Positive Education

Knox grammar  held the first Australian positive education conference on 5th and 6th April, 2013. Positive mindset and psychology are great interests of mine and I was most excited to be able to experience this conference. I attended with colleague Di from AusSIP (see note at end of post). The aspect I like most about Positive education is its proactive approach.  It allows for opportunity to flourish. Positive education includes the entire school community.  We often hear of improving "21st century" learning, pedagogy, andragogy and support mechanisms for students, however how often do we hear about the importance of staff wellbeing?  Positive education is meant for all.  It is far reaching.

To discover more about Positive education read here.  To catch up on all the conference tweets, follow the link to the #auspoed storify.

Media: Sydney Morning Herald. At Knox Grammar the air is positively charged.

During this conference I could have quite happily be transported back in time as a student- to experience education at Knox. How I wish every student across all postcodes, could access the amazing opportunities these young men do!

We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails.

Keynotes and workshop presenters included: 

-Professor Herb Marsh, Centre for Positive Psychology and Education, University of Western Sydney.
-Dr Dianne Vella-Brodrick,  University of Melbourne.

-Dr Lindsay Oades, Sydney Business School University of Wollongong.

-Associate Professor Lea Waters, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, Melbourne University.
-Professor Vijaya Manicavasaga, Black Dog Institute.

-International keynote Dr Christian Van Niewerburgh, Director, Coaching Psychology Unit, University of East London 

-Dr Mathew White, Director of Well-Being and Positive Education, St Peter’s College, Adelaide.

-Dan Haesler Education Consultant - 'Positive Psychology – A Teacher’s Perspective'

-Dr William DeJean -‘Identity and wellbeing'

-Dr Suzy Green, The Positivity Institute 

-Dr Steve Zolezzi, Knox Grammar School

Essentially +ve education allows:

• Movement forward and is solution focused
• Reframing of setbacks
• young people to regulate positive emotions
• achievement of meaningful goals
• for supportive relationships
• young people to thrive.

For those educators and parents that would like access to resources, check out Bite back  - Mental fitness, Blogs, Quotes of the week, Think tanks, Snap Chat and so on. Their "bookshelf" is particularly handy. Other resource links can be found under "Still curious" further on in the post.  Bite Back's quote of the week this week, happens to be one of my favourites:

Quote of the Week

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one."

- C.S. Lewis

If you missed this conference and you are interested in discovering more about how Positive education can enhance your students and staffs time at school (and beyond) try and attend the Positive schools 2013 Mental health and wellbeing conference in Melbourne 6th and 7th June, 2013.

Still curious? More here:

• Positive education: creating flourishing students. staff and schools by @drsuzygreen
• PI: positivity institute
• Beyond blue resources: SenseAbility
• Virtues project
• Positive psychology fact sheet PDF by Blackdog institute.
• STD: Self determination theory
• The power within
• Reachout
• Reach.org.au/events/camp-maasai

BIGGEST TAKE AWAYS:

• The evidence for increasing well-being and achievement through practicing gratitude is overwhelming.
• Gratitude is? A worldview towards noticing and appreciating positives in life and acknowledging these positives. You find what you are looking for!
• As leaders, colleagues, students we should SHOW our gratitude more.
• Gratitude is a choice. You get to choose it. What do I focus my attention on? Thought of the day. Choose positive!
• The importance of being proactive not reactive.
• Positive education underpins a meaningful and productive "life at school". 
• #teacherwellbeing is integral!  How to keep the beachball in air while juggling teaching load and personal life? Think Oxygen mask in a plane- advice is to provide yourself with oxygen first and then assist others. There is a valid reason for that. Is this happening to the extent it should in Australian schools?
• Seek out this book "Wounded by school" by Kirsten Olson.
• Building capacity and high expectations can impact positively on learning outcomes equally low expectations....
• Keep on keeping on. To all those educators and parents that believe relationships matter!
• Positive education can be seen as "fluff" but is both essential and desired. What do most parents wish for? An academic A+ student or a happy child?  
• Plan, plan, plan. Train. Accept the cynic- keeps you on your toes. Embrace the change.
• Positivity is infectious! Positive psychology is very flexible. Start with small and be successful. Listen to kids. Listen to each other.
• Need to take time. Enjoy the journey. It's not meant to be fast or tick the box. Positive education is ever evolving. Make the investment. Find champions.
• Positive education is alive and beating in many schools: encouraging!

Tom Harkin

#studentvoice sharing projects with educators

Looking at life with a sense of humour!

 Positive education is all about THRIVING not just SURVIVING. Let's make it happen! 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE:  For the past several years, I have worked 3 days part time at an independent secondary school in Castle Hill, Australia. In addition to teaching, I now also work 2 days a week as a Partnership broker with AusSIP (Australian schools and Industry Partnerships).  You can read more about partnership brokers here and here.  I am thoroughly enjoying this new role and aim to also blog about my PB journey. AusSIP is a non-profit business that establishes, builds and enhances partnerships between schools, businesses, parents and the wider community. 

Want to know more?

• Youth transitions
• Follow us on twitter: @everyparent
• LIKE our Facebook page: Aussip: partnership brokers

Why I heart instagram as a learning space. Instagram in education.

A few weeks ago Matt Esterman @mesterman asked if I was interested in presenting at a #teachmeet in Brighton, UK. I heart teachmeets and have written a few posts about them (see Crestwood teachmeet,  Abbotsleigh Teachmeet and Overwhelmingly grand PD) I am a teachmeet addict and have attended numerous local ones. I also enjoy "attending" International teachmeets via livemeeting, adobeconnect and blackboard collaborate. I have also presented at these (see International teachmeet March 2012 and Livemeeting-International teachmeet 2011)  The slide to the left and many in this post, where taken from a #studentmeet at SHORE in 2012 hosted by @cpaterso.

Today I will be sharing my love for Instagram as a learning space with our friends at #teachmeet at City College Brighton, England and Hove  Follow the #ccbshare (UK)  As you can see below, we are physically separated by a vast distance, yet we can still share together- this is the world of social media and in in this case; instagram.

Sharing and learning online, anytime, anywhere about YOUR passions and interests. 

What distance? 

Miles:	10576.43
Kilometers:	17020.64

Martyn Howe is the Head of Teaching and Learning Development and organising this event, alongside Andy Clowe (Technical) and Ian Sanders (Application Developer E-Learning City College Brighton).

Students are already in this space, yet who is monitoring and mentoring re correct usage? Social etiquette must also be modelled and taught. Students are very responsive to this guidance. They want to learn, continue interacting in their beloved spaces and get involved. Belong.

Instagram is an online photo sharing and social networking space.  We also use it for messages, notes, reminders, celebration and inspiration. The opportunities and potential for an application such as instagram is exciting and promising.

Read about the benefits of Instagram here and to check out the challenge we have set in 2012, read here.  Schools around the world have accepted our challenge and have created an instagram account to share our learning journey with each other.  Some are listed below:

@foodatmarian
@foodatstjosephs

@foodatwilliamhowardschool (no pics as yet but looking forward to it!)
@foodatkingswood 
@foodatcolaisterchiaran
@riversidefoodies
@cre8atchisholm
@foodatroseville
@foodatmdcc

#culinaryarts teachers on instagram: 

@msedstrom @dnembhard43 @teachertong @mslabossiere @yr9foodtech @carly_hart

Connections made with these schools, educators and students alike have been both enriching and rewarding!  It is wonderful to connect with so many like minded individuals!

Instagram is now online! Check out our account here: @foodatoakhill A month ago, accessing instagram was mainly via mobile devices with ios and android operating systems (FREE apps: see here for links Google play and itunes store).  Ink361 also provided a great service, connecting your account PC viewing.

CONNECTIONS/IDEAS/INSPIRATION/MOTIVATION/CREATION/SHARE/PARENTTIES

Benefits as an educator:

• Instant feedback for students AND teacher! #sharethelove #affirmation #confirmation
• If students travel or away for sickness etc they can keep in touch with happenings in the classroom.
• It is free and available across many platforms. #easilyaccessibletomany
• use of apps such as Versagram to relay messages and information (other apps we use are in linked posts above)

• documents learning and development
• Share with parent community
• inspiration via # eg #literacy #geography #theatre #novels #foodindustry #graphicdesign 
• visual inspiration (between classes, schools, countries -> #staplefoods
• showcasing product development (greentea kitkat and our student masterchef challenge)

• Authentic learning opportunities #nutritionalists #testkitchens #magazines #printmedia Real world experiences and career opportunities and ideas.

• Connect with my own students (their world) other students and other educators #community
• Share our world and yours #culture

• Evaluate success of instagramming for learning and exploring. 

            

• Like pinterest, access to ideas, resources, links etc using # (#api Australian food industry #labelling #foodlaws #foodsafety)

              

• Messages, reminders, Quotes, challenges, birthday messages, welcomes #limitedbyyourimaginationonly

And that is why I 

the use of instagram!

Dux's address.

Allow me to introduce you to the Currents first ever guest post author; Nick Miltchinov.

Nick is an insightful young man who deserves every accolade for his commitment to learning and success. He is to be congratulated on earning the School Dux, 2012.  

I will allow Nick's address to speak for itself. He is happy to reply to any comments posted below.  

DUX’s ADDRESS. 

Nick Miltchinov, 2013

Good morning { staff, students and special guests }

Before appearing to you today, I was faced with the difficult task of deciding how I would tackle this speech, and I concluded that, rather than approach you as dux or as a past student, I would instead address you as an ambassador of thought. So with that in mind, I’d like you to consider something as you sit here right now: are you, in this moment, even as you listen to me speak, aware of yourself; do you hear yourself thinking; can you feel the space you occupy. Keep this notion in the back of your mind because I want to revisit it later on.

For now however, I’d like to personally congratulate you all on starting yet another wonderful year at Oakhill. For many of you this marks the start of a whole new adventure, one filled with new friendships, new excitements and new experiences. For most others, this year is but a stepping stone in your continual climb through high-school life. And for some, this will be your final and most difficult year of all. 

It is for this reason that I wish to impart you all with some words of wisdom and some advice for the year ahead. However, I do not intend to lecture you with cliché tips or tricks, rather what I want to offer you today is a mentality; a mentality that, not only works for becoming a better student, but also for becoming a fuller individual in general.  

The first step is to stop binding yourself to the idea that everything in this world is a given and therefore dismissible part of everyday life. It is too often that we close ourselves in on this presumption, becoming unappreciative of both the physical and human settings we exist in. So you need to learn to be able to step out of yourself, to dislodge yourself from your perceptions and to become an observer; a questioner.

Only through this will you be able to become a creator: a creator of art, of books, of scientific or technological innovation, of architecture, of food; a creator of history. - Your history, a history that others will look back on, a history that will inspire generations to come. And it all starts with noticing, contemplating and appreciating the smallest of things that life has to offer.

The second step is to have faith in yourself and in the potential that resides within you. Too often I’ve seen people discourage themselves by saying ‘if only I had learnt to do so-and-so at a young age’ or ‘I tried to be so-and-so, but I wasn’t good enough’. To that I say the only thing that really stops you is the limits you put on yourself. So don’t underestimate your potential, but also don’t make excuses for not having the desire, will or passion to begin or to carry something through.  -Like before, those things only come from giving value and having an appreciation for yourself. 

Always remain a lucid thinker – and I can’t stress how important this point is. Thinking, wondering and understanding are all acts at the fibre of our being; to stop these is to impede the evolution of ourselves and of our world. Without them, we become artificial, and life becomes mundane. So remember to always look at the world with eyes of fascination, and remember that the thought is the melody of the mind – the more you tune it, the more harmonious, pristine and unhindered it will become.

And lastly, to the Yr 12s: the HSC will undeniably challenge you, but the greater the risk, the greater the reward. This is the year you will grow most exponentially, so to make sure you reap the greatest  benefit, try to always extend yourself beyond the expectations of your teachers, parents, syllabus and most importantly, of your own.   

For it is now time you learnt to love and to appreciate what you study, not because it’s a current requirement, but because doing so leads to the betterment and enrichment of your self – and isn’t that truly the real goal in life.

As I conclude, I wish to touch upon the notion I presented at the beginning of this speech, and I’m certain all of you can relate to and understand the sensation of being alive and of being conscious that I then described. So I’ll say it simply: relish that sensation. In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, we often forget that we all hold on to that special force. So, take moments from your day to be aware of it; to be proud of it; to appreciate it, and so -

Never once stop thinking – you are alive, go and make the most of it!

Thank you very much. I wish you all the best for the year ahead.

The Happiest refugee.

“There’s only two times in life, there’s now and there’s too late.” 

Lee Do (Anh Do’s father)

I was pleasantly surprised to see Anh Do’s memoir on my Mr14s Year 9 booklist for 2013.  As one can decipher from the title, it is a book of gratitude and seeking refuge to reside in another land. Many times Australia is referred to as the lucky country and I am extremely grateful that my family and I are indeed lucky enough to have been born into this safe, prosperous and relatively young country.  I am first generation Australian as both my parents immigrated from Malta and Germany over 50 years ago. I have heard fasinating stories of their own struggles and triumphs. 

Perhaps a vast majority of the youth of today,  may not fully appreciate how difficult it was for past generations; the uncertainty, violence, terror, lack of food, clothing and medicine, the scarcity of resources and so on.  And therefore, I was pleased that the Year 9 boys were to gain a glimpse into the trials and tribulations of the Anh Do’s life in Vietnam, his passage to Australia in 1980 and journey here thus far.

Anh is a well known Australian comedian. He has appeared in TV comedy shows such as Thank God you’re here (similar to Whose line is it anyway) and has written and starred in feature films.  I knew the book, although serious in nature, would have many scattered light hearted moments.  This would appeal to Year 9 boys. 

Apart from the obvious life lessons the book presents, Anh emphasis the extreme importance of valued role models in his life. His family being the most valued. An endearing moment in the book is when Anh surprised his high school drama teacher on a TV show aptly named “THANKS”   Anh recalls: 

“There was a celebrity part of the show and the producers asked me if I wanted to thank anyone. I immediately thought of Mrs Borny. There I was, back at my old school, St Aloysius', hiding outside a classroom where Mrs Borny was inside talking to a class of boys. "You ready, Anh?" the producer asked me. "Give me a minute," I said as I tried to compose myself. Then in I walked with the camera crew, and I saw her again after 15 years. She looked amazing; same beautiful smile, same glint in her eye that emanated a wonderful generosity and promised that this little grey-haired lady was going to believe in you and give you every chance of learning and growing. She was surprised and shocked and couldn't believe that I'd even remembered her. I told her that it was her who convinced me I could write, that it was her who told me I was a good storyteller. I also told her that I was but one of probably thousands of kids whom she'd impacted with her kindness and that she was my Robin Williams character from Dead Poets Society. Tears welled up in her eyes.”  

Wonderful gratitude right there. Anh remembers the belief Mrs Borny had in him when others didn’t see. He remembers HOW she made him feel. I love hearing stories of the impact teachers can have and also when they are made aware of this impact.

I guess the real hero of the book is Anh Do’s Mum.  She is a consistent force that held her family together.  Through her simle, upbeat and positive mantra of “No worries” she forged on to find innovative ways to provide for her family; financially and emotionally. Through all this she kept her smile AND sense of humour.

Anh’s father took the toil of his extended families struggles the worst. He is a brave man who reinforced a creative means to many ends, often married with a self sufficient streak.  One of the main lessons that is emphaised in this memoir is working hard yields results.  Being proactive here is a matter of life and death.  “You always have to make decisions in your life, Anh. And don’t kid yourself; when you don’t decide, that’s a decision.” (Page 171)