Strengthening Students’ Well-Being with Digital Tools

Active Students

The COVID-19 emergency stooped education like never before in history. It’s no mystery that exercise boosts mental health and cognitive function in students: the research found that students active in sport aged 11- and 16-year-olds who exercised regularly are less likely to develop depression. The relationship between movement and brain health is so clear that the WHO recommends an hour a day of moderate exercise for students in primary and secondary scholars. Yet, across our schools and associations, the PE is far away from the WHO suggestions. However, across our regions, PE teachers are not familiar with teaching PE online which is the gap that must be filled. This project aims to pilot an initiative that fosters self-care and a healthy mindset in the digital era. This project will equip Secondary and Primary school teachers with competencies through online courses from one side and will initiate peer-education between students from the other side. Designed as a cross-sectoral strategic partnership this project will bring together representatives from the formal education (schools), representatives from the non-formal education (training centres) and representatives from the digital business world (IT company) to deliver an innovative digital learning pathway in the field of school education.

The overall objective of this project will be reached through the specific objectives of this project:

• O1 – To increase the level of competencies of school teachers in the field of teaching PE online;
• O2 – To pilot the creation of online courses that will use sports as the methodology for well-being;
• O3 – To direct and stimulate peer-learning and teaching process among students based on the methodology of well-being;
• O4 – To enhance mental-health education and enable students to become more familiar with the mind-body connection;

Active Student will reach its objectives through the following:

• Research and development of adequate online programmes based on the training needs of the primary and secondary school teacher and students.
• Production of a manual for schoolteachers integrating methodologies of self-learning supporting them in giving shape to and strengthening their profiles on teaching PE online
• Training Toolkit for Trainers: The Toolkit will integrate guidelines and methods of BL, NFE tailored to the needs of teachers willing to implement educational programmes to empower their teaching profile
• E-learning modules and Web Platform. Partners will produce a specific Web Platform with integrated e-learning modules in multiple languages targeted at an audience of students and teachers in the EU. This will provide the target with useful theoretical and practical sessions/information and exercises supporting them in the design and development of their own learning in Physical Education.

Target groups:

• teachers related to PE
• learners aged 11-16
• sports associations
• NGOs in the field of sport
• education authorities
• schools

The partnership

• Šiaulių r. Dubysos aukštupio mokykla – Lithuania (Project coordinator)
• A Rocca – Italy
• Akdeniz Yenilikçi Toplum Derneği – Turkey
• Grandaskoli – Iceland
• 4Dimotiko Sxoleio Lamias – Greece
• Escola Básica do 1º com Pré-escolar da Cruz de Carvalho – Portugal