Stress Management and Recognition: Key Strategies for Teachers

Description

Concept by Federica Di Bartolomeo

Teaching can be one of the most beautiful, but also the most challenging professions. As recent research has shown, teachers actually experience more stress than most other workers. At the same time, students also often report the negative impact of stress on their mood, behavior, and academic performance.

But is there anything that educators can do to manage stress and prevent its drawbacks?

This course has been designed precisely to provide teachers with effective tools and strategies to deal with their own and their students’ stress. Through practical, hands-on activities, participants will learn how to foster their own well-being and maintain a favorable climate in their classroom.

The course presents the most recent scientific evidence about the benefits of stress-reduction programs, especially in school environments. Participants will be introduced to the effects of stress and anxiety on learning, and how to help pupils to prevent and manage stress.

The course will hence provide a direct experience of the most useful relaxation techniques to be used in the classroom and beyond. Participants will also have the opportunity to focus on emotional intelligence and emotional regulation as powerful skills to cope with stress.

By the end of the course, participants will have gained knowledge about the most effective ways to deal with stress, and they will be able to apply research-based strategies in their school community.

Learning outcomes

The course will help the participants to:  

• Use practical tools for stress management in educational environments;
• Foster resilience and cope with stressful situations at the workplace to increase their well-being;
• Improve their emotional intelligence to better deal with stress;
• Integrate emotional intelligence skills into the curricula;
• Help students to deal with school stress;
• Understand the best relaxation techniques for educators and students.

Tentative schedule

Day 1 – Course introduction & stress symptoms

• Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities; 
• Icebreaker activities;
• Recognizing the symptoms of stress in adults, teens, and children;
• Effects of stress in educational environments;
• Presentations of the participants’ schools.

Day 2 – Relieving stress

• Easy relaxation exercises you can do on your own- anywhere, anytime;
• Your brain on stress: everything a teacher needs to know!
• The science of mind-body intervention: what research has proven and why it matters to you and your school (part I);
• Emotional intelligence and stress management.

Day 3 – Mindfulness

• Easy relaxation exercises you can do on your own- anywhere, anytime;
• The effects of stress on learning;
• Emotional Intelligence as a school subject;
• Mindfulness as a powerful stress management tool for educators;
• Mindfulness-guided exercise.

Day 4 – Combat stress

• Chair Yoga sequence in the classroom: how to relax in a narrow room;
• The science of mind-body intervention: what research has proven and why it matters to you and your school (part II);
• Stress and nutrition;
• Discovering the power of Art in fighting stress;
• Mindfulness exercises and resources for children and teens (part I).

Day 5 – Relaxation strategies

• Time management tools that will help you to deal with stress;
• Why showing some gratitude will help you to fight stress;
• Breathing exercises;
• Mindfulness exercises and resources for children and teens (part II).

Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities

• Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
• Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
• Excursion and other external cultural activities.