What role does health have in today’s teacher education? : What role should it have?

• The role of health in teacher education is a subject of discussion and development. Prioritizing health in teacher education may be of importance, especially given the increasing awareness of mental health and other health-related challenges that students may face. The strong correlation between health and learning also underscores the importance of a more explicit focus on health in teacher education. Health in teacher education is a multifaceted and important aspect that encompasses various dimensions of well-being. It is not limited to physical health but also includes mental, emotional, and social well-being. The role of health in education is to ensure that students are provided with an environment that supports their holistic development and prepares them to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. While children and school students show increasing challenges related to health, we also see that teachers report high levels of work-related stress and that many leave the profession prematurely. Research indicates that a part of this is due to inadequate preparation in teacher training for the reality of being a practicing teacher. Health should be integrated into teacher education in a way that equips teachers to support students' physical and mental health while providing high-quality education. It has been argued for decades that health education (HE) should be anchored more firmly in school curricula. Nevertheless, only a few countries have introduced HE as a stand-alone school subject.The role of health in today's teacher education can vary depending on the education program, schools, and institutions. However, in general, health is an important aspect of teacher education and teaching. Some considerations are:-        Health as a subject: Teacher education may include subjects related to physical, mental, and social health to teach teachers how to promote healthy habits and well-being among students.-        Health-promoting school environment: Teacher education can also focus on creating a health-promoting school environment where both physical and psychosocial aspects of students' well-being are considered. Purpose and expected outcomes of the workshop: We want to open up a dialogue about the role of health in today´s teacher education. What is health and health-promotion in a school context and how can teachers work to promote health? What are teachers’ responsibilities and how can teacher training equip teachers to support students’ health? We hope that this workshop will open up for a genuine discussion about health and its’ role for teachers and teacher training. We also want to investigate opportunities to arrange further workshops and initiate research collaborations.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Pedagogik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Pedagogy (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

health

learning

teacher education

school

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)