The importance of attitude in learning

Topic(s) addressed

This project addressed the topics of inclusion and diversity, environmental sustainability and responsibility, and digital education.

Target group(s)

The target groups were students and teachers of four upper secondary schools in Finland, Estonia, Iceland and Norway.

Methodologies

Increased compassion promotes safety and a sense of belonging for the school community, which results in an environment in which it is safe to fail and try again. This project gave students the opportunity to develop and discover their skills at interdisciplinary tasks which allowed them to see their competence and strengths in a new way. Four partner schools worked with different projects that all related to different aspects of wellbeing and combined at least two school subjects. The project enhanced the students' persistence, self-compassion and overall wellbeing.

Innovation environment

The mobility to Norway focused on wellbeing from the perspective of psychology. It was also part of a project that combines psychology and Swedish. The mobility to Iceland focused on wellbeing from the perspective of the environment and school surroundings. This project combined psychology, art, and English. The mobility to Estonia focused on wellbeing from the perspective of health technology through physics, health education and physical education. Students monitored their health and were encouraged to be critical towards health apps.

Teachers’ role

Following the completion of the project, certain interdisciplinary courses, such as health-technology, were positively impacted from the students' perspective. Teachers learned language skills and new methodologies for teaching, especially how encouraging self-compassion can lead to the students not being afraid to make mistakes and try again. The insights gained from the project were discussed at the teacher’s meetings and were presented during the school’s annual International Celebration Day.

Impact and output

The project provided experience in collaborating on, planning and executing a study project, which included an educational trip abroad. Through teamwork teachers and students learned different skills. The results of the survey conducted showed that some students experienced significant growth in their self-compassion, while others showed little to no progress during the project. This divergence may be attributable, to the abstract nature of our survey questions. The teachers involved gained an insight into the multidimensional approaches to their subject matter, which continues to be of use. 

Video