POSITIVE LEARN aims to support school professionals and modernise teacher education through curriculum innovations to support the effective adoption of digital technologies and innovative pedagogies in online education. During the recent Covid-19 pandemic, school education has seen a massive shift towards online-only learning. However, many teachers and students have not been able to use new technologies in a healthy way, leading to various psychological effects such as anxiety and stress. It became clear that well-being needs to be addressed in the context of the use of technology, and as teachers play a crucial role in the educational process, it is crucial that teachers become active agents of change in implementing technological innovations. However, current curricula do not include this aspect and most teachers rely on the assumption that physical education classes are sufficient to ensure students’ mental and physical health.
POSITIVE LEARN aims to address this key challenge by (a) developing teachers’ competencies to ensure well-being and health; (b) providing learning scenarios and materials to mainstream wellbeing; and (c) creating a unique open exchange platform to foster skills development and collaboration across Europe.
We believe that to support the effective adoption of digital technologies and innovative pedagogies in education, a rethinking of the digital competence portfolio of educators is required. POSITIVE LEARN will address the key emotional challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic by applying a positive computing/psychology approach beyond technological/digital solutions. The project will support innovation, resilience and change to help schools in the education system cope with the uncertainty caused by the pandemic and build support for change. We consider positive psychology/positive computing as a necessary skill to address psychological/emotional issues.
The main goal of POSITIVE LEARN is to provide teachers with tools to create positive views, emotions and atmospheres in times of crisis. To become effective promoters of resilience in education, teachers need access to relevant, quality professional development and support during the crisis to effectively implement technological innovations. The project will support and train teachers so that they can optimally use the possibilities of new technologies to develop and implement innovative teaching methods. POSITIVE LEARN thus contributes to the professional development of teachers.
Our specific goals are: 1. To develop a pedagogical and competency framework to enable teachers to include wellbeing and mental health in all subjects. 2. Providing open learning scenarios and materials to include wellbeing in all subjects. 3. Developing teacher competences in relation to technology-related health issues and providing ready-to-use interventions 4. Facilitating collaboration for open learning across Europe 5. Providing evidence-based implementation guidelines 6. Producing future institutional and policy guidance Overall, we aim to empower schools and teachers at managing their digital transformation in a healthy environment.
The following results are planned:
Together these form a comprehensive support system for educators and schools to address the key emotional challenges of digital learning by applying a positive computational/psychological approach beyond technological/digital solutions. POSITIVE LEARN outcomes will support innovation, resilience and change to help schools of education systems cope with the uncertainty caused by the pandemic and build support for change.