Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom


Book Description

The bestselling guide for teaching wellbeing and positive mental health in primary schools, packed with practical ideas for every classroom. 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 must-read 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, including mindfulness, positive reflection, physical activity and acts of kindness. With 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 for supporting emotional and mental wellbeing in the primary classroom.




50 Wellbeing Lessons for the Diverse Primary Classroom


Book Description

This book is designed to support teachers in promoting social and emotional wellbeing within their diverse classroom. With 50 detailed lessons plans and supplemented resources to promote discussion, each lesson plan contains learning outcomes, activity descriptions and further questions around areas of diversity specific to race, culture and LGBTQ+. This accessible text offers a collection of activities with supplemented resources on a wide range of pertinent topics that challenge children to reflect, ask questions, analyse and find solutions through open discussion and collaboration. It provides them with the opportunity to explore their feelings and understand empathy and develop coping strategies in order to promote mental wellbeing. The content covered in this resource includes topics such as the psychological impact of discrimination, the Black Lives Matter movement, prejudice, coping with loss, feeling left out, moving school and managing as a young carer. A practical guide ideal for those new to teaching as well as more experienced practitioners, this resource will help address social and emotional wellbeing through themes that often effect marginalised groups and is crucial reading for anyone looking to embed an inclusive mental wellbeing culture within their school.




Supporting Teacher Wellbeing


Book Description

All teachers are in the unique position of influencing the future happiness and success of the next generation; therefore it is crucial that the wellbeing of teachers is not overlooked. This proactive guide will empower school staff; it will enlighten and equip them with essential knowledge about wellbeing and remind them to never neglect their own health. It encourages a proactive approach to holistic wellbeing and deals with a serious topic in a humorous and lighthearted way. Structured as an easy-to-read guide, the chapters offer hands-on tips on how and why to support teacher wellbeing and advice on how to manage the increasing demands of planning, assessment and marking. What’s more, it emphasises the importance of sustaining a work-life balance, using mindfulness to relax and gain perspective, healthy eating, incorporating exercise into your schedule and maintaining a sense of calm in the classroom. This book: Includes personal stories that encompass the real experiences of early-career teachers, experienced teachers, senior leaders and trainee teachers. Delves into important topics such as stress, burnout, work-life balance, anxiety and controlling the mind. Highlights how to increase self-esteem, confidence and eradicate perfectionism at work. Suggests practical strategies related to workload reduction, peer support and a variety of self-care techniques. Written by a Primary Education lecturer with over 20 years of experience teaching in primary schools, this book is an essential resource for trainee teachers, early-career teachers, experienced teachers and school leaders alike.




A Little Guide for Teachers: Teacher Wellbeing and Self-care


Book Description

A Little Guide for Teachers: Teacher Wellbeing and Self-Care explains how wellbeing is essential to effective teaching, and gives teachers practical tools to take back control of the classroom.




Children’s Mental Health and Emotional Well-being in Primary Schools


Book Description

Many teachers feel overwhelmed and lack confidence when it comes to dealing with mental health and emotional well-being of children these issues in their classrooms. This text supports schools and teachers to develop strategies to enhance the importance of mental health and emotional well-being, to work on preventative strategies and to support children when they need more intervention. The new edition of this important text is now updated to include coverage on the impact of early life experiences on children′s mental health as well as more on the influence of technology and social media. This second edition also comes with a new ′critical thinking′ feature that encourages students to reflect on these issues. It outlines lots of effective strategies for working with children who are struggling to manage the school day and offers advice for engaging meaningfully with parents. The final chapter ′Who′s looking after who?′ reminds the reader that schools should seek to support their staff, as well as their pupils.




Promoting Positive Mental Health in the Primary School


Book Description

Mental health and wellbeing is a hugely important agenda in education, both nationally and internationally. Promoting Positive Mental Health in the Primary School unpacks scientific and psychological research and evidence to explain positive mental health through the lens of a primary classroom in the language of teaching professionals. Chapter by chapter, the book focuses on specific elements fundamental to positive mental health promotion in the classroom, including developing positive relationships, emotional literacy, empowering children as learners as well as the importance of teacher wellbeing, and illustrates how these can be achieved. It offers: An examination into the connection between positive mental health and good teaching Guidance underpinned by evidence for teachers and school leaders who wish to embed a consistent approach to positive mental health promotion Practical suggestions for whole school professional learning Written from first-hand experience in both teaching and research, this accessible text makes positive mental health promotion meaningful to teachers, helping them build understanding and move from theory into practice. It is an essential resource for all practising teachers, trainee teachers, school support staff and school leaders.




Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom


Book Description

'Adrian Bethune is an inspiration and this book should be required reading for everyone involved in teaching young children.' - Dr Mark Williamson, Director of Action for Happiness, @actionhappiness This award-winning guide for teaching wellbeing and positive mental health in primary schools is packed with practical ideas for every classroom. This timely updated edition recognises the need for more guidance in schools following pupils' rising levels of stress, anxiety and depression due to the pandemic. 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! Many schools and teachers are looking for accessible ways to address these mental health problems in young people, and this revised edition is the essential tool needed to support healthy emotional development in the primary classroom. The book includes new chapters on: - the importance of nature for health, behaviour and concentration, - digital wellbeing and helping children to navigate life online in a healthy way, - and includes updated statistics and research on mental health and wellbeing of children and teachers. In this must-read 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, including mindfulness, positive reflection, physical activity and acts of kindness.




Children’s Mental Health and Emotional Well-being in Primary Schools


Book Description

The mental health and emotional wellbeing of children is fantastically important. It has a huge impact on learning and development and more and more, there is recognition of the importance of mental health for everyone. Despite this, many school staff feel overwhelmed and lack confidence when it comes to dealing with these issues in their classrooms. This new text is written for all those working in primary schools. It supports schools to develop strategies to enhance the importance of mental health and emotional wellbeing, to work on preventative strategies and to support children when they need more intervention. The text explores what we mean by mental health and wellbeing. Many children will not reach the threshold for clinical diagnosis, but they nonetheless need support. This text will outline lots of effective strategies for working with children who are struggling to manage the school day. It offers advice for engaging meaningfully with parents and considers the importance of working with school staff to ensure they are fully supported.




Dirty Teaching


Book Description

One of the keys to a happy and creative classroom is getting out of it and this book will give you the confidence to do just that. Drawing on academic research, Juliet explains why learning outdoors is so beneficial and provides plenty of tips and activities to help you to integrate outdoor learning into your teaching practice, providing a broad range of engaging outdoor experiences for your students. There is no need for expensive tools or complicated technologies: all you need is your coat and a passion for learning - oh, and you'd better bring the kids too! Topics covered include: forest schools, learning outside the classroom, outdoor education, nature activities, caring for the environment, play in schools, investigative play, urban outdoor activities, problem solving, creative thinking and strategies for supporting curriculum objectives. For all primary practitioners who want to shake up their usual classroom routine and discover the benefits of teaching outdoors. Dirty Teaching was a finalist in the Non-Fiction People's Book Prize Winter 2014 collection.




School Spaces for Student Wellbeing and Learning


Book Description

This book introduces a new wellbeing dimension to the theory and practice of learning space design for early childhood and school contexts. It highlights vital, yet generally overlooked relationships between the learning environment and student learning and wellbeing, and reveals the potential of participatory, values-based design approaches to create learning spaces that respond to contemporary learners’ needs. Focusing on three main themes it explores conceptual understandings of learning spaces and wellbeing; students’ lived experience and needs of learning spaces; and the development of a new theory and its practical application to the design of learning spaces that enhance student wellbeing. It examines these complex and interwoven topics through various theoretical lenses and provides an extensive, current literature review that connects learning environment design and learner wellbeing in a wide range of educational settings from early years to secondary school. Offering transferable approaches and a new theoretical model of wellbeing as flourishing to support the design of innovative learning environments, this book is of interest to researchers, tertiary educators and students in the education and design fields, as well as school administrators and facility managers, teachers, architects and designers.