Topic/ theme: Inclusive education and special needs, Intercultural education, activities and tools used to stop bullyng and foster inclusion
At your request, the courses can be structured for a different schedule (5 or 7 training days).
Sending partners: educational organizations involved in formal, non-formal and informal learning: kindergartens, schools, adult training centers, resource centers and other relevant organization active in the adult education field established in Erasmus+ program countries.
Participants: 20-25 adults involved in education
Trainers: multinational team of trainers – Portuguese, Romanian and Maltese, SALTO affiliated, with specialization courses in more than 15 European countries.
Languages used: English, Portuguese, Spanish, French. The training materials will be provided in English. On request, Spanish and French.
Profile of the participants:
The participants are teachers (working in kindergartens, primary schools, secondary schools etc.) or adult trainers active in the sending organization interested in methods that can be used to stop bulling and include and integrate every student, with or without previous experience, willing to develop themselves professionally not only through the course, but by involving themselves in preparatory and follow up activities. They must be interested in other cultures and in developing the institution’s European dimension.
Objectives:
-To develop competences regarding applying non-formal education activities and techniques in different formal settings in order to encourage inclusion
-To share best practices and transfer knowledge and methods between different cultural zones and different learner ages regarding successful inclusive approaches
-To develop the participants’ competences of ensuring harmonious group building (taking into account diversity challenges) and transforming the class as a group into a team by usage of non-formal group dynamics
-To develop better understanding of their own competence as teachers and to develop creative intercultural strategies for dealing with inclusion challenges in their own schools and classrooms
-To help teachers understand the students different realities and better integrate them in the classroom
-To identify limiting & negative beliefs and transform them into positive and supporting ones
-To understand physical & mental health issues within the teaching profession
-To improve interpersonal relationships
-To introduce new tools & resources within the classroom to foster well-being – Reduce early school leaving
-To acquire understanding of the various forms of BULLING and cyber-bulling and knowledge about impact, risk and long-term effect of victims and bullies
-To analyse bullying, aggressive behaviour (physical and verbal), creating strategies on how to deal with and eliminate them
– To develop e- learning competences about recognizing and prevention cyber-bulling
-To develop the needed knowledge and competences to prevent all forms of bulying and cyber-bulling in education and school settings
-To promote the use mediation and negotiation tools in the fight against exclusion of people with fewer opportunities
-To promote European cooperation in the field of education within the framework of the Erasmus+ program by partnership building
Learning outcomes:
By taking part in this training course, the participants will:
- Develop competences regarding applying non-formal education activities and techniques in different formal settings in order to encourage inclusion
- Understand the characteristics of an inclusive and tolerant environment;
- Share experiences and intercultural practices in a cooperative and collaborative learning process with focus on inclusion and bulling reduction;
- Learn how to use different tools for inclusion across multiple situations and fields through activities and exercises;
- Develop the competences of ensuring harmonious group building (taking into account diversity challenges) and of transforming the class as a group into a team by usage of non-formal group dynamics
- Develop better understanding of their own competence as teachers and will develop creative intercultural strategies for dealing with inclusion challenges in their own schools and classrooms
- Have a better understanding of the students’ different realities and will learn how to better integrate them in the classroom
- Learn how to identify limiting & negative beliefs and how to transform them into positive and supporting ones
- Improve interpersonal relationships
- Acquire a better understanding of the various forms of BULLING and cyber-bulling and a higher knowledge about impact, risk and long-term effect of victims and bullies
- Develop e- learning competences about recognizing and prevention cyber-bulling
- Learn how to analyse bullying, aggressive behaviour (physical and verbal) and will learn how to create strategies for dealing with/eliminating them
- Acquire the needed knowledge and competences to prevent all forms of bullying and cyber-bulling in education and school settings
- Learn how to use mediation and negotiation tools in the fight against exclusion of people with fewer opportunities
- Develop e tools and techniques that can be used in order to increase student’s motivation and combat drop-out phenomenon;
Methodology
Most of the educational approaches are inspired from constructivist pedagogy, but also on „learning by doing” combined with “reflection upon action”. The project has a holistic approach and uses various tools during the different activities.
| Days | Module | Details of activities and methodology |
| Days 1,2 | Culture and interculturality | Course introduction Needs and expectations evaluation Intercultural games. Working in an international project – how to communicate and connect. Connection between culture and inclusion. Team building: working with colleagues and parents – practical exercises followed by a debate. Stereotypes and prejudices in the classroom. Cultural and group values. Cultural Isla/Lisbon/Larnaca etc. – project tour exploring exterior manifestations of culture |
| Day 3 | Communication for bullying prevention | Preventing bullying – good practice examples. Communication (assertive, aggressive, passive). Adapting communication to the age group. Games for improving communication. Empathy and mirroring. Non-verbal communication in the work environment and in the classroom. |
| Day 4 | Group dynamics to prevent bullying | Group inclusion and exclusion. Developing trust and self-esteem for excluded individuals. Intra and inter group dynamics. Tools for working with groups, group building activities. Working with stakeholders. Midterm evaluation |
| Days 6,7 | Non-formal methods for bullying intervention | What is bullying and cyberbullying? Coaching tools for bullying intervention: zone of fulfillment, values, wheel of life, comfort zone. Research project followed by role play: Salto: choose a method and apply it! Intercultural issues- creative solutions. Forum theatre method for inclusive approaches. Study visit to a local inclusive institution applying non formal education methods. Dissemination of previous European projects applying non-formal and informal methods made by all partners. |
| Day 8 | Conflict management and mediation | Sources of conflict in bullying. Approaches to conflict. Basics: Understanding the problem. Conflict handling styles. Conflict in the classroom – forum theatre method. Introduction to mediation. Mediation and negotiation: differences in the approaches. Role play: mediation |
| Day 9 | Evaluation, dissemination and certification | Dissemination and valorization activities planning. Using European certification tools: Europass Mobility certificate, upgrading the Europass Language Passport and Europass Skills Passport. Project evaluation.Certification ceremony. |