UG researchers develop board game Floreraar?! to strengthen resilience of teachers in training

UG researchers Irene Poort and Marjon Fokkens-Bruinsma of the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences have developed a board game as part of the NRO project ‘Life is tough but so are you’. The game is called 'Floreraar?!’, or ‘flourisher’, and is meant to strengthen the resilience of teachers in training. The board game is being played in several teacher training programmes for primary and secondary education throughout the Netherlands. In addition, the board game is used by educators who support prospective and beginning teachers.

The researchers came up with the idea when they saw the high dropout rates in the teaching profession. Research has shown that resilience is a significant factor for persevering in this profession.

Resilience – more than handling setbacks

The researchers want to open up the conversation about resilience in an informal and accessible way. Resilience is becoming more and more important in our society, and this is true for teachers as well. The good news is that resilience is something that can be cultivated. When they think of resilience, many people think of being able to handle setbacks, or of how much a person can cope with. That is not untrue, but resilience goes beyond this and is not just about ‘bouncing back’ or ‘recovering’, but also about further development and flourishing. It is especially important to work on your resilience proactively, even before any problems arise. Floreraar?! helps with this.

New board game meant to improve student wellbeing

Why stop at just one board game? Under the supervision of Marjon Fokkens-Bruinsma, Lisa Kiltz has developed another board game as part of her PhD research. She is using the board game within her research on how to set up the learning environment in order to improve students’ wellbeing.

Want to find out more?

If you would like to know more about Floreraar?! or the research projects on resilience and wellbeing, please visit the THRIVE website. If you have any questions about this project, you can contact Marjon Fokkens-Bruinsma.