W062: Developing Mental Strength for successful teaching and learning at the University

• Prof. Dr. Martina Höber
• Igor Ardoris

Students´ and teachers´ lives are very challenging in these days. We all face difficult times with climate crisis, war in Europe, rising costs of living and in addition students and teachers have to deal with distractions, social media, lack of motivation, digital learning settings, etc. How can teachers improve students´skill to stay relaxed and focussed and support students´ self-learning and self-organizing processes for a successful start at the university?
How can students learn to stay focussed on what is really important, set the right priorities, take responsibility for their learning process, and develop mental strength to deal with setbacks and stress. Simply telling students to have a positive mindset can backfire, and just telling them „try harder“ can also be problematic. Sometimes another strategy is far more useful than additional effort. Five years ago, Igor Ardoris and Martina Höber started the „Mental training“ project at the THM Business School, University of Applied Sciences and will share their experiences in this interactive workshop.
Igor Ardoris, the Swedish mental trainer, will introduce the principles of mental training to develop mental strength and a growth mindset for better teaching and learning, and will demonstrate several exercises. Martina Höber, professor at the THM, will present her concept and experience in different teaching settings, and students´ feedback with mental training with students.