Geelong Grammar
Applied model of Positive Education
Positive Education is completely entwined within the school mission.
'The philosophy that underpins the School’s understanding of Exceptional Education is manifest in our purpose, spirit, focus, character and beliefs'
OUR PURPOSE
is to inspire our students and community to flourish and make a positive difference through our unique and transformational education adventures
OUR FOCUS
is learning to flourish
OUR SPIRIT
is making a positive difference
OUR CHARACTER
is to be authentic, courageous, dedicated, forgiving, inquiring, loving, optimistic, passionate, resilient and trusting
WE BELIEVE
- our rigorous academic programmes create wonder, curiosity and a desire to learn
- boarding and co-education provide valuable life skills
- partnerships between our parents, staff and students provide the best learning outcomes
- Positive Education enhances wellbeing and enables individuals to flourish
- our exceptional staff bring character and richness to the life of the School
- in the power of creative thinking and the courage to try new ideas
- in fostering spirituality and celebrating our Anglican tradition
- in serving others and building social responsibility
- in nurturing strong relationships
- in growing our heritage through innovation
- in the protection of children and a zero tolerance of child abuse
OUR CHALLENGE
is to develop creative thinking and learning to engage with the complex opportunities of a changing world
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Geelong Gramar is made up of 4 campus. We visited the Corio Campus (Middle School- Years 5 to 8) and Senior School (year 10-12) but they also have Bostock (ELC to year 4 situated in Geelong), Toorak (ELC to year 6 situated in Melbourne), Timbertop- a year 9 all year camp, 3 hours away from the Corio Campus. Students only access to families is during the holidays and through handwritten letters. They run a marathon at end; the focus is on growth both physical and character. Their weekends occur on a Wednesday and a Thursday so that Saturdays and Sundays are class days due to the area being busy with bushwalking clubs. NB no sports for the year 9s.
Staff can live on site in one of the 100 school houses and can eat in the dinner hall, use the Handbury Wellbeing Centre (gym/pool/ basketball courts). Staff who take this opportunity are rostered to support dorms outside of school hours. All teachers including those not living in are required to take a sport(s) (support).
Requirements (load) for staff: (Standard)
full teaching (4/6 50min periods)/ co-curricular eg sport/ chapel (dorm/house support)
The boarding rooms (houses) are similar to the look of Christ College and we went into a room that housed 15 girls. The girls can personalise their wall above bed with photos etc. each boarding room have a prep room with desks with slight enclosure line the wall where the students keep their books and can put their character strengths on display. The girls dorm, girls had quotes linked to character strengths whereas the boys didn't.
All staff are inducted into Geelong by attending the Institute's 3 day residential PD retreat (Justin Robinson) this includes gardeners.
Positive Education is taught explicitly one period a week in the middle school, year 9 living it & breathing it through outside pursuits, and years 10 to 12 have 3 sessions. Students do a Character strength profile, it appears houses & dorms also do this too with the visual displays of the words. Heads of departments share at meeting how wellbeing is entwined/ embedded through subjects.
In the middle school classes are separated into year levels but 2 classrooms with a flexible wall. Classes are operating with 2 teachers and 30 students approx. Pedagogical change with inquiry focus. Character strengths evident in the class including teachers sharing theirs on the door. At Timbertop they have converted the character strength wheel into a coffee table so it is visual everyday for teachers too.
Senior School is still traditional in their silo subjects but strong in positive education. Exams have for example mindfulness pre exam or one less question and instead a question related to the student and their evaluation for the prep of the exam.
Justin Robinson is the director of the Institute of Positive Education that is a self-funded business made up of 25 staff. The Institute has a dual purpose; support Geelong Grammar (sustainability of Positive Education programme) and grow the field of Positive Education (PD opportunities). The Grammar students needs are string- pressure with academic, learning, anxiety but also for some issues around boarding-separation from family (homesickness) and then the other extreme "feeling loved" when parents busy and a feeling of being 'unloved'.
Notes from our discussion:
- What is sustainable? Committment to Positive Education is necessary for sustainability but not committment to tools. Tools are not sustainable and can be introduced through excitement. For example mindfulness and gratitude wall. Start with something being discussed as a short time frame for initial buy in and then it can increase in time with the enthusiasm it may bring. Don't put off grow/ extend with voice- allow for trial and error and personalisation of tools.
- How we draw people to us but not pushing things on to them (see Rebecca's tweets) - buy in by staff- Not an add on but embedded but initially need to let something go so busyness doesn't bring negative bias or make it get lost.
- Conversations are crucial- Wellbeing can not be prescribed but described (see Rebecca's tweet).
- Wellbeing is deeply personal - on average mindfulness will work-have to work out what works now.
- Students/ adults can be "over wellbeing-ed" simplicity is crucial, have to live it not hate it, ensure you de-clutter the visual and the talk too. What's the now need?
- Positive Psychology became because society is not getting right. But at times we need to feel safe eg trauma (earthquake/ mental health redflag/ abuse) survival needs to be met but when experiencing non-trauma just hecticness/ pressure of everyday life look to wellbeing science and positive psychology.
- Society is not changing so we need individual skills/ strategies to operate positively.
- Positive Education is not an add on but a whole school approach
- grow in language- feel it, do it, get it(see my tweet)
- Negative and positive emotions make us grow- make a meaningful life- can't be happy all the time- how we handle the negative- build conversations around it (see also Live more happy book- love & fear emotion strongest)
- include wellbeing in every meeting agenda - maybe also start/finish with AI - appreciative to bring a positive vibe
- Compassion- caring for others- giving brings positivity but at same time not losing or putting pressure on yourseelf- eg oxygen mask first/ fill your glass
- Authentic embedding - can fit in beautifully through kaupapa (osmosis) - just adding an evaluative question too- family tree- character strengths of family members/ancestors- role models/ character evaluation (NOT TOKEN)
- skills and knowledge to manage life and care for others
- POSITIVE EDUCATION is not a SPECTATOR SPORT
- works on trust
- is about the whole child
- be wary of survey-burnout- students need to see results asap otherwise why and not buy in for next time - feed enthusiasm- also provoke the timing of survey is this us doctoring the results? Anonymous brings real results- consider it just as a snapshot of a group- effective as a voice for evolution of a programme
- GENUINE
Tweets:Recommendations:
Corinda State High School
Acceptance Commitment Therapy: ACT ACT (google search)
Book: Happiness trap
Study: Study of Sleep (studnet focus) and Compassion (poss more staff)- Dr Tony Fernando
Measure: Melbourne Uni wellbeing profiler
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