The research shows that working together directly in the classroom has a positive impact on interprofessional collaboration itself, students’ well-being, and teachers’ pedagogical skills. Working together directly in the classroom works better than simply talking together, which usually happens outside the classroom. Vincent Fafieanie, project leader for Connecting Education and Youth Care at the NJi: "It is a valuable study of classroom interventions incorporating pedagogical expertise from youth care that have a positive effect on the well-being of pupils and students. Despite the coronavirus pandemic. I was genuinely surprised by that." Through group-based, preventive basic support, vulnerable pupils were provided with knowledge and skills in their own classroom, which helped prevent the need to call on youth care services.
Being who you are
Vincent Fafieanie: "The approach chosen in primary education included being allowed to be who you are, expressing yourself, how you respond to other children, and how you can deal with anger and sadness. This strengthens resilience. In fact, it is about how we treat one another. By doing this as a class, you include everyone and it is the same for everyone. It also strengthens the contact between pupils and between pupils and the teacher."
Educational structure
In the approach used in secondary education and secondary vocational education, the pupils’ independence was also addressed: where can you find help and information yourself? Vincent Fafieanie: "The school already had a youth information point. The research made it clear that students and pupils needed skills to make that information their own. This led to lessons that are now part of the curriculum and educational structure." Based on the research findings, the researchers also developed tools and activities for working together on development opportunities for pupils.