POP! Proclamation of Positivity - Teachers for Positive Education

We wanted to find new solutions to post Covid classrooms, where we can adapt to the new surroundings and needs of students. We believe the insights of positive psychology can provide us the answer...

In our project our objectives included learning more about the elements of the PERMA model and other useful aspects of positivity from an expert, then creating our own teaching content which was to be tested first in our own school environment, then with international groups of teachers and students. The subgoal here was to be able to validate their usability, and if necessary improve or adjust them. These materials we planned to be edited and published in a form of a booklet for the reference of future educators or even teacher trainers who are interested in the topic and share our vision, that were to be summarized in a Proclamation of Positivity by which our schools take a stand for implementing changes towards positive education and invite others to join us in this effort. The aims included equipping teachers with practical skills and their organizations with information to be able to improve the school environment, so that all the participants can experience positive emotions; not only to help them as individuals, but also the institute and its service to the community and by reaching out to other institutes of education, possibly promoting positivity even on international levels.

We implemented the following activities in our project: - creation, participation and cooperative completion of a training course on positive psychology and the PERMA model - based on the course creating several exercises and activities usable in various circumstances and age groups, but mainly focusing on a target group of secondary school students - each of these exercises and activities were tested first in pilot groups of our own school setting in every participating country, after which the creating and testing teachers could add notes and modifications, if they saw it fit - then further testing was implemented in an international setting with students from all of our institutions, during which all the teachers and other stakeholders present observed the activities, then had the opportunity to evaluate and discuss them, so that the creators could add further notes and modifications or clarifications - the editors collected and categorised the above mentioned activities according to their relevance to the PERMA model, then the expert gave her final suggestions for improvement and decided on either keeping or discarding them, so finally 68 items were chosen for publication - a glossary was created, edited and added to the Guidebook of Activities and Exercises, as a professional support for understanding the terms and expressions learnt and used during the project to make them unambiguous and useable for the general public as well as professionals - discussion, creation and refinement of the Proclamation of Positivity (during online Teams meetings as well as in person), printing and presenting it as a celebratory, formal document; having it signed by the representatives of each partner school, then bestowing copies to the partner schools as well as to a Member of the European Parliament - detailed discussions (during online Teams meetings as well as in person), creation and development of the project’s website, publishing materials there, on the Erasmus+ project results platform and the e-Twinning page - creating YouTube videos from the participants’ point of view, emphasizing the European unity, and presenting the “Erasmus atmosphere” in a way that promotes our project with its main scope of positivity and its results, but is also inviting for others contemplating participation in one

Beside the above mentioned 68 activities and exercises published in a guidebook to enhance flourishing at school, the following concrete outputs and results were achieved: - a glossary was created, edited and added to the guidebook as a professional support for understanding the terms and expressions learnt and used during the project to make them unambiguous and useable for the general public as well as professionals - discussion, creation and refinement of the Proclamation of Positivity, printing and presenting it as a celebratory, formal document; having it signed by the representatives of each partner school, then bestowing copies to the partner schools as well as to a Member of the European Parliament - detailed discussions (during online Teams meetings as well as in person), creation and development of the project’s website, publishing materials there, on the Erasmus+ project results platform and the e-Twinning page - creating YouTube videos from the participants’ point of view, emphasizing the European unity, and presenting the “Erasmus atmosphere” in a way that promotes our project with its main scope of positivity and its results, but is also inviting for others contemplating participation in one