Competencies in health and well-being education for training and teaching: introductive booklet.
Within the framework of West and Central Africa’s Commitment for Educated, Healthy and Thriving Adolescents and Young
people, titled “Listen, Understand, Act”, the WCA countries have set themselves the mission, in 2021, of mobilizing all
stakeholders. This includes children and adolescents themselves, parents and legal guardians, traditional and religious
leaders, teachers, civil society organizations, international organizations and technical and financial partners.
This commitment aims to ensure that adolescents and children benefit from an education based on health and well-being,
integrated as an essential component of quality education. Such an education is distinguished by its ability to prepare
individuals for a thriving and balanced life, in accordance with their health, well-being, and dignity
The main objective of health and well-being education is to develop protective and responsible behaviors in children and
young people, helping them maintain their physical and mental health. By developing their ability to make informed and
thoughtful decisions, this education enables them not only to look after their own well-being but also to contribute positively
to collective well-being. It also encourages deep respect and genuine solidarity with others, regardless of differences, while
promoting values of inclusion and mutual understanding.
This preparation for life is not limited to the simple transmission of knowledge to learners but is fundamentally based on
the development of essential skills. Today, it is widely recognized by all education systems that knowledge and learning
have true value outside school only if learners can mobilize them in an appropriate and timely manner to identify and
solve concrete challenges in their daily lives. However, this mobilization of knowledge acquired in the classroom does not
happen spontaneously; it requires rigorous training, regardless of the area of learning. The question of how to implement
this training is one of the major challenges that schools face today. This challenge also arises within the framework of
health and well-being education, which can only be fully effective if the school curriculum incorporates the development of
competencies that enable learners to apply what they learn in the classroom to new and complex situations, both at school
and beyond.
Most school curriculum in WCA countries have chosen a pedagogical approach aimed at developing learners’ competencies,
which are broken down into knowledge, skills and values. The question of what teachers must concretely do to develop
competencies in learners then arises. There are various possible answers, but they all agree with the fact that, to develop
competencies through curriculum implementation, it becomes essential to create teaching situations that differ from the
traditional practice of simply transmitting knowledge. This also implies a redefinition of the roles assigned to teachers and
learners in the teaching-learning process, as well as a transformation of relational dynamics within the classroom.
Among the various existing models promoting the development of competencies, UNESCO-IBE has chosen to adopt for this
guide active pedagogy methods that are compatible with and complementary to the various curricular models in force in
countries that may wish to use it.
This guide is a pedagogical tool aimed at teacher trainers working in initial or continuing education, as well as primary and
secondary school teachers, to help them prepare their lessons. It aims to support them in the implementation of teaching
that contributes to the development of health and well-being competencies in learners aged 5 to 18. To equip them, this
guide contains a comprehensive teacher training plan (5 modules), accompanied by 66 lesson plans for teachers, divided
by age group in the annexed booklets: ages 5-8; ages 9-12; ages 12-15; and ages 15-18. These lessons are based on active
pedagogy methods, designed to actively involve learners in their own learning process and foster the development of psychosocial skills applied to health and well-being themes. This guide is intended to be highly practical by answering the
key question: what can be done in the classroom to contribute to the development of health and well-being competencies
in learners?
The main objectives of this tool are multiple:
• By addressing teacher trainers, it aims to contribute to the development of the competencies required for teachers to
implement active pedagogy, particularly in the field of health and well-being education.
• By addressing teachers, it illustrates active pedagogy through practical lesson examples, offering lesson plans:
- for teacher training, to strengthen their professional competencies in health and well-being education, in positive
discipline to establish a framework that promotes the implementation of themes sometimes sensitive, and finally in
the implementation of active pedagogy methods,
- for putting into practice in the classroom, to strengthen certain competencies and knowledge in learners,
The suggestions contained in this guide are possible examples or models to be adapted to the context of each country and
each class according to their needs.
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