Administrator's Corner
T
here is no denying that
wellbeing is gaining traction
in the middle east, particularly
in Dubai. The Knowledge
and Human Development Authority
(KHDA) take wellbeing in education so
seriously that they collaborated with
the South Australian Government to
create a Student Wellbeing Census,
which
has
been
disseminated
through schools for two years so far;
this measurement is set to continue
in future. They also recognise the
importance of adult wellbeing and
more recently provided the staff in
school communities with the Adults
@ School survey, where participants
gained access to an individualised
action plan to support them in
increasing their overall wellbeing at
work. Positive Education is certainly
coming into focus within the region,
with many schools looking for
resources and training which are the
most suitable for their contexts.
Positive Education
Positive Education is an integrated
approach where children are taught
skills
for
wellbeing,
alongside
academics,
promoting
mental
wellbeing through a range of concepts
which all have foundations in positive
psychology. This can include character
strengths,
mindfulness,
resilience
and gratitude to name a few. Often
held as the beating heart of positive
psychology, character strengths are a
fantastic way for schools to begin their
wellbeing journeys. Although, without
a true understanding of strengths,
or having a suitable timescale and
action plan, schools run the risk of
‘ticking a box’ or adding just ‘another
thing’ to the already demanding to
do list teachers face. When utilised
effectively, character strengths can
become part of the everyday ecology
of the school, where not only students,
but all staff, can use the same
strengths and language throughout
subjects, lessons and meetings to
understand what is best in human
beings, ultimately having the capacity
to increase overall wellbeing.
Character Strengths
The VIA Institute on
(www.viacharacter.org) a
Character
non-profit
organisation, consisting of 55 well-
regarded scientists, led by Professor
Martin Seligman and the late Professor
Chris Peterson, worked for 3 years
studying literature from as far back
as Aristotle’s time, as well as studying
people from all over the world, before
coming up with a classification
comprising of 6 virtue categories where
the 24 character strengths are grouped.
The findings from this study can now
be applied in a survey to determine
the order of your strengths, with the
top five being your signature strengths;
currently, someone takes the survey
across the world every 15 seconds.
How do strengths work in
schools?
A simple visit to the VIA character
website can open up a whole new
world of information to any parent,
teacher or school leader, but it can
often be quite daunting when deciding
where to start. Firstly, it is important to
become familiar with the virtues and
strengths themselves; find out what
the strengths and virtues are. Before
taking the survey, write down what
you think your top strengths are, it
can be fun to compare these with the
results of the survey! Take the survey
for yourself, it should take around 15-
20 minutes. Once you have received
your results you can begin familiarising
yourself with your signature strengths
and learning more about each one.
It is possible for a whole school staff
to complete the survey and compile
strengths lists in departments or
teams; imagine an environment where
you can turn to your strengths to find
solutions, focus on improvements
by utilising people’s best attributes
and turning away from ‘constructive
criticism’ which often, is still perceived
as criticism! Another wonderful way to
increase strengths within the school
is ‘strength spotting’, seeing someone
use a strength, explaining it to them
and showing appreciation for it; a
wellbeing boost for both parties. Staff
can then work together in teams to
decide how strengths will look in
their context. For example, a whole
school launch day (World Character
day is an annual event on the 27th
of September, www.letitripple.org),
or picking out strengths of a fictional
character during an English lesson or
perhaps debating which strengths
could be better utilised by world
leaders during social studies – the
possibilities are endless! Of course, this
all begins with children learning the
vocabulary and definitions over time,
but this can begin right from year 1.
A pack of character strengths cards
can be a tangible resource that
primary teachers can use for children,
especially the little ones, to begin
learning the strengths language. The
cards can be taken out at any given
time during lessons and children can
easily begin spotting strengths in
their friends. Perhaps you can have a
strength of the week or day displayed
in the classroom where the children
work collectively to deepen that
strength. Children will amaze you with
their insights about the strengths! The
good news is, children from the age
of 10 and above can take part in their
own survey on www.viacharacter.org
which can be a useful tool for teachers
looking to personalise learning even
further by knowing the strengths of
their children.
It is an exciting time for education
in the Middle East; not only is
there research which supports the
notion that academic performance
increases in students when their
wellbeing is given priority, but there
is also a shift towards wellbeing
becoming as valuable as academic
learning and rightly so. The first thing
any parent says when asked what
they want for their children is; for
them to be happy. Imagine a school
where investment is made to support
the wellbeing of staff and train
them in positive education - staff
engagement increases alongside life-
satisfaction, the children learn ways
to manage emotions and improve
their own wellbeing from a young
age – beautiful isn’t it?
Ashley is a class teacher in JESS Dubai as well as wellbeing leader for the
school. She is currently studying for a master’s degree in Positive Psychology
and Coaching with plans to conduct research into teacher wellbeing in Dubai.
For Character Strength cards, resources and guided meditations, which are all
suitable for classroom use, please visit www.mindfulteachinguae.com. Twitter -
@mindfulmissg Insta – @mindfulmissgreen
Class Time
Term 1 Sep - Dec 2019
09