The recipe for student wellbeing

The recipe for stu dent wellbeing

JOAN GILL, OUTGOING DIRECTOR OF STUDENT WELLBEING PROGRAMS

“Children need to feel safe and happy to be able to learn effectively. “

This was my mantra even before I took on the role of Director of Student Wellbeing – Programs. But does this rather glib aphorism still have currency today?

Yes, it probably does. Students will always need to feel safe and happy in order to learn. But what has changed dramatically over the last decade, is how our understanding has evolved around the concepts of being ‘safe’ and being ‘happy’. The more we try to define these simple terms the more we uncover their complexities. The word ‘safe’ takes us to some important concepts which were rarely used in society’s lexicon a decade ago. Coined in 1999, the term psychological safety refers to our right to express our thoughts and attitudes without being humiliated or feeling frightened to do so. If students are psychologically safe, then they can take the risks required for meaningful learning. Similarly, in relation to our First Nations’ students, a learning environment which is culturally safe means that there is no challenge or denial of their identity and experience.

These terms relate to everybody but especially to minority groups within our community including our LGBTQI+ students.

They direct us to reflect on the importance of the social contexts for learning and whether all those contexts into which we place our students operate on trust and respect.

In belonging to a class, a House or Mentor group, a sporting team, a music ensemble, etc we need to collectively share the responsibility for the wellbeing of the group.

As I have stated in an earlier Ad Astra article, collective wellbeing and personal wellbeing are mutually dependent. That is the social contract of schools.

Arguably more complex is the concept of happiness. The development of the Positive Psychology movement and the Science of Wellbeing has been transformational in how we understand mental health.

The word flourish resonates more strongly than the word happiness, especially in the school context. The relationship between positive emotions and success in later life has been well documented and mindfulness, resilience, gratitude and character strengths are just a few of the threads from Pos Ed which are beginning to shape our approach to teaching the science of wellbeing in the classroom. In a recent address to our staff, Dr Helen Street reminded us that wellbeing is an experience and should not be reduced to just a classroom program. For me this has been a defining take away message calling for all of us to be mindful of the contexts that we create, shape and manufacture in every facet of our students’ lives. Most social contexts are designed intentionally by teachers and school leaders in the course of a school day….as mentioned earlier, in classes,

The recipe for stu dent wellbeing

on camps, on the sporting field, in a musical ensemble, etc but we should also be mindful of those contexts which happen by accident but which also can contribute to or diminish one’s sense of wellbeing. At a recent schools’ conference on wellbeing Dr Michael Carr-Gregg quoted research, which found: For prospective parents, a school’s focus on wellbeing is just as important as academic outcomes when it comes to which school they choose for their children. To be safe and happy matters more than it ever did before, and as we continue to evolve our thinking of these simple words in our contemporary contexts, the wellbeing story for our students as well as our community will likewise evolve. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the privilege it has been to hold the role of Director of Student Wellbeing Programs. I am very excited to hand over our wellbeing story thus far to Ms Jessica Taylor. Jessica’s depth of knowledge and experience should give the College community great confidence in how our wellbeing story will develop under her leadership.

Jessica Taylor, incoming Director of Student Wellbeing Programs

Jessica has worked with schools, governments, and organisations locally, nationally and internationally to support the implementation of wellbeing approaches that best benefit their respective communities. She has previously held the role of Acting Head of the Positive Education Institute working with schools across the world to put wellbeing at the heart of what they do. Jessica currently teaches at the University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education – Centre for Wellbeing Science and is completing her Doctor of Education focusing on psycho-social responsibility and how this relates to wellbeing. She also works with the Geelong Football Club as part of their Community Education program including developing and co-designing with the AFLW team their vision and mission. Jessica is excited to join the College community and to bring her extensive knowledge and expertise to our context. She is very keen to build on College’s story around wellbeing and to shape, lead and grow our organisation’s wellbeing culture.