Wellbeing

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Wellbeing Ezine

This ezine contains ten summaries of research articles that consider wellbeing from different perspectives.

Read summaries of research articles which consider wellbeing from different perspectives including wellbeing and academic performance, wellbeing and general health, wellbeing and emotional intelligence and subjective wellbeing. The articles were chosen and the summaries were written by registered teachers.  The full text of articles is freely available for registered teachers on the Council's online library.  Access the ezine here.

Wellbeing Webinar

The Teaching Council hosted a webinar in November 2017 where the theme of wellbeing was discussed by the panellists below. The webinar is one hour and thirteen minutes long and you can view the recording of the webinar below.

Panel Members

Ms Marie-Therese Downes, Primary teacher, PhD candidate, and member of the Teaching Council's Research Engagement Group

Dr Niall Muldoon, Ireland's Ombudsman for Children

Prof. Roisin Corcoran, formerly Assistant Professor at John Hopkins University and now a member of UCD School of Education

Keara Caul, fifth year student in Fingal Community College who has worked with Crosscare on projects related to the theme of wellbeing

Patrick Ferris, fifth year student in Fingal Community College who has completed the Jigsaw 'It's time to start talking' programme

Webinar Timings

00:00 - 00:04 Introductions

00:04 – 00:14 Different definitions and understandings of wellbeing

00:14 – 00:27 Leadership and a whole school approach to wellbeing (Cultures of wellbeing)

00:27 – 00:39 The impact of exams on student and teacher wellbeing

00:39 – 00: 46 Wellbeing in the context of SEN

00:46 – 00:49 The impact of social media on wellbeing

00:49 – 00:55 Cooperating with individuals in the health

00:55 – 01:00 Experiences with a school peer mentoring programme

01:00 – 01:05 To what extent are we over-reliant on ‘new programmes’ for wellbeing?

01:07 – 01:10 Key advice for teachers to enhance both their wellbeing and the wellbeing of others

01:10 – 01:13 Closing remarks

eBooks on Wellbeing

To access the eBooks below, registered teachers must be logged in to the Teaching Council's online library here

A step-by-step guide to accessing the Online Library can be found here

Wellbeing

eBook cover CROÍChildren's Social and Emotional Wellbeing in Schools: A Critical Perspective

(D. Watson and C. Emery) 2012

This book challenges the concept of wellbeing as applied to children, particularly in a school-based context. Taking a post-structural approach, it suggests that wellbeing should be understood, and experiences revealed, at the level of the subjective child. This runs counter to contemporary accounts that reduce children's wellbeing to objective lists of things that are needed in order to live well. This book will be useful for academics and practitioners working directly with children, and anyone interested in children's wellbeing.

Wellbeing

Live Well Teach WellLive Well, Teach Well: A Practical Approach to Wellbeing That Works

(A. Mann) 2018

Stressed? Overworked? Drowning in marking? This book has it covered. In order to secure the best possible outcomes for your pupils, you must look after your own wellbeing, and Live Well, Teach Well is jam-packed with 90 practical ideas and strategies to help you do just that.#Teacher5aday advocate Abigail Mann provides advice, activities and techniques that any primary or secondary teacher can use to support their own mindfulness, wellbeing, and physical and mental health, and that of their colleagues too. The ideas will help you to stay energised, focused and positive throughout the school year, and to work more efficiently and effectively, so you can maintain a healthy work-life balance. There are also tips on building constructive, fulfilling relationships with the community you are serving, on supporting pupil wellbeing (because a happy class means a happy teacher!) and on making wellbeing a focus at a whole-school level.

Wellbeing

Wellbeing in the Primary ClassroomWellbeing in the Primary Classroom: A Practical Guide to Teaching Happiness

(A. Bethune) 2018

Evidence has shown that happy people (those who experience more positive emotions) perform better in school, enjoy healthier relationships, are generally more successful and even live longer! It is an ever-growing concern, therefore, that children's levels of happiness and wellbeing are decreasing, while their levels of stress, anxiety and depression are increasing. As a result, many schools and teachers are looking for accessible ways to address these mental health problems in young people. In this practical and thoughtful book, experienced teacher and advisor on children's wellbeing, Adrian Bethune, takes the latest evidence and research from the science of happiness and positive psychology and brings them to life. Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom is packed full of tried-and-tested activities and techniques and has a foreword by Sir Anthony Seldon, former Master of Wellington College, well known for introducing and advocating happiness and wellbeing in education. It is an essential guide to supporting emotional and mental wellbeing in the primary classroom.

Wellbeing

Teaching Happiness and WellbeingTeaching Happiness and Well-Being in Schools

(I. Morris) 2015

This updated edition is a theoretical and practical guide to implementing a well-being programme in your school. The book covers three areas: well-being as a philosophy of education, the teaching approach to well-being and the content that might form a well-being programme in a school. It is also a manifesto for a meaningful aim to education. There has recently been an explosion of interest in positive psychology and the teaching of well-being and 'happiness 'in the PSHE world in schools and many teachers are looking for clear information on how to implement these potentially life-changing ideas in the classroom. This book provides an introduction to the theory of positive psychology and a practical guide on how to implement the theory in (primarily secondary) schools. It is written by Ian Morris who worked under Anthony Seldon at Wellington College which is well-known for its well-being and happiness curriculum.

Wellbeing

The Mentally Healthy Schools WorkbookThe Mentally Healthy Schools Workbook: Practical Tips, Ideas, Action Plans and Worksheets for Making Meaningful Change

(P. Knightsmith) 2020

This book is the perfect starting point for anyone looking to promote and encourage mental health in their school, or evaluate their existing provision, in line with current government priorities. It covers not only the day-to-day practical steps you can take to meet the mental health needs of learners, but also a provides a whole bank of ideas for ensuring you adopt a whole-school approach to positive mental health. Pooky Knightsmith lays out tried and tested tools you can use to evaluate the overall mental health of a school, showing how to improve and support the mental health of staff, and how to ensure that the voice of every learner is heard and valued, including the most vulnerable - and that everyone involved with the school feels safe, healthy and happy. Pooky's simple 'litmus test' framework lays out six practical areas you can explore to implement change within your own school, with explanations, sheets to fill in, tips from loads of school staff, and case examples that break these ideas down into easily digestible chunks. This much-needed book is a jumping off point for meaningful change in all aspects of your school community that will promote, support and strengthen mental health at whole-school level.

Wellbeing

Character Toolkit for TeachersCharacter Toolkit for Teachers: 100+ Classroom and Whole School Character Education Activities for 5 to 11 Year Olds

(F. Roberts & E. Wright) 2018

This accessible and much-needed resource sets out advice on how to develop character and encourage wellbeing in pupils aged 5-11.Schools are increasingly aware of how beneficial positive character skills can be, but resources on how to develop them are scarce. This book gives teachers the means to promote gratitude, positive emotions, character strengths, and positive relationships through 100+ easy-to-implement activities such as student diaries, classroom displays and letter writing campaigns. It also includes tools and strategies that go beyond the classroom, helping to embed character education into the culture and ethos of the entire school. Each chapter will include a short introduction to the relevant theoretical background, and all activities are based on validated character education and positive psychology interventions. Bite-sized and practical, and full of ideas that can be dipped in and out of in the classroom, this is an ideal book for busy teachers.

Wellbeing

Personal Wellbeing LessonsPersonal Well-being Lessons for Secondary Schools: Positive Psychology in Action for 11 to 14 Year Olds

(l. Boniwell & L. Ryan) 2012

This book offers practitioners working with 11-14 year olds, a highly practical education resource for running well being lessons.

Wellbeing

Nurturing Wellbeing DevelopmentNurturing Wellbeing Development in Education: From Little Things, Big Things Grow

(F. McCallum & D. Price) 2016

At the core of education, the notion of wellbeing permeates both learner and teacher wellbeing. This book explores the central role and responsibility of education in ensuring the wellbeing of children and young people. Through the employment of vignettes, proactive educational wellbeing initiatives are provided to address issues pertaining to learner and teacher wellbeing, mainstream classrooms, educational marginalisation, disabilities, cyber citizens, initial teacher education and rural education. Through employing diverging theoretical approaches of; expectancy x value theory; ecological systems theory and community practices across digital imagery; case studies; questionnaires and survey methodology, the key message of the centrality of wellbeing to educational success pervades. This book provides a critical engagement with the educational discourse of wellbeing, whilst addressing issues impacting on wellbeing with worldwide implications. It offers a unique insight into both learner and teacher wellbeing and how education can contribute to enhancing wellbeing outcomes for society in general.

ERC-TPL Wellbeing Literature Review Report

This literature review represents the output of the first strand of a 3-year project whose overall goal is to develop a framework for the evaluation of teachers’ professional learning (TPL).

To access this review, please click here.

Chapter 5 – Broader school context for wellbeing

This document is available here.

5.1 Relevant theoretical approaches

5.2 The role of wellbeing in effective learning environments

5.3 The role of teachers in social and emotional learning

5.4 Teacher wellbeing

5.5 Conclusions

Chapter 6 – A profile of the wellbeing of children and young people in Ireland

This document is available here.

6.1 Overview of national and international studies on the wellbeing of 5 to 18 year-olds

6.2 Expanding the role of young people in research on their wellbeing

6.3 Key findings on young people’s wellbeing from national research

6.4 Key findings on children and young people’s wellbeing from international research

6.5 Conclusions

As well as these research resources from our website and elsewhere, you may be interested to note that there is a wealth of other wellbeing supports available in our Taking Care of You page here.

*The Teaching Council provides registered teachers with free access to an online library in order to enhance their access to educational research, thereby supporting their professional learning. The Teaching Council does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or integrity of journals, articles, eBooks, citations and related webpages or materials accessed via these resources. The inclusion of these resources does not imply Teaching Council endorsement of any products, services, views, or information described or offered in any such articles, eBooks, citations, and related webpages etc.