This webinar comes to you as part of a series, partnered with UNESCO to explore their Why the World Needs Happy Schools report, placing a spotlight on each of the four pillars.
In this webinar, we will delve into the People pillar, and discuss how nurturing relationships, emotional safety and positive attitudes among students, school staff and families can positively impact learning outcomes and school improvement.
Looking at the importance of strong relationships across the school community, we will discuss how this helps to foster belonging, empathy and boost engagement with students, contributing to school improvement and outcomes. We will uncover how socio-emotional wellbeing is a key component for student outcomes, boosting students’ resilience and emotional intelligence.
This webinar is part of a series that explores each of the four pillars of the Happy Schools framework through dedicated sessions. Following this discussion on the People pillar, upcoming webinars will focus on Place, Process, and Principles.
Speakers
Sonia Guerriero is an Education Specialist in the Section of Education Policies at UNESCO. She leads UNESCO’s programmes of work on the Science of Learning for Education and the Global Happy Schools Initiative. She leads knowledge production, peer-learning and partnership-building for supporting governments to shape more effective policies in the design of curricula, pedagogies, learning assessments, and digital technologies based on the science of how people learn and develop. She holds a PhD from McGill University in Canada. Previously she worked at the OECD where she led international research to support governments with evidence-based reforms for improving teacher education policies.
Sebla Kazanci is an Associate Project Officer in the Education Policy Section at UNESCO Headquarters. She holds a master’s degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action from Sciences Po Paris and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Sociology. Before joining UNESCO, she worked at the OECD’s Public Policy Directorate and contributed to various research and translation projects. Her work focuses on promoting inclusion and well-being in education.
Órlaigh Sally FCCT is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching with over 24 years of experience in education. She specialises in nurture and wellbeing, working closely with neurodivergent learners, those with social, emotional, and behavioral needs, and any child who needs her as support in order to achieve the best they can. Órlaigh is passionate about creating inclusive learning environments that prioritise pupil voice and socio emotional development as a foundation for academic success. Alongside her teaching career, she is an advocate for wellbeing in education and has contributed to initiatives amplifying pupil voices. She is also an experienced gardener (current treasurer of Community Gardens Ireland), a beekeeper (assistant secretary), and a children’s author, weaving themes of resilience, empathy, and appreciation of nature into her writing.
Emmanuel N. Barthalomew FCCT is an international educator and school leader focused on strengthening teaching quality, professional learning, and student wellbeing in diverse school communities. He currently serves as Director of School Improvement at Hangzhou Dipont School of Arts and Science/ King’s College
International School, Hangzhou (China) and has previously worked as Head of Senior School and as Academic Principal. Alongside his school leadership work, Emmanuel is a final-year PhD candidate (Learning & Leadership) at UCL, researching how professional learning translates into classroom practice in bilingual international schools, with particular attention to the conditions that support teacher wellbeing and sustainable improvement.
Edith Favoreu, PhD is the Programme Leader for the “Happy Schools” Programme in Switzerland and the Happy School Online International course developed by Eurasia Learning Institute for Happiness and Wellbeing. She is the co-director of the Certificate of Advanced Studies “Happiness in Organisations” and of the Diploma of Advanced Studies “Resilience and organisational care” at the Geneva Management School (HEG-HES-SO). She is a research fellow and contributes to the “Certificate of Advanced Studies in Emotional Intelligence at work” diploma at UNIDISTANCE.
Please see here resources to accompany this event:
UNESCO Happy Schools Presentation Slides
