Counting towards well-being

This project kit aims to promote awareness about emotional and physical well-being, and collaboration among young pupils from different schools around Europe.

group of high school students walking together and smiling

This project kit aims to promote awareness about emotional and physical well-being, and collaboration among young pupils from different schools around Europe. Through engaging and interactive activities related to emotions and well-being, pupils will connect with peers, express their feelings, and work together in a supportive and inclusive environment to develop a calendar that can be used to create additional awareness surrounding the well-being of pupils and others.

Objectives

Enhance and promote knowledge on well-being
Foster social-emotional development in secondary school students

Introduction of partners

Pupils will create a collective flipbook intro on TwinSpace. They will use the intro to share a picture of themselves in which they feel confident. They will share a song they like to listen to when they feel overwhelmed or stressed. They will share a book that calms them down and they will share a movie that always cheers them up. This way students get to know each other better.

Each pupil gets paired with a pupil from another class. They work together to make an artwork on what well-being is for them. They get to use a variety of materials and an online canvas they work on together. They can make a comic-strip, poem, online drawing, etc. When the piece is finished, the pairs present their artwork in a shared videocall. Afterwards, the artwork or a picture of the final product gets uploaded to TwinSpace.

Orientation

Explanation of well-being:

Teachers make a mind-map with students and afterwards explain that well-being is part of their mental health. Their mental health affects how they feel, think and act. It refers to their emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. Their mental health can change on a daily basis and over time, and can be affected by a range of factors. They explain to pupils that it is important to look after their mental health, just as they look after their physical health. Their state of well-being affects how they cope with stress, relate to others and make choices. It also plays a part in their relationships with their family, community, peers and friends.

Cross the line: In this activity, teachers share statements relating to well-being. If a statement is true for students, they have to cross a line that the teacher has taped or drawn on the floor. After each question, pupils stand back behind the line. Beforehand, it must be made clear that this is a safe space activity that will remain in the room, and that the information shared cannot be used against anybody or discussed outside the room without the consent of the other person.

Communication

Students form groups of 4-6 pupils to create well-being activities for themselves and their peers. This is similar to an advent calendar, and can be made at any point during the schoolyear. They will first hold an introductory meeting in which they get to know each other. After this, groups spend a month working on coming up with well-being activities. The groups can create their own activities but also research and find activities. The teachers add them to a shared calendar. This calendar works like an advent calendar but does not have to be used in December. When the calendar is complete, the following month can be declared well-being month. Every day the classes open a door and work on this activity in their groups.

Collaboration

Pupils will collaboratively create well-being activities for the calendar, using online tools like Prezi or Padlet. Pupils will agree on its contents and share the link on TwinSpace for peer feedback. The calendar can include both individual well-being activities as well as activities focused on the people around them. Parents with expertise can contribute insights on managing emotions and communication by sharing what they do to support their well-being. Extra attention should be paid to what activities are useful for high emotional situations, and whether they work for a range of different cultures. This activity encourages interaction and a shared objective, promoting awareness of well-being among pupils.

Evaluation & Assessment

Pupil peer review:

Students are asked to keep a project diary in which they can write about their feelings and assess themselves and their peers. Teachers are free to make a rubric collectively with their pupils or let their pupils do this in their own way. This diary will be used by students to provide feedback to their peers at check-in points throughout the project, with a final peer assessment based on a rubric made with the teacher.

Teachers evaluation

Pupils’ work will be evaluated by teachers using collaborative rubric available on TwinSpace. Regular check-ins and peer evaluations throughout the project provide continual assessment and peer accountability. Teachers provide both an individual and group evaluation based on the rubric’s requirements after project presentations, encouraging futher discussions on the importance of well-being and during which months of the year they will be most likely to use the calendar.

Follow up

Follow-up:

The classes hold a well-being festival in which students organise some of activities from the calender. Parents and peers are invited to join the festival and calendars can be handed out. During the festival, pupils can explain the importance of the calendar and how to use it. They can ask parents to host workshops or information sessions if they have relevant expertise.

Additional information

Age from:

12
Age to:

15
Difficulty:

Advanced
Education type:

School Education
Target audience:

Teacher

Student Teacher

Head Teacher / Principal

Teacher Educator
Target audience ISCED:

Lower secondary education (ISCED 2)

Upper secondary education (ISCED 3)

Counting towards well-being

Additional information

School subjects

Key competences