PGCE PROCESS WORK MODULE 1 UNIT 3 TASK 6 - POSITIVE EDUCATION IN MY IDEAL CLASSROOM. - teacher hand in

PGCE PROCESS WORK MODULE 1 UNIT 3 TASK 6 - POSITIVE EDUCATION IN MY IDEAL CLASSROOM.

    

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Norrish et al. summarise the aim of Positive Education as:

“bringing together the science of Positive Psychology with best-practice teaching to encourage and support schools and individuals within their communities to flourish” (2013, p.184)

The Geelong Grammar School (GGS) was aligned to this ideology and their Applied Framework for Positive Education used a three-tiered approach: “live it, teach it, and embed it” (ibid. p150) to apply positive psychology in it’s school to try to counteract student depression. 

Others have also developed programmes in pursuit of this same ideal; the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme was, until this year, government backed and funded. SEAL claims to: 

“develop the personal and social skills of:

▪ self-awareness

▪ managing their feelings

▪ motivation

▪ empathy

▪ social skills.” (SEAL, online)

Opponents of SEAL, such as Craig (2007), think differently. He states:

‘In short, we fear SEAL is encouraging a large-scale psychological experiment on young people, which will not just waste time and resources but could actually back-fire and unwittingly undermine people’s well-being in the longer-term’. (2007 p.3, cited in Stuart, 2010)

Both GGS and SEAL claim that their programmes can result in improved levels of academic achievement and emotional well-being. I am sceptical.

 White (2016) shares my scepticism and the belief that, in order for Positive Education to succeed, everyone must share a common understanding of the psychology behind it, policy makers must endorse it, and everyone must be committed to it.

I think the quest for pupil’s happiness is admirable, but ask the question: how can we promote “well-being in an “un-well world” ? (Brasher and Wiseman 2007, cited in White, 2016, online). 

I don’t think well-being can be taught.There is, however, evidence that endorphins released after exercising can induce a state of happiness. (WebMD, online). Exercise has been show to:

“improve mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function.” (Sharma et al.2006, online) 

My ideal school would integrate movement into the lessons. I have been a dance teacher for many years and seen the positive effects dance can have upon a person. I have also done some research into how movement can help people with autism: based on this, rather than trying to teach and embed positive psychology, I would advocate training the body as a way of “waking up the brain” (Lara, 2009). I say: use the funding that has been withdrawn from SEAL and put it into training the body, rather than focusing mainly on the brain, for, as Ross Enamait (2005, online) says:

“If you train the body the mind will follow.”

Bibliography

Enamait , R.  (2005) Train The Body – The Mind Will Follow, (online). Available at:

http://rosstraining.com/blog/train-the-body-the-mind-will-follow/

Lara, J; Bowers, K (2015), Autism Movement Therapy Method Waking Up The Brain, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London

Norrish, J. M., Williams, P., O'Connor, M., & Robinson, J. (2013) An applied framework for positive education. International Journal of Wellbeing 3(2): 147-161. Available at: http://www.internationaljournalofwellbeing.org

/index.php/ijow/article/view/250/358 (accessed 25th October 2016].

SEAL Community (online). Available at. http://www.sealcommunity.org/node/356 (accessed 26th October)

Sharma,A. Madaan, V and Petty, F. D. (2006) Exercise for Mental Health,Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, (online). Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470658/ (accessed online 24th September 2015)

Stuart, K. (2010) Walking the talk: authentic teaching for social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) Tean Journal 1 (2) December [Online]. Available at: http://bit.ly/tyfJ5M (accessed 26th October 2016).

WebMD (2005-216), (online). Available at: http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression#1 (accessed 27th October 2016)

White, M. A. (2014) Why won’t it Stick? Positive Psychology and Positive Education : Springer Pyschology of Well- Being, 2016; 6: 2. Published 2016 Feb 9. (online) Available at : http://psywb.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s13612-016-0039-1#Sec10 (accessed 25th October 2016)