BACK TO SCHOOL - THE FOUNDATION OF HAPPINESS

"<< Background >>We applied for the ""BACK TO SCHOOL - The Foundation of Happiness"" project to address the critical needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on children's education. Our focus was on tackling the diminished physical and mental health of children aged 6-10, exacerbated by prolonged online learning and a lack of motivation, which led to poor educational outcomes and disrupted work routines.Recognising that a happy child is more open to learning and developing competencies, we aimed to rekindle joy and motivation in learning. The project sought to equip teachers with the necessary tools and training to implement a happiness curriculum, shifting the educational focus from purely academic skills to include vital social and emotional skills.Additionally, we identified a need to support parents, often unable to assist their children with schoolwork due to work commitments or lack of ability. By involving parents in the happiness curriculum, we aimed to foster a more collaborative and supportive learning environment at home.<< Objectives >>The primary objective of the project was to develop a social and emotional curriculum centred on happiness, aimed at stimulating student motivation.Key outcomes:Manual of Good practices: Gathering effective practices from schools across the EU and compiling them into a booklet. Development of curriculum: Creating a curriculum with a focus on happiness as the foundation for student motivation, integrating techniques to boost creativity and positive thinking in students.Teacher training program: Developing training program for teachers, emphasising the role of happiness in education, to enhance their ability to create a supportive and stimulating learning environment.Guidebook for parents: The guidebook's content was derived from the happiness curriculum developed for schools. It provided parents with insights and strategies that are easy to understand and apply, even for those without a pedagogical background.Motivational avatar application: Designing an online avatar character as a tool for the project. This digital avatar was intended to make learning more engaging and effective for school-age children, using IT technologies to present educational content in an innovative and appealing manner.<< Implementation >>As activities in the project we have applied the following:Gathering of good practices at EU level and making a gap analysis of the existing and missing knowledge at EU levelDevelopment of Happiness curriculum and pre- and post-assessment toolsDevelopment of Teachers training and implementing LTTA for training the teachers who will do the piloting of the program in schools.Development of Parents guidebook to help the parents to support the training in home environment. Implementing piloting of the developed materials in schools - curriculum, teachers training and the application with the motivational avatar. Then we gathered feedback and improved the results which we developed.Promoting the results at Multiplier events with different stakeholders and implementing workshops for teachers.<< Results >>Manual of Good practices: Gathering effective practices from schools across the EU and compiling them into a booklet. Development of curriculum: Creating a curriculum with a focus on happiness as the foundation for student motivation, integrating techniques to boost creativity and positive thinking in students.Teacher training program: Developing training program for teachers, emphasising the role of happiness in education, to enhance their ability to create a supportive and stimulating learning environment.Guidebook for parents: The guidebook's content was derived from the happiness curriculum developed for schools. It provided parents with insights and strategies that are easy to understand and apply, even for those without a pedagogical background.Motivational avatar application: Designing an online avatar character as a tool for the project. This digital avatar was intended to make learning more engaging and effective for school-age children, using IT technologies to present educational content in an innovative and appealing manner."