Conference was inspirational
Emma Quigley • Published 13 Feb 2012 09:30
A PRESTIGIOUS conference on child behaviour featuring two internationally renowned educationalists has been held in the area.
The PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) Conference took place on Wednesday at Dumbarton Football Club and was attended by 120 teachers, educational psychologists and pre-5 workers from councils across the west of Scotland.
PATHS is a structured set of lessons which help develop children's emotional awareness, self esteem, self control and interpersonal problem solving skills. It encourages children to discuss feelings, experiences, opinions and needs. It is used in thousands of schools in over 20 countries.
Professor Mark Greenberg, director of the Prevention Research Center at Pennsylvania State University, USA, where the PATHS programme was developed, gave the keynote speech at the conference.
Professor Greenberg then took charge of a workshop for delegates, entitled "CARE (Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education): Nurturing mindfulness in teaching" along with Christa Turksma, a psychologist who has worked on numerous educational research and intervention projects including the Fast Track Project in Seattle.
Terry Lanagan, executive director of Education at West Dunbartonshire Council said: "It was a privilege to attend this conference and to hear Professor Greenberg's inspirational keynote speech.
"It was also fascinating to hear how PATHS is being developed and implemented in West Dunbartonshire and in other Scottish local authorities. PATHS is a programme which makes real and measurable differences to the emotional wellbeing of young people and the commitment and enthusiasm of the conference delegates was obvious for all to see."
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