Strengthening community wellbeing

As one of the School’s educational pillars, the field of Positive Education continues to develop and grow. As a pioneer in this space, we are uplifted by the increase in school communities embracing this approach to support their students and community to thrive.

Over the past decade at Geelong Grammar School, we have continued to refine the way we define and describe Positive Education.  In 2011, our definition stated:

“Positive Education brings together the science of positive psychology with best-practice teaching and learning to encourage and support schools and individuals within their communities to flourish.” 

In 2015, in an attempt to describe the overall spirit of the field, we said that:

“Positive Education teaches skills and knowledge to help prevent illbeing and promote wellbeing within the context of living a good life.”

​Today, we define Positive Education as

“engaging wholeheartedly with pro-active practices which strengthen community wellbeing.”

Our wholehearted commitment has not changed, nor has the overriding emphasis on strengthening community wellbeing.

Learn more about our School’s values, character and strategic imperatives.

Our Positive Education Model

Our Positive Education model can be thought of as a road map of what people want for themselves, their children and their community. Good health, frequent positive emotions, supportive relationships, a sense of purpose and meaning, and moments of complete immersion and absorption – a life where a person uses their character strengths in ways that support the self and others, and that has flourishing at the heart.

 

 

 

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Our History

In Positive Education

Our School formally embarked on its Positive Education journey in 2008, following a commitment to better support young people’s wellbeing in the school community and the wider community. As a first step, we invited Professor Martin Seligman, one of the founders of Positive Psychology, to stay on campus for six months to train staff and support the initial implementation of Positive Education. It was during this time, that the term Positive Education was first coined to describe the application of Positive Psychology in education.

Seligman’s visit was fundamental in helping GGS to understand the significance of research evidence and how empirical evidence was needed to underpin Positive Education at the School. After Seligman’s visit, the focus was on introducing Positive Education training and programming across the whole-school. Since then, our School has dedicated resources to developing and trialling curriculum for Positive Education across all four campuses, setting up systems to train and teach all staff the necessary skills for wellbeing, and reviewing and revising the school’s policies and practices aligning with Positive Education principles.

 

 

The Institute of Positive Education

As other schools around the world became aware and grew interested in Positive Education, they began to approach us with questions. In response to this interest, we began offering open days and training opportunities for schools wanting to learn more about Positive Education.

In 2014, Geelong Grammar School became the first school in the world to open an on-campus research, training, and development institute dedicated to Positive Education: The Institute of Positive Education.

When launched, the aims of the Institute were to:

•  Further develop and strengthen Positive Education in the school
•  Provide training, consultation and resources aimed at sharing knowledge with other schools
•  Support the science of wellbeing in educational contexts

The Institute has delivered courses and supported schools in every state and territory of Australia, as well as schools in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Today the Institute continues to support and inspire school communities through the provision of teaching and learning tools, resources and curriculum.

 

Positive Education Resources

Top Blog Posts

From the Institute of Positive Education

We’ve put together a collection of some of the most popular articles from the Institute of Positive Education.

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