happiness curriculum for adolescents education

Describe about the happiness curriculum

1. HAPPINESS CURRICULUM & ADOLESCENCE EDUCATION  BHAVYA GARG  SECTION C   B.ED. GENERAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION  LADY IRWIN COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF DELHI 

2. INTRODUCTION  HAPPINESS CURRICULUM  In 2018, the Delhi government launched the “Happiness Curriculum” which is  an initiative that focuses on the happiness of children in  government schools of New Delhi, India.   The Happiness Curriculum is delivered through a 45-minute “happiness class” for students from Nursery to Grade 8 (age group: 3-14-year-olds) in Delhi government schools. Preferably, the first period in a day, it focuses on three main components: mindfulness, story-telling sessions and activityoriented discussions and reflections in classrooms  It was a remarkable shift from the traditional notions of teaching and learning in schools in India. This shift focus from academic performance of students to their well-being through emergence of concepts like the social and emotional learning (SEL).

3. OBJECTIVES  1 žTo develop self-awareness and mindfulness amongst learners  2 ž To inculcate skill of critical thinking & inquiry in the learners  3 žTo enable learners to communicate effectively and express themselves freely and creatively  4 žTo enable learners to understand their expectations in relationships, develop empathy 5 ž To enable learners to apply life skills to deal with stressful & conflicting situations around them  6 žTo develop social awareness & human values in learners to engage in meaningful contribution in society  7 žTo develop holistic approach to education in a universal context 

4. HAPPINESS CURRICULUM IS IMPORTANT FOR ADOLESCENCE EDUCATION  It develop the level of self awareness and mindfulness in adolescence  It help them to focus and sustain attention on current task by reducing distraction. Adolescent can develop critical thinking as they will have strong ability to reflect on own thoughts and behaviour. This curriculum help adolescent to demonstrate empathy, to cope with stress and anxiety better ,maintain relationships by resolving conflict with help of communication skill. Adolescent can build self confidence, reflect awareness towards health , cleanliness and hygiene and also become more responsible towards others

5. METHODOLOGIES TO ENRICH THE HAPPINESS CURRICULUM AT SCHOOL LEVEL ARE 1.Joyful exercises  2. Indoor games 3. Active enquiry 4. Reflective conversations 5. Storytelling  6. Guided practices for mindfulness  7. Group Discussions 8. Role-play/skits on situations  9. Presentations - Individuals and group presentations  10. Activities for Rapport Building and Team work

6. THE STUDENTS NEED PRACTICE IN THE FOLLOWING VALUES SO AS TO BE PRODUCTIVE AND JOYFUL CITIZENS 1. Be honest to yourself. Only then can you spread cheer and joy around you. 2. Remove your inner conflicts and be peaceful. This can be done by spending some time each day on prayer, meditation and yoga.   3. Love your fellow students and others around you. Do not carry a feeling of hatred. 4. Recall the power of gentleness. Hurting others’ feeling and causing harm to anyone leads to self destruction   5. Do not boast of your success. At times people are jealous of your success. Real joy is in self realizing the feeling of attainment   6. Do not be happy at other peoples’ failure .Your happiness is in your success, not in the failure of others. 7.. Whenever possible help others. Selfishness is one of the worst traits of life.   8. Anger destroys rational thought. Device ways to control your anger.   9. Spend quality time with your family, this is your biggest stress buster . 

7. ROLE OF TEACHERS IN DEALING WITH THE HAPPINESS CURRICULUM AT SCHOOLS Develop Develop school-wide guidelines and strategies and post them throughout the school in form of catchyslogans and posters. Form Form friendship groups for children who are prone to emotional turmoil. Hold Hold regular class meetings to discuss happiness strategies among students. Reward Develop school-wide reinforcement programs to reward students showing improvement. Incorporate Incorporate the message of the anti- bullying program into school and other community activities inwhich children are involved.

8. ROLE OF THE PARENTS AND COMMUNITY žParent’s role in ushering happiness is very important. They can give examples of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela etc, discussing their philosophies in the family deliberations. žParents should play an active role in restricting the access to meaningless and violent video and mobile games in the family especially among children and adolescents. § Parents should check any act of aggression or violence by any family member at home. A serene and calm atmosphere at home will have a soothing influence on the child žParents should not condone their ward's mistakes and not overlook changes in their behaviouorCorrective measures taken on the right time can be quite useful to handle various issues.  žParents should motivate their wards to share their school experiences with them. They should regularly attend parent – teacher meetings and share information about the child with the teacher.

9. CONCLUSION  Delhi educational reform focuses on reimagining the purpose of education for each child. Happiness Curriculum is a notable intervention in this regard which has led to a remarkable shift from the emphasis on learning outcomes to happiness of students. Happiness curriculum is adopting practices which promote learning as a joyful experience for students and redefines the true meaning of success to include thriving of students.  

10. THANK YOU