WELLBEING
Research-based activities that promote flourishing
3.5
How often do teachers or staff encourage students to engage in activities that foster flourishing ?
|
Regularly
Occasionally
|
3 2.5 2 1.5 |
3.24 |
3.11 |
2.71 |
2.54 |
2.47 |
2.34 2.29 |
2.2 |
2.09 |
1.97 |
1.83 |
Rarely |
1 0.5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
Exercise |
Humour |
Volunteering |
Acts of |
|
|
|
Kindness |
|
Healthy Sleep |
Wonder |
Healthy Eating |
Nature |
Gratitude |
Social |
|
|
Support |
|
Mindfulness |
Teachers also appear to use humour effectively . There were many examples of how students light up when a teacher presents information in a humorous way and makes the lessons very engaging , helping students focus on the task in hand . Humour appears to be used to enhance relationships with students and their learning experiences at school .
Lowest ranked : nature , gratitude , social support , mindfulness
We found some opportunity for students to appreciate and connect with nature through their formal education . For example , there were some examples of teachers taking their classes outside and using the natural environment to support their teaching instruction . Students also wrote about eco-week and how planting trees on campus made them feel part of the efforts to take care of the school campus . Overall , students reported that these types of activities occurred occasionally , and as such it is a potential area for growth . Students appear to respond well to mixing things up and going outside on a nice day , as part of a classroom experience and through co-curriculum activities , to utilise and make use of the school grounds in their learning .
Some students have salient memories connected to gratitude . Examples included a teacher who has modelled gratitude , talking about the fulfilling life they lead , and providing inspiration to students . Tutors were also mentioned as helping students to reflect on gratitude , and some students had been encouraged to keep gratitude journals during the pandemic , though by and large it doesn ’ t seem to be explicitly taught . Gratitude is understood by the students as a good thing , but it seems like an area where more activities and explicit instruction would help students to further flourish .
We looked also at social support , specifically how much students are feeling socially supported by teachers and staff at Sevenoaks . Students have positive relationships with their teachers and are keen for more interactions with them . Whilst acknowledging that it is not easy for overtasked teachers to find time during the school day for more one to one connections with students , those who do have meaningful interactions with teachers shared how important it was for getting them through a vulnerable time , and how much that worked as a subtle encouragement to persevere and do their best .
Finally , mindfulness , an umbrella for a lot of different activities , which try to encourage students to slow down and focus on the present is evident at Sevenoaks . Mindfulness seems to be promoted in some of the boarding houses , where there are opportunities for students to unwind at the end of the day through meditation , painting , yoga . It doesn ’ t , however , appear to be something viewed as part of school culture and could be more widely promoted .
Next steps
At the time of this discussion we are planning for a professional development session with all Sevenoaks teaching staff to share our research findings and support teachers to create research-based strategies they will implement to fill the areas where potential growth has been identified by the research ( in activities currently occurring occasionally / rarely ). We ’ re excited to work with the teachers to develop their ideas and bring our knowledge from the research at Sevenoaks and elsewhere . We will also work through the next year with a smaller group of Teacher Research Fellows to evaluate the impact of some of the flourishing interventions they implement .
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