Wellbeing skills in the classroom: exploring the right match for every teacher and school

How can wellbeing skills be best developed in school contexts? Through whole school approaches, environment, programmes, pedagogical materials and teacher training: there are many different possibilities that are all subject to research and extensive practice. Yet, from a perspective of a high-school teacher delivering 45-minute lessons, none of the abovementioned approaches make practical sense. Whole school approaches are hard to implement because of political and economic reasons, as well as lack of internal expertise. In most countries around the world, explicit well-being programmes cannot be easily inserted into curricula either: teachers follow a syllabus and, in many regions, there seems to be no political will to finance such programmes or provide a dedicated space in the school week. To find an alternative way to implement positive education in the classroom, Lucciarini and Boniwell reviewed the literature on evidence based positive psychology interventions, as well as on self-chosen versus prescribed positive psychology interventions. What research, theory and the actual teaching conditions seem to show, is that brief, tailored, self-selected, evidence-based and measurable PPIs can be a powerful way of developing well-being literacy in schools. This presentation explores the theoretical framework, research and practical implications around the toolbox approach to positive education.