Symposium Summary:
Experiences carried out in elementary, middle and higher education in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Uwell-beinruguay are presented.
Symposium Presentation 1 Proposal:
Title: Tecmileno University, first Positive University in the World
Presenter: Rosalinda Ballesteros
Proposal:
We are going to talk about Universidad Tecmilenio, the first positive university in the world, a private institution in Mexico that has integrated a Wellbeing and Happiness Ecosystem, based on positive psychology since 2012. The pillars of the ecosystem are positive emotions, involvement, positive relationships, achievement, physical wellbeing and mindfulness. At the center of the ecosystem is the purpose of life, the fundamental axis of the school decisions of students, teachers and the community. The ecosystem is framed by strengths of character. Tecmilenio currently has 60,000 students divided into high school, professional, master's and online programs. Professional students choose their specialization subjects based on their life purpose. High school students have group social and sports activities based on their character strengths. It has been documented that high school students increase their level of sense of life by studying in the Ecosystem of Wellbeing and Happiness, which has long-term personal and employment benefits.
Symposium Presentation 2 Proposal:
Title: Experiences of creating positive education models: recounting some experiences in Colombia
Presenter: María Elena Garassini
Proposal:
The Modern Gymnasium in Bogotá, Colombia, proposes the training of all the actors of the educational community, in a systemic curricular approach: teachers, parents and students. They have established their Positive Education model with 8 elements: physical wellbeing, social intelligence to build quality relationships, reflection to build a life with meaning and purpose, emotional intelligence to cultivate positive emotions, resilience to overcome adversity, character development (values, strengths and habits), cultivation of inner peace (meditation and mindfulness) and cultivation of achievements to reach goals. In reference to the Andrés Escobar School, it has an educational model with a curriculum focused on wellbeing that postulates four principles: model of work happiness, positive education, educational community and wellbeing territory. The objectives of his project in positive education propose in the students the cultivation of their emotions that they develop their character strengths, that their relationships are relevant in their lives, that they be resilient and adapt to changes in society.
Following a philosophy of the liberal arts, the UNICA University in Bogotá proposes a project for the development of Socio-Emotional Skills (SEL) seeking as a goal to become the first Compassionate University in Colombia. A reflection training process on compassionate institutions, the big five model and the development of the socio-emotional area was developed and various elements were incorporated into the work of teachers, students and administrators, such as character strengths, positive emotions, gratitude, forgiveness, empathy and mindfulness.
Symposium Presentation 3 Proposal:
Title: Positive education in Argentina: case study of Universidad Siglo 21
Presenter: Leonardo Medrano
Proposal:
The application of positive psychology to educational settings has been a central focus of positive psychology, and it is believed that one of the most important educational settings in which positive teaching practices and methods should be developed and applied is at the university level. The application of positive psychology in the field of education is known as positive education. Positive education refers to the development of educational environments that allow students to learn an established educational curriculum, while acquiring the skills necessary to develop their own wellbeing and that of others. In Argentina there are no university institutions that incorporate these practices. This paper describes the "positive ecosystem" model developed at the Universidad Siglo 21 (Argentina). This model involves the development of the following dimensions: 1) positive emotions and emotional regulation, 2) academic engagement, 3) growth and purpose, 4) social relations, 5) physical wellbeing and 6) mindfulness. At the core of this model is the development of positive leadership, where students from different careers undertake a program that promotes a leadership style focused on the strengths and abilities of individuals to develop their human potential. In this way, through curricular and co-curricular activities, students and graduates of the university are provided with experiences aimed at promoting these dimensions. This work will describe the actions developed and their impact on the levels of subjective wellbeing and life satisfaction. It should be noted that this is the first time that a university adopts the Positive Education model in Argentina in a systemic way, constituting an unprecedented project in the region.
Symposium Presentation 4 Proposal:
Title: Growing up Strong: positive education experience in Uruguay
Presenter: Diego García – Álvarez
Proposal:
The purpose of this communication within the framework of the symposium is to reflect on the multiple benefits generated by interventions designed from Positive Psychology applied to Education. In this sense, the Growing up Strong Program has developed two tasks: a scale to measure the strengths of character in Uruguayan adolescence with adequate psychometric properties. The second task has been the development of the character strengths education program for adolescent students. Therefore, it seeks to communicate the structure of the program, its effects and correlates in student life and personal growth. At the level of quantitative results, the Growing up Strong Program has shown effectiveness in the statistically significant increase in psychological wellbeing conceived in the PERMA model and generalized self-efficacy under a quasi-experimental methodology with a pre and post design in a sample of 24 students. Subsequently, the program has shown efficacy in the statistically significant increase in psychological wellbeing and self-esteem. In addition, a statistically significant decrease in depressive symptoms in high school students.
Likewise, qualitative correlates have been explored in a sample of 590 adolescent users of the program, accounting for the development of human virtues and especially the top five most developed strengths, showing examples of subjective experiences in the school, personal and interpersonal functioning areas. Similarly, the program has shown correlates in promoting positive adolescent development. It is concluded that interventions based on character strengths such as the Growing up Strong Program have a positive impact on generating changes in different spheres of students' lives both inside and outside of school.