We had an amazing time at the Helsinki Education Week Masterclass Day on Wellbeing with the HundrED Community. We reflected, we laughed, we shared and we came out feeling AWESOME! Have a look at some of the insights from the day.
The term wellbeing can differ depending on who we talk to. This is valuable as wellbeing is a personal and authentic experience for each one of us. In the education space, there is a need to discuss wellbeing as it directly impacts our capacity to be our best selves, whether we are a student, teacher, principal, administrator, etc.
We at HundrED realise the importance to create a space where wellbeing can be discussed. That's why we organised a Masterclass during the Helsinki Education Week to open up the conversation as well as break down any barriers and preconceptions.
Take a deep breath, and let's get into what happened!
The day started with Vishal Sharma, founder of SMILES Education (India), who set the tone by reminding us the importance of smiling and taking the time for self care, whether that be giving yourself a hug or getting in touch with your emotions. He had us smiling for sure! The biggest takeaway—SMILE and make that your STYLE!
Don Martin, Executive Director of Intermediate Unit 1 provided insights into how they are Fabricating Change in Mental Wellness (USA), emphasising the importance of mental health. Don discussed how we can't teach mental wellness using traditional methods and the lasting effects of creating an inclusive space for all students.
The conversation then turned on the preventative measures that the City of Helsinki is taking to tackle bullying. Vesa Nevalainen, focused on recent reports that revealed an overwhelming feeling of loneliness among Finnish students as well as a persistent presence of bullying. Helsinki is equipping teachers with the resources to help their students.
Phenonenon based learning, is widely known as a Finnish practice, and now the Expert Teachers of Helsinki has made this easier to implement in Finland as well as globally. Heidi Halkilahti, explained the benefits of phenomenon based learning and how it leads to enhanced student motivation. We were lucky to be the first audience to see the phenomenon based learning cards available in Finnish, English & Swedish made to help save teacher time and make place students at the center of their learning.
Next up Deepak Ramola, founder of Project FUEL (India), shared the life lessons that he has gathered since he was 14. Many emotional and touching moments were had. Deepak has a way of breaking down barriers and creating a warm atmosphere that connects everyone in the audience. He had us laughing, sharing and we even became poets! Some of the key takeaways were the importance to come back to your true self, the next time someone asks you to introduce yourself—answer with love not what you do and the importance to look at the similarities between each other rather than the differences. Thanks Deepak for sharing some of the life lessons you’ve heard.
Hosted by our wonderful Head of Research, Chris Petrie & Head of Community & Media, Pukhraj Ranjan, we put into practice our new discoveries from the morning as well as our own expertise by participating in a world cafe with the theme of wellbeing. We discussed social, emotional, mental, physical & digital wellbeing. Each group explored a question within the theme, where they utilised the collective wisdom of the group to come up with solutions. A resounding passion and need to further the conversation on wellbeing was presented.
We were lucky to have Lisa Gottfried, inspiring teacher from the innovation Global Create-a-thon (USA), share how to motivate students and have them engage and what that looks like in practice. Her project-based learning methods involving the community are outstanding and go to show the power of letting your students take the lead. The lighted arts festival created by her students was exceptional and very motivating for teachers looking to inspire their students and community!
We closed the day with a lovey mindfulness session facilitated by Vishal Sharma, from SMILES in education, that allowed us to ground back to the present and reflect on our learning!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the HundrED Masterclass on Wellbeing! We loved having you there!
A big thank you to Supercell for opening their doors and hosting us, as well as the City of Helsinki and all local and global innovators!
Photo Credits: Petri Anttila Photography
