Learn to Be zen @ school How to build a favourable and serene learning atmosphere? How to create a better place to live together? The world is changing at a very fast pace, scientific and technological development is booming and our environment is becoming increasingly complex. School is no different to this reality. This constantly evolving environment, which imposes multiple and conflicting needs on their shoulders has directly affected teachers, educators and parents. The globalisation and multicultural openness to the world generates new challenges! To better live together and collaborate we need to understand the way we and others operate. There is an urgent need for students to rebuild a sense of community, recognising the importance of social links without judgement and stress. We need to train ourselves and our children to adapt to changes and to this evolving complexity by using the best scientific knowledge available. This strategic partnership between field workers (training institutions, educational associations and schools) from different European countries is launched to answer the needs of schoolteachers (and anyone involved in education), giving them practical tools to address the question of emotions, stress and aggressiveness with primary school children. It is based on a functional and innovative approach, the Neurocognitive and Behavioural Approach (NBA), which links our behaviours and emotions as well as our ability to act and make decisions. This approach favours our adaptive intelligence and our emotional and interpersonal skills. It enables us to understand, act and adjust our actions to make them more suitable, responsible and respectful of others. By using new interactive and multimedia technologies, this partnership seeks to simplify our own understanding of human behaviour and human condition, and that of others. The main objective is to help children and adults acquire and develop the whole range of key-competencies needed in life: empathy, self-awareness, interpersonal skills, and emotional and relational abilities. In practice, this partnership will develop and test animated videos with storytelling based on real-life school situations, enabling and fostering child/adult interactions. New educational material and supporting tools will be created and tested by teachers, educators and children during thematic workshops. These tools are intended to stimulate thoughts and reflection, raise questions, bringing forward exercises and illustrations, and drawing courses of action.
Context. The world of education is changing. From primary school onwards, children are subject to many pressures inside and outside school. However, when stress stifles a class, it is difficult to obtain a serene climate to develop learning. To reduce tension, you must first understand your own behaviour. • “45% of teens say they are stressed « all the time »” Global Newswire • “Exam stress is causing thousands of UK children to require conselling.” Huffingtonpost • “Research shows that untreated children with anxiety disorders are at higher risk to perform poorly in school, miss out on important social experiences, …” - ADAA • “Teachers may need training to respond to children’s emotions.” College of Aces, University of Illinois This reality has consequences for children, teachers and parents. But we can make a change! Our partnership has enabled the creation of a series of tools to awaken children aged 5 to 12 years old to awareness and emotion management in school (and elsewhere!). The timeline • February 2017 – Discussions about emotions and the beginning of the adventure. How to discuss the theme of emotions with children? • March 2017 – Start of the Learn to be zen @ school project. Creation of a partnership with Savoir-être à l’école (France) and the Franco-German School of Freiburg (Germany), based on the idea of producing videos combined with activity sheets and play-and-learn materials. • September 2017 – The project is launched. Creation of the first video clips and educational tools. Presentation of the project in different fairs and schools, on social networks etc. • February 2018 – Website and first topic are unveiled Opening of the https://learntobezen.eu website and launch of the first tools for testing in participating or partner schools. • November 2018 - In France, the start of workshops in the 6th grade classes of 2 secondary schools in the Paris region classified as "Zone d'Education Prioritaire" (14 classes, 300 children). • End of August 2019 – Completion of the experimental project. The tools were gradually implemented by a series of volunteer teachers: 75 Belgians, about ten Germans and 33 French. About 3,000 children participated in these workshops. Evaluations, by children and adults, were provided to the partnership. • September 2019 – Launch of the toolbox to the general public. Availability of all Learn to be zen @ school tools to the general public, free of charge. Thanks to these tools, children will be able to acquire and develop key life skills: self-knowledge, empathy, emotional and relational skills. Groups targeted: • primary school children (5 to 12 years old) as a priority, • education stakeholders (teachers, educators, directors and educational staff), • schools and educational associations or local authorities, which work with education stakeholders and young people, • parents and other young people. Productions (see all the tools on the website https://learntobezen.eu): • 10 animation video clips on the theme of school stress, emotional management and intelligence, to open the discussion with the children. • 10 pedagogical sheets for the teacher, the educator, the parent, in order to build the activity with the children and to choose the appropriate tools. • Attractive and fun tools to allow children to explore, put words to their emotions and find solutions together to the difficulties they encounter. Objectives/impacts of the strategic partnership: • To raise awareness and interest in human functioning. • Develop key knowledge and skills for life: knowledge of self, others, empathy, emotional and relational skills related to stress management, emotions, relationships with others, and better living together. • Learn to be zen: develop your ability to adapt and take a step back. • Develop in the classroom and in children's living spaces a serene climate, open to others, the world and learning.