WELL-BEING AND STRESS MANAGEMENT, ICELAND

Recharge your and your students’ mental and physical batteries with positive energy as a part of your teaching day!

In our busy and demanding school environment it is often difficult to find the time for calmness and reflection.  In this course we will explore activities that will give you and your students the opportunity to nurture your mental and physical wellness as a part of your daily routine at school. The sessions are highly practical and you will experience activities first-hand.  Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to reflect on the sessions and adapt the ideas to suit your specific setting. 

THE ACTIVITIES FOCUS ON:

• Increasing well-being
• Recognising stress and what triggers it
• Techniques to prevent and relieve stress
• Mindfulness and meditation
• Positive communication
• Encouraging physical activity
• Recognisng and building on student and teacher strengths

All the activities that can be adapted for children, adolescents and adults.

The sessions focus on inclusive teaching and learning practices as well as teacher and students’ health and well-being. They allow teams of teachers to have fun together, try out and develop new ideas.  You will also learn to identify strengths in yourself and your colleagues and set goals for improving your practice in the future.   

Giving teachers and students time to focus on their own mental health is essential.  Mental health conditions are one of the main causes of suffering and disability in Europe and this situation of course has escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic.  This course will help you focus on techniques to develop open and supportive well-being cultures in your classroom and beyond.   You will see how making small, positive adjustments in your daily practice will bring meaningful change for students, teachers, and schools as a whole.

COURSE AIMS:

• To introduce the ideology behind Smart Teachers Play More and observe first-hand how the project is working in local schools in Iceland.
• To give teachers a close-up and personal insight into the Icelandic school system.
• To help teachers recognise stress, what triggers it and techniques to prevent and relieve it.
• To give teachers first-hand experience and the tools needed to promote mental and physical well-being as a part of the daily school routine.
• To practice a range mindfulness and meditation techniques.
• To explore positive communication and active listening exercises.
• To discover how to combine academic learning with play, movement and sensory activities.
• To help teachers recognise and build on student and teacher strength through mental strength exercises and goal creation.  
• To give teachers the opportunity to share successful activities they use in their own school/country so we can learn from each other.
• To help teachers plan the vision for their open and supportive well-being classroom culture with time to reflect on their individual schools and plan realistic steps for implementation and success.
• To have fun, share experiences and learn from like-minded teachers from different countries.
• To continue growing our network of teachers and schools from all over Europe and beyond.

OUTSTANDING TRAINERS:

The course is run by Kristín Einarsdóttir and her team.  Kristín is a qualified P.E., yoga and mindfulness teacher from Iceland.  She is also the founder and author of the acclaimed teaching method Play to Learn More where academic subjects are combined with play, movement and mindfulness activities to optimise learning.  Her passion is to train as many teachers as possible in the method in order to ensure that students everywhere can benefit from the powerful experience of physical and mindful learning activities. Kristin works with over 30 schools in Iceland and has organised educational courses and conferences for more than 5,000 teachers in Iceland, Norway, Spain, Croatia and Poland.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONALS ACROSS THE EDUCATION SECTOR:

This course offers learning opportunities for teachers and school staff across the education sector including: Preschool; Primary; Secondary; Adult education; Special Needs; Teaching assistants; School management; Vocational education; Higher education; and Student teachers.

VISIT ICELANDIC SCHOOLS:

As part of the course and with your Icelandic hosts, you will have the opportunity to visit Icelandic schools at each educational stage. You will witness, first-hand, how Iceland, with only 330,000 inhabitants, produces so many well-known athletes and artists. You will see how outdoors, sport and practical subjects, such as home economics, woodwork and art, are given the same priority as academic subjects at all stages of education.

SHARING GOOD PRACTICE AND NETWORKING:

We also provide the opportunity to share good practice during the course so we can learn from each other and find partners for future projects: KA1 projects, job shadowing opportunities and/or KA229 projects.

TEACHER WELL-BEING:

One of our priorities while you spend your valuable time with us in Iceland is your well-being. Every teacher is important to us and we want you to feel valued and comfortable throughout your stay. As well as the extra activities we provide as part of the course fee (see below), we work hard to ensure you have a really good time. We ensure lots of team-building and “get to know you” activities from day one and our courses are dynamic and fun-packed. We are genuine Icelandic hosts so you will get the real Icelandic experience and we are renowned to look after our teachers really well.

AS PART OF THE COURSE WE ALSO PROVIDE:

• Morning refreshments
• Cultural evening
• Visit to the local swimming pool and hot tubs
• Course material
• Certificate of attendance

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND SIGHTSEEING:

Join us on our own tailor-made local tour of amazing Iceland with our SMART TEACHERS PLAY MORE TOUR PACKAGE for both participants and their families! A great way to enjoy the wonders of Iceland, network and get to know your new European friends.

ACCOMMODATION:

Don’t miss out on our EXCLUSIVE PARTICIPANT DISCOUNT VOUCHERS for a brand new trendy hotel we work with close to our course centre!

COURSE DATES:

COURSE PRICE: 595€ per participant

COURSE I.D. for Erasmus +: 216019