Skólapúlsinum boðið á sérfræðiráðstefnu um velferð barna

Brian Suda veftölvunarfræðingur Skólapúlsins sótti nýverið sérfræðiráðstefnu um velferð barna sem haldin var í Harvard háskóla í Bandaríkjunum. Á ráðstefnunni kynnti Brian aðferðafræði Skólapúlsins við sjálfsmat og þróunarstarf skóla. Á ráðstefnunni voru margir helstu sérfræðingar heims í rannsóknum á þroska barna þ.á.m. Howard Gardner sem hefur verið áhrifamikill kenningasmiður fyrir skólastarf víða um heim. Hér á eftir fylgir stutt lýsing á ensku á því sem fram fór á ráðstefnunni.

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Feb 29th, Harvard, Boston, USA: Harvard University Berkman center played host to Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta with the launch of their foundation, Born This Way (http://bornthiswayfoundation.org/) Along with the announcement there was a day long symposium which brought together some of the best minds in education to discuss the focus of the foundation. While the first phase of the foundation is focused on reducing bullying, Lady Gaga was quick to point out this is not a foundation to reduce specific negative behaviour, but instead to bring a positive message and focus to the goals of the organisation. The 3 main pillars of the organisation are summarised in the acronym SSO, Safety, Skills, Opportunities. Children need a safe environment to be themselves, they need the ability to get the skills they need for life and finally they need opportunities otherwise the skills are wasted. The foundation is focusing on making an impact and building a framework to allow SSO to thrive.

As one of the experts, Skólapúlsinn was invited to discuss their unique approach to collecting information about students’ wellbeing. The Born This Way Foundation will be rolling out way to measure their progress in achieving their goals. Skolapulsinn does this successfully in Iceland on a monthly basis. As part of the symposium there were several streams of discussion, research and monitoring was just one of the fields that will play a role in the foundation. Skolapulsinn has several years of research into bullying and student health. Much like the born this way foundation, before you can affect change, you need a baseline so you can determine if your projects are actually making an impact. The unique challenge for Born This Way is the scale at which they are tackling the problem. Going on tour soon, Lady Gaga has announced a additional bus will be added to the entourage. This bus is called the „Born to be brave bus“. It is a safe place for anyone to come and just hang out. She wants to make a n event, much like a tail-gate party. This is just one of the unique strategies using to spread the message.

Skólapúlsinn contributed to the building of an organisation headed by Lady Gaga and her mother to promote the wellbeing of children for years to come. Similar to other public service campaigns (Mothers against drunk driving, Seatbelt safety and others) this foundation is focused on a „Kinder, Braver world“. It starts with a safe environment for children to express their own thoughts and ideas with out fear of reprisal.