Positive Psychology as a Catalyst for Future-Ready Learning

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of delivering a workshop for the Curriculum Developers Affinity Group (CDAG) entitled, Positive Psychology as a Catalyst for Future-Ready Learning: Cultivating Resilience, Engagement, and Meaning Beyond the Classroom. In my workshop, I highlighted the reality that post-secondary education must evolve to equip students not only with academic knowledge, but with the tools to thrive and grow (both personally and professionally).

Having taught positive psychology for over 6 years now, I have seen firsthand how embedding the principles of positive psychology in the classroom can show an institution’s commitment to the wellbeing of its students. When themes that are covered in Positive Psych, like resilience, stress management, the importance of work life balance, the importance of sleep, developing and harnessing strengths, developing healthy habits.... are built into the classroom and valued, these factors have enormous benefits to us, as faculty, to our institutions as a whole and to our students who are current (or future) employees, as they’ll be taking these skills into their workplace. Some of the benefits I’ve noticed in my own classrooms include:

·      An increase in positive emotions

·      Learned optimism

·      Boosted creativity

·      More effective coping strategies

·      Reduced effects of stress

·      Better resilience

·      Heightened engagement, exploration, and learning

·      More goal-directed behaviour (people are inspired and motivated to want to contribute)

·      Increased meaning-making in everyday tasks and events (students are able to connect with the material in a way that makes sense to them and gives them a sense of meaning and purpose)

In the workshop, I explored the pedagogical strategies used in my Positive Psychology course that have helped students develop skills in resilience, digital wellness/mindfulness, gratitude, strengths-spotting, and meaning-making, and provided attendees with a toolkit of strategies for integrating positive psychology principles into their own teaching practice and curriculum.

One of those tools was a PERMA-V Classroom Audit Tool. This is one tool that will help you assess how your teaching practices align with the five pillars of well-being from Dr. Martin Seligman's PERMA-V model and identify opportunities to foster resilience, engagement, and meaning in your classrooms.

For each area, reflect on the guiding questions and rate your current practice. You can use the “Ideas to Try” section for inspiration and add/edit it each semester to see what works and what doesn’t. Consider revisiting this audit before the start of the semester, as a mid-semester check-in, and/or during course redesign.

PERMA-V Classroom Audit Tool

Reflection Questions (Your Rating (1–5)): *Your Rating: 1 = I never do this, 2 = I rarely do this, 3 = I sometimes do this, 4 = I usually do this, 5 = I always do this

Positive Emotion - Do I create moments of joy, gratitude, or hope in my class?

Ideas to Try: Start with a “one good thing” check-in or gratitude post-it wall

Engagement - Do students experience flow or deep engagement in tasks?

Ideas to Try: Offer choice in assignments; use active learning strategies

Relationships - Do students feel connected to me and to each other?

Ideas to Try: Use peer feedback, collaborative projects, and strength-spotting

Meaning - Do students understand how the content connects to their lives and/or goals?

Ideas to Try: Begin units with “Why does this matter?”; use purpose mapping

Accomplishment - Do I help students set goals and celebrate progress?

Ideas to Try: Use SMART goals, progress journals, and milestone celebrations

Vitality - Do I support students’ physical and mental energy?

Ideas to Try: Embed wellness breaks, discuss the importance of sleep/managing stress, encourage self-care

I invite you to imagine a classroom not just as a place of instruction, but as a launchpad for flourishing. Through the lens of the PERMA model where we cultivate Positive emotions, deep Engagement, nurturing Relationships, discovering Meaning, and celebrating Accomplishment we can teach both content that achieves learning outcomes and goals, but that also teach students how to thrive.

As you reflect on this tool, I encourage you to ask yourself:

What’s one area I’m already strong in?

What’s one area I’d like to improve?

What’s one small change I can make this week?

~Kate

The information provided by Rooted in Wellness Canada is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. If you are struggling, you are advised to consult with your physician or other medical professionals.