The innovation of the HAND: Empowering Teachers project lies in:
(1) the content, by bringing together and interconnecting a range of highly-relevant topics:
- social and emotional competencies including mindfulness;
- diversity awareness;
- career development;
- considering and being attentive to students´ voices.
(2) The process: ongoing support in a form of supervision and monitoring.
(3) The form: The process spanning throughout the entire school year.
(4) Participatory development: the participants are actively involved in the development of the programme and system as well as in the formation of the guidelines for policy and practice.
(5) Whole-team approach: besides teachers of the same school, principals and school counsellors are also involved.
Theoretical overview of the core concepts or the HAND: Empowering Teachers project has been developed within the following scientific papers:
Below you may find several videos elaborating the content and core concepts in more detail.
Empowering Teachers to Deal with Social, Emotional and Diversity Related Career Challenges
Hand in Hand: Empowering teachers (HAND:ET) project focuses on teachers by supporting their development of social and emotional competencies as well as their diversity awareness (SEDA) to empower them for the complexity of everyday working life and enable them to deal flexibly with new challenges. It puts the teachers' well-being at the centre by highlighting how developing SEDA competencies simultaneously fosters self-care for teachers, giving a central role to the voices of teachers.
Hand in Hand: Empowering Teachers Training program to develop teachers and other school staff SEDA competences was implemented in schools across five countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Sweden, Austria and Portugal).
In this video, Hand in Hand Program co-author and educators explain, from their perspective, what is the focus of the program.
How does stress affect teachers and why it is important to address it?
In this video, Hand in Hand Program co-author, educators and participants in the program explain, from their perspectives:
Let's commit to destigmatising stress and mental health in the teaching profession so that we can create a nurturing environment for both educators and students.
Mindfulness for better teaching
In this video, Hand in Hand Program co-author, educator and participants in the program, from their perspectives, talk about what mindfulness is, what are the effects of practicing mindfulness and how can it help teachers in their practice.
Watch the video and learn why prioritizing mindfulness is essential for teachers' overall well-being and effectiveness in the classroom and help us spread the word by advocating for supporting teachers’ well-being and creating a nurturing environment for both educators and students.
Diversity Awareness
In this video, Hand in Hand Program co-author, educator and participant in the program, from their perspectives, talk about what is the connection between socio-emotional competencies and diversity awareness, why is self-awareness important and how HAND:ET program helped teachers to approach diversity in the classrooms.
Empathic Listening
In this video, Hand in Hand Program co-author and educators from their perspectives, talk about empathic listening – it goes beyond merely hearing words; it involves understanding the emotions, concerns, and perspectives of others.
Watch the video and learn the value of empathic listening for empowering teachers to transform their classrooms into spaces of understanding, growth, and support, ultimately shaping a brighter future.
