Program

On Monday, 23. May, Dr. Mona Maria Mombeck, educational scientist at Paderborn University, gave a lecture on animal-assisted education with the title “Happiness on 4 paws – using dogs in education”. She spoke about the effects of having a dog in the classroom, the fundamental principles of animal-assisted education and what it can achieve.

The aim of using therapy dogs in schools is to improve the learning atmosphere, increase wellbeing and facilitate interpersonal relationships thrive, says Mombeck, who is a research assistant in the Inclusive Education work group. “Scientific research has confirmed that the presence of – and contact with – animals has a positive effect on human health, and not just at home: changes are also apparent when a dog is present in the classroom,” says the researcher. In her lecture, Mombeck explored the question of what happens – from a scientific point of view – when teachers bring their dogs to lessons. She explained how pupils perceive their lessons with a dog, and how we can we use this knowledge for the benefit of humans and dogs alike.