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology as well as other approaches and models such as Positive Behavior Intervention Support.
In 2016, Institute of Development in collaboration with the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, started the programme “Positive Learning” which is concerned with the applications of positive psychology in education. The fundamental goal of the programme is resilience, wellbeing, good character development and achievement for both, teachers and children. The programme continues with success with the participation of more and more teachers and it is now officially incorporated in the training seminars that are offered by the Pedagogical Institute in Cyprus.
Science of Self Programme
The “SCIENCE OF SELF” is a programme of emotional and social development which aims to help children and adolescents to better understand and appreciate their self. By better communicating with themselves they can improve their relationships, learn to cooperate, to express and share their thoughts and feelings. The activities of the programme help people to: Better understand and develop their self, clarify their objectives, be optimistic, improve their relationships, learn to cooperate, and give meaning to their life.
