EDUCATION
Concordia International School Shanghai has been quick to
recognise the correlation between wellbeing and achievement. “We already use academic achievement data to inform on teaching and learning practices,” explains Patrick Love, HS academic, college and guidance counsellor at the school. “However, current research by Gallup-Purdue (and others) has shown that non-academic factors are also strong predictors of college success and lifetime happiness. “Each week, we survey our high school students about their
happiness, relationships, sleep, energy, motivation and stress. We also ask if they have any specific issues they would like to address with their counsellor. “Understanding how students experience high school helps us
to better optimise the learning environment. For example, we used to have a deadline for college applications that put a lot of pressure on our seniors. The first year we started collecting data we noticed just how bad it was. We’ve since changed that policy, for the past two years, college application deadlines are more spread out and result in less stress and better performance for students.”
Coping strategies Mr Moore described the sliding scale of emotional wellbeing and
counselled that it is of paramount importance to teach students how to deal with those emotions. “Students have to cope with their own expectations, those of
teachers and parents and the pressures of social media. Some young people can cope with this. They may feel stressed but they can deal with it. For others there comes a time when anxiety and stress becomes extremely destructive. Schools need to be able to identify
these pupils and have strategies to help them, knowing when to call in the cavalry.” Teaching children how to deal with their emotions – to develop
coping strategies for when they are angry or stressed – should be a central part of any curriculum said Mr Moore. “What do we tell our children to do with emotional pain?” he said. “Can they unwind by walking in the hills? Playing the piano? Painting? It’s vital to teach them coping strategies. We can’t just focus on calculus and oxbow lakes. “Children below the midpoint on the wellbeing scale can face
a cognitive reduction of up to 30%,” said Mr Moore. Conversely, wellbeing programmes can result in an improvement in results. In a report by Public Health England – The link between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment – it states that an 11% boost in results in standardised achievement tests has been linked to school programmes that directly improve pupils’ social and emotional learning. Helping students to handle their emotions and behaviour skilfully
is something that has been placed at the heart of the curriculum at UWC Thailand. “Perhaps most unique within our holistic education programme is our commitment to social-emotional learning and mindfulness (SEL&M),” explains head of school, Jason McBride. “SEL&M supports the IB curriculum. It guides students in how to engage in relationships with care and concern for others and approach their work effectively and ethically. To do this, we focus on skill development in emotional literacy, self-regulation, peer relations and problem solving. Hand-in-hand with SEL is our focus on mindfulness.” But Mr Moore also counselled that teachers and parents should avoid jumping into ‘fixing’ mode if a child is struggling. “Listening is
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