MindMatters in Germany School experience in supporting education and learning through promoting mental health promotion programmes

Transcription

1 MindMatters in Germany School experience in supporting education and learning through promoting mental health promotion programmes Prof. Dr. Peter Paulus Center for Applied Sciences of Health (CASH) Leuphana University Lueneburg Germany EU-Workshop on the role of mental health and social emotional learning in promoting educational attainment and preventing early school leaving organized jointly by DGs SANCO and EAC, Luxembourg, 9 October 2012

2 Baxckgroudn of MindMatters Background MindMatters is a practice- and research based resource. It supports schools to improve school quality through promotion of mental health. It is based on the concept of the good healthy school. MindMatters integrates the whole school (pupils,principals, teaching and non-teaching staff, parents and the community around the school). Some of the manuals and exercises are directed to pupils from primary and lower secondary schools, others are for school staff. MindMatters originates from Australia. In a pilot phase it was adapted to German and Swiss schools. Evaluation results demonstrate positive effects. MindMatters is seen as one of the most comprehensive and effective programs to promote mental health in and with schools in German speaking countries.

3 Shift in perspective: MindMatters Germany From the health promoting school to the good healthy school Originally a mental health promotion program within the tradition of the health promoting school Now mental health promotion is seen as a catalyst to improve education in general and health education in particular in schools Focus is on education and quality of schools and effective school MindMatters: To develop a good school with mental health

4 Developing good schools with mental health A ressource for primary and secondary schools

5 Quality of schools in Germany A synopsis Dimensions of quality (1) Basic conditions (2) School culture (3) Leadership and management (6) Cooperation and linking with external partners (5) Professionalism of teaching staff (2) Teaching and learning (7) Results and successes (8) Quality management

6 MindMatters and the good healthy school Quality dimensions Basic conditions School culture Contribution MindMatters Integrating mental health into the school program Creating guidelines and intervention plans Valueing diversity asaresource, promoting connectedness Prevention of mobbing Leadership and management Support in coping with situations of crises Cooperation and linking with external partners Professionalism of teaching staff Teaching and learning Results and successes Quality management Co-work of parents in the MM team Integration of external experts Getting knowledge and competences on how to promote mental health Developing rules a nd regulations in a participatory approach Friendship building and feelings of connectednes Competenceto cope with stress Knowledge about mental disorders Situationsanalysen

7 MindMatters and the good healthy school: Improving schools with mental health

8 MindMatters Primary: Learning together with emotions (1) Self Awareness (2) Self- Management (3) Decision Competence (4) Relationship Competence (5) Empathy

9 MindMatters Secondary Manuals SchoolMatters Developing good schools with mental health Find friends, stay with them and be connected Promoting resilience in the school To cope with stress stay in balance Promoting resilience in the school Mobbing? Not in our school Prevention strategies

10 MindMatters Secondary Manuals Open up the school und benefit from the community setting Coping with loss and grief in the school Guidlines for prevention of self-harm and suicide in the school Learning to understand mental disorders in the school

11 Design of the external evaluation Pre-Post-Test analysis of pilot schools; no control group N = 32 schools; principals, teachers and pupils (N = 633 teachers; N = 4019 pupils) Two year period Primary focus on factors of mental health related to MindMatters (pupils / teachers) Evaluation of the booklets (layout, content etc.) by pupils (N= 435 pupils) and teachers (N= 37) Interviews with teachers and principal (programm, aims, importance, role of school, school development, Schoolmatters (N= 14 teachers; N =1 principal) Questionnaires on mental health: teachers and pupils

12 MindMatters What has been achieved Teachers opinions (sign. a <.05) Scale Shared opinions (+) Quality of school (+) School leadership (+) Competence of communi-cation /goups (+) Improvement of achievement (+) Example of items Pupils of our school suggest more often what can be changed At this school we are working together to improve school quality The head of our school supports us and helps us to make work easier I know how to motivate a learning group to work as a team It s easy for me, to create a relaxed atmosphere together with my pupils

13 MindMatters What has been achieved Pupils opinions (sign a <.05) Scale Control (+) Educational eros (+) Warmth / School climate (+) Psychosomatic complaints (-) School stress (-) Example of items At this school there are clear rules how to behave Most of the teachers cooperate with their colleagues so that the burden of work is not too heavy for us In general the teachers are helpful and supportive I have the following aches and pains: headache, back pain The following problems I have: inner nervousness, emotional distress

14 How is MindMatters used in schools? MindMatters is a resource -not a program Every year we send out approximatly 1000 copies of the resource pack of 8 brochures Teachers use modules or parts of it (1) when a situation occurs related to mental health issues and which needs to be solved in the classroom (2) within projects on classroom level or within project weeks (3) for the first time in a class (4) regularlys in teaching a specific subject (e.g.german language) (5) every year at a fixed time,e.g. beginning of a school year when classes are merged (6) for the first time in the same level of classes Very seldom MindMatters is explicitly worked with as an integral part of school development We train school psychologists or competence teams (NRW) as partners of schools to support implementation

15 There is no health without mental health Mental health supports education Thank you very much for your attention