Blended Intensive Program 2026
SEEDS OF WELL-BEING
Training Future Teachers in Health and Environmental Education
Program Objective
In 2026, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra will organise a Blended Intensive Program (BIP) entitled Seeds of Well-Being: Training Future Teachers in Health and Environmental Education. The event, coordinated by the Faculty of Central European Studies, will take place from 8 to 12 June 2026.
The aim of the program is to provide teacher education students with up-to-date knowledge transfer and competency development that will enable them to effectively support children’s healthy lifestyles, environmental awareness, and sustainable behaviour patterns in their future professional practice. In the long term, the initiative seeks to contribute to educating a generation that is more sensitive to and conscious of health and ecological issues.
The training is designed for bachelor’s and master’s students—primarily prospective preschool and primary school teachers—with particular emphasis on strengthening intercultural dialogue, fostering critical thinking, and promoting experiential learning. The program also pays special attention to the specific educational and pedagogical context of Hungarian-language schools.
Program structure
The BIP consists of two main components: a virtual and an on-site module. The online session will take place on 1 June 2026. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive overview of the program structure, introduce the partner institutions and participants, and establish a theoretical framework for the key issues of environmental and health education, highlighting their relevance in both educational settings and everyday life. This preparatory phase lays the foundation for the effectiveness of the subsequent on-site activities and practical workshops.
The physical mobility period — scheduled for 8–12 June 2026 — consists of workshops and experiential learning activities. These are designed to provide both theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as to develop skills that will support future educators in fostering healthy habits among learners, enhancing their ecological awareness, and promoting the development of sustainable behaviour patterns.
Participants will discuss the importance of healthy posture and nutritional habits among school-aged children. In addition, through arts-based, hands-on activities—such as designing and creating plant compositions or bio-soaps—they will explore applied methods of environmental education and sustainability pedagogy in school settings.
As part of the practical training, students will visit the Mlyňany Arboretum of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, as well as partner primary schools, where they will gain first-hand insight into innovative educational practices regarded as exemplary models. The program concludes with creative group work and the presentation of the outcomes developed by the participants.
International Cooperation and Innovation in Education
The program strengthens international collaboration by facilitating the sharing of innovative pedagogical methods, professional networking, and the exchange of experiences among the participating institutions. The initiative is implemented in partnership with Apor Vilmos Catholic College (Vác), Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE, Budapest), and Partium Christian University (Oradea).
The project's framework promotes knowledge sharing, collaborative learning, and deeper intercultural understanding. The program enables participants to further expand their pedagogical knowledge in environmental and health education and to gain practical experience in the school-based integration of these fields.
