Positive Psychology For Teachers
Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.
Positive psychology for teachers
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Psychological interventions have been around in schools since at least the 1930s, so it makes sense to supplement the already-existing traditional psychology in schools with positive psychology (Shankland & Rosset, 2017). Seligman and other positive psychologists are also not alone in the belief that schools should aim for student wellbeing. For example, philosophers as far back as Aristotle have considered happiness to be the end goal of education (Kristjansson, 2012).
Other people working in education have also historically been interested in student wellbeing, so positive education is not necessarily a groundbreaking innovation. This does not condemn positive education efforts, however, and in fact just shows that positive education aims to solve problems in traditional education that have needed solving for a long time.
Recent research has confirmed the same, as offering emotional support early in a school year can lead to improved instructional quality later in that school year (Curby et al., 2013). In other words, positive education is not a focus on mental health instead of academic achievement but is a focus on mental health in order to set the stage and give students the opportunity for academic achievement.
Positive education is not just for the sake of the students. One commenter has argued that not only should student happiness be the aim of education, but that teacher happiness should also be the aim of education (Noddings, 2003). This author also claims that happy teachers will directly lead to happy students, by helping their students associate education with happiness, as the teachers do.
Even teachers who believe that student wellbeing is a crucial part of teaching can feel burdened if asked to attend to both the academic and emotional needs of their students. If teachers are being asked to increase their workload, then steps must be taken to ensure their happiness as well. This is another reason to focus on teacher happiness as well as student happiness.
Research has even shown that teacher wages can affect their teaching outcomes. Specifically, teachers who felt that their wages were unfairly low were in classrooms which were rated as having lower levels of emotional support (Cassidy et al., 2017). Conversely, teachers who earned higher wages ended up with students who exhibited more positive emotional expressions and behaviors.
In other words, both perceiving oneself as being underpaid and actually making less money are associated with worse student outcomes for teachers. These findings indicate that raising teacher wages would likely lead to improved emotional outcomes for students.
This is a worksheet for the Three Good Things exercise, which asks someone to list three good things that happened to them every day, and to reflect on those things. This worksheet contains space for two weeks of entries and a space for reflection. After each day, one should reflect on why the good things happened and how they can change their behavior (if necessary) to make those good things happen more often. Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Exercises (PDF)Enhance wellbeing with these free, science-based exercises that draw on the latest insights from positive psychology.
Some of the earliest applications of psychology were in education. Similarly, some of the most obvious applications of positive psychology are in education. Positive education is not necessarily a completely new idea, but it is a reaffirmation of what parents and education advocates believe should be the end goal of education: student happiness.
Research shows that teacher wellbeing modifies the emotional and academic outcomes of their students, so teacher happiness, as well as student happiness, should be the main goal of positive education.
Wonderful article. I am a working teacher. I would like to share the article with my colleagues to create positive atmosphere in the school. In these times of pandemic, it has become more important to work on positive phycology. Students will be benefitted a lot while doing these activities.Thanks.
That is nice that positive education is good for the gap between what is wanted, and what is taught. It would be good to have some positive teaching when learning about science. This is something I would have to look for in elementary schools to make science better for my son.
Positive school experiences have been connected to positive long-term outcomes, such as being less likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors (e.g., alcohol and drugs) and a strong sense of preparedness for their personal aspirations (Furlong, Gilman, & Huebner, 2014).
Our guide will give you an understanding of positive education and the theoretical concepts that make up this movement, as well as resources to help you create a more positive environment for education.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients or students.
Ensuring the wellbeing of students is a top priority in positive education, as wellbeing is believed to be pivotal in improving academic outcomes, school retention, and student engagement (Furlong et al., 2014).
Since school is one of the primary places where children and youth engage in identity and social development, it is the ideal setting to promote positive psychology interventions that increase student wellbeing.
According to Seligman (2011), it is the combination of positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment (PERMA) that forms the foundation for individuals to live their most fulfilling life.
The implementation process acts as a guideline for future positive psychology interventions at the school level. Since putting this process in place, there has been an increase in the wellbeing and decrease in the mental health problems of students (Kwok, 2021).
Positive psychology encourages individuals to work toward a flourishing mentality, whether or not they have diagnosed mental health issues. At the subjective level, positive psychology focuses on wellbeing to contribute to happiness in the present and an attitude of hopefulness and optimism about future experiences.
Positive psychology practices promote the development of positive attitudes (specifically happiness), and individuals who embody positivity may be more likely to have higher levels of life satisfaction.
Applying positive psychology in school settings involves helping students set, prioritize, and place clear markers on what they want to achieve. Once students achieve the goals they have set, they may feel more accomplished and experience positive emotions, such as satisfaction.
Despite our best efforts, we often face events that challenge our strengths and falter our positive outlook. In positive psychology, resilience means using your strengths to cope and flourish, despite challenging experiences (Diener, 2021).
It is important that teachers have specific strategies that are centered around positive psychology principles. Having a strategy to integrate positive psychology in your classroom is imperative in facilitating this mindset in your students and ensuring that it reflects across all of your daily activities.
Teachers can encourage students to do this by having a daily gratitude practice in their classroom. At the end of each school day, teachers can have their students list three things they were grateful for that day and state three things they can improve upon.
Teaching forgiveness may be easy to overlook in education. Forgiveness is not reconciliation or forgetting the challenging event. In positive psychology, forgiveness is viewed as an opportunity to release negative emotions surrounding the event and the person who caused it.
In positive education, teachers need to lead by example. If teachers consistently model a positive psychology mindset and take care of their wellbeing, then students may be more likely to engage in these practices as well (Gilpin, 2008).
In addition, school leaders should consider the importance of instituting programs to enhance the wellbeing of their educators. Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Exercises (PDF)Enhance wellbeing with these free, science-based exercises that draw on the latest insights from positive psychology.
This book provides workable strategies from positive psychology experts to help children flourish. It has a collection of essays that cover topics from encouraging lifelong learning in children to developing a positive mindset surrounding challenges in school and at home.
This book follows the inspiring story of an Australian school that radically applied the science of positive psychology to prioritize the welfare and health of its students in the cultivation of a ground-breaking positive education program.
Ultimately, positive education emphasizes a more fulfilling educational experience for everyone, as it encourages all individuals involved to work toward their full potential by emphasizing the presence of positive emotions.
We hope this guide provides you with strategies to implement positive education in your classroom, school, or family. Remember, a good teaching strategy is to model the behavior you want to see in your students or children.
Practicing positive psychology in your own life and embodying the concepts you want to teach can allow for a more authentic presence in your classroom and perhaps encourage your students to follow your example.
Based on this appraisal, advances in research and practice can be anticipated by designing and studying PPIs, especially for the demanding workplace of teachers. This paper presents a randomised placebo-controlled field experiment that investigates the potential benefits of an online-based intervention programme containing six positive activities for teachers. 041b061a72