Positive Institutions: positive education
Three interviews with practitioners
Table of Contents
1. Rinka van Zundert, leer en veerkracht (Learning & Resilience) ........................ 2
2. Jacqeline Boerefijn MSc lessons in happiness................................................ 7
Part 2 ......................................................................................................................... 9
3. Shiri Lavy, university of Haifa .......................................................................... 17
1
, 1. Rinka van Zundert, leer en veerkracht (Learning &
Resilience)
Introduction: Child psychology. 18 years did things in meditation. PHD. Research.
Smoking sensations,
Positive psychology her own definition
= not just focusing on good and on the positive, but seems to me to be a more holistic
way to look at people’s well-being. How can you find well-being in tomes that are ruph
and are pretty well. Find a match.
While teaching in master psychology in Nijmegen, examples of Australia from boarding
schools focusing on well-being, every teacher trained in mindfulness etc., the children as
well. Also, by implicitly and explicitly. Want to develop in the Netherlands. Stopped
academia, started own business about learning resilience.
Learning and resilience program.
What about program, started with theoretical model about holistic well-being. Be aware
about own thoughts, behavior and emotions: mind site. Body awareness and then
awareness and knowledge how brain and body work: psychology itself.
Not only integrate and apply it
Then developing skills, characteristics and strategies on five areas: mental, emotional,
social, behavioral and physiological. Each have their strategies on their own. Think about
self-compassion. Background of program.
Practically: created program for 3 years. Introduction to team if will participate, 90% yes
then start, well-being focus.
Question: formulate that as criterium?
Answer: oh definitely, otherwise will fail.
Important for well-being and emotional development.
2-hour workshop for teachers and explain, then they choose or not. Add, in beginning
were going ahead with training, but implementation to be successful need very good
team dynamics! Advise when want to do program, access on team dynamics. If say yes
than session in group dynamics, if team is ready, then start training.
Part 1: strengths and positive focus
Part 2: optimism and gratitude.
2
,Part 3: training
Part 4: investigating stress
Part 5: communication
Holistic well-being model.
Year 2 and 3 courses that continue, everyone could choose own course. Specialize in
growth mindset. Way of transforming believes. Communication etc.
They have to choose, not force everyone doing mindfulness.
In third year also choose.
Then form project group and they guide them in process, how include meetings, how be
more solution focused rather dan problem. How make more appreciate. With every
meeting the program is PP is always made of that.
With every aspect of school, what use and how optimize? How combine with social
studies, history, language.
That Is why it take three years, fundamental change.
Question: talking primary education
Answer: both education, also secondary schools and primary.
Teachers being able to choose elements.
Marianne: PPI do not work unless we are motivated to work with them.
Question: Challenges for more school management in terms of getting equal, not
making diDerences between teachers to be? School board think children learn
about mindfulness, depend on teacher whether interested in.
Answer: yes that is how it works, everybody enjoy across something if you truly belief it.
Learn it, life it, teach it: model! logistically it is a puzzle sometimes, if more schools and
put clusters together. Can be nice as well, situation at school, come together someone
is communication, some is mindset so find solution.
People are opening up, but mindfulness, gratitude are a lot, so are more connected to
other parts.
Question: ST Nicolas school in Rotterdam. Case because supported it. Perhaps
describe situation where in when first in tough.
Answer: in neighborhood with low social people, areas cultural 32, always known form
being strong school, about average, 18 team members, reason reach out, principles
training in mindfulness, want prepare children in the future. So much stress. So many
things are in from a teacher, achievement, cognitive aspects. She did mindfulness, and
in which PP can be seen as mindfulness, part of it. Some much more of that. So we
matched.
Learned a lot from them, how they experience.
3
, Question: what learned from them
Answer: how provide structure, how implement on every level on the school. Use words.
Practical knowledge.
Saw decrease in absenteeism among teachers. Someone got bike, less ill. Lot of children
aggressively, emotion regulation more down, child counselor, if fear of failure they guide
them to learn more social skills or behavioral problems, number of children decrease and
much less on needed because done on the schools.
What are good at, negative thoughts, all those parts done in classroom, more time
coaching young new teachers.
Not everything is going well, hard to keep this alive in time of less teachers available.
Academic achievements of children could spare time or take time that is otherwise used
for structure.
Raise of well-being among children, teachers as well.
Question: Changes made in lessons and curriculum, what most important changes,
what do diDerently. How end diDerently?
Answer: what went well today, what grateful for. If reading book, ask what strengths
person playing, make maybe strengths wall. Lot of put there and add names of students
who have those. Even children with problems in behavior say positive sides of their
characteristics.
Also, mindfulness training to specific group, gave groups 1-5 extra half hour training
during the week, so exercise with kids, emotion regulation.
Question: milk and honey, challenges in achieving and sustaining change.
Answer: general obstacles, this school, 1) the principles come on board the whole team
and active project group, implementing not lot of challenges, depside 2) people slow
about opening-up and 3) new teachers need to train also. Challenges more in keeping a
life, times with COVID, 4) still process first 2 years principles leave, sometimes person
takes it one and make better, some principle and nothing if not fully on board than not
works. 5) Team dynamics!
Culture if decide for themselves, norm have benefits but also downside, autonomous if
have no collaboration, principle if board implement new doesn’t happen.
As long laugh It is good, but people afraid give each other feedback.
Traumatized about old rules, clip of woman about team dynamics, team culture 10
people but 9 are left, infected so hard to erase the team.
Not 100% guarantee.
That why connected to principles. What happens to team dynamics.
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