Another Positive Year in Education! #lessonsforusall

This past year has once again given me many opportunities to share my learning and practice in the fields of Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology within the Education Sector. I also know that what we do to support flourishing in schools is equally applicable, and much needed, in the business, corporate and public sectors and life in general. So there really are #lessonsforusall here!

The 'Positive Education' movement aims to promote a greater focus on the development of well-being and character strengths in educational institutions to enhance academic attainment and also create more flourishing whole school communities - leaders, teachers, support staff, students and parents. As an evidence-based approach there is an increasing body of global research that is clearly demonstrating that this focus on well-being buffers against the rising levels of reported anxiety, stress and depression whilst increasing children & young people's capacity to both feel good and function well in school, and potentially beyond as they enter higher education, transition into the workplace and develop across the lifespan. We also know it's good for the teachers and parents too!

For nearly 10 years now, since graduating from Sydney University, I am proud to have been abe to share my learning with schools, universities and educational organisations in many parts of the world as part of my organisational coaching practice and as a Global Representative for the International Positive Education Network (IPEN). 2018 was no exception and I'd like to thank everyone for the opportunities to engage with their staff, students and wider communities. I am even more proud that the ongoing relationships I have developed over the years are now resulting in schools being able to evidence their own positive outcomes of working on well-being and to share their good practice at the world's top conferences! I look forward to continuing to help these schools build on this important work and to venturing into different parts of the world such as the Middle East, to forge new relationships in 2019.

Here's some snapshots of my exciting and busy year in Positive Education 2018!

The year kicked off in January at the Bristish International School Phuket where I spent the week working with the school community on strengths use and coaching skills to help embed their key well-being strategy themes - Engage, Relate & Shine!

With the BISP Leadership Team and students

With BISP Students Leaders responsible for Engage, Relate & Shine & Associated Events

Strengths Cards courtesy of The Positivity Institute

February 2018 saw my first ever visit to Ulaanbaatar and a fantastic week with English School of Mongolia. Here I had the opportunity to focus on themes of mental toughness, well-being and coaching with the leadership team, faculty, student body and support staff. The warmth of the school community and their eagerness to engage was such as contrast the freezing minus 29 degrees outside and made it for a truly memorable week!

Introducing the Values in Action Charater Strengths to students at ESM

Working on Well-being with the wonderful ESM Support and Administration Staff

Coaching Conversations in the Cold! Faculty Day at ESM

In June it was great to get back to Budapest again, this time to attend and present at the 9th European Congress on Positive Psychology. Even better that I was joined in my workshop by the British International School Budapest with whom I have worked, to share their ongoing practice on Well-being and Restorative Justice at the school!

Attending the world's leading evidenced-based conferences is my way of investing in my own continuous learning and professional development

It's also a fantastic way to share real-life good practice and build ongoing relationships with valued colleagues like Richard Dyer and Sarah Ford from BISB!

August in the Alps! I was delighted to be invited back to College Alpin Beau Soleil in Villars to support their new academic year kick off with a refresher on well-being and coaching for faculty and leadership to support their strategic plan to embed these approaches across the school community.

Introducing PERMA-Powered Coaching at College Beau Soleil

In September I got to engage with the Extended Leadership Team at Discovery Bay International School, Hong Kong with a focus on Coaching Conversations. This was followed by workshops on mental toughness, resilience and strengths for all secondary year groups and parents. The week ended with a full on and fun faculty day on well-being and coaching and the arrival of Typhoon Monghkut which was a pertinent test on my own and the community's resilience for sure!

I received a warm welcome at Discovery Bay from leaders, staff, students and parents!

Parents taking a mindful moment to reflect on their own wellbeing

A busy day with all faculty and support staff before the typhoon hit!

Later in September I was back at Taipei European School to take part in a school-wide event to celebrate World Character Day on 26/9/18! Building on 3 years of focus on the Five Ways to Well-being and character strengths, the day started with a whole school hike up the mountain to school! This event was living and breathing well-being and it really got everyone Connecting Positively, Being Active, Taking Notice, Keeping Learning and Giving! During the week I also worked with the school leadership team on embedding further their well-being strategy, reviewing progress on an ongoing action research project measuring outcomes relating to mental toughness in the student community, a parent workshop and providing a range of 1:1 coaching sessions for leaders and staff.

With Headteacher Sonya Papps and students on the early morning hike up to school through Yangshingman National Park to kick off World Character Day.

Having had all students assess their character strengths they got to see whole school and house results and attend a series of workshops on how to use their strengths wisely to enhance well-being, mental toughness and achievement.

In October I was invited to give the keynote at the inaugural London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Young People's Well-being Summit as part of World Mental Health Day. This amazing event was led by young people and for young people and their teachers. Hosted by the Jo Richardson Community School (recipients of the Pearson School of the Year for Making a Difference Award 2018) over 10 schools across the borough sent representatives to either share their work on well-being and mental health in their schools or learn from each other and take ideas back to their own school community. The event was such a success that LBBD committed on the day to funding for the event in 2019!

With Executive Head Ges Smith and JRCS Summit Co-ordinator Sue Richardson

With JRCS Well-being Delegates and workshop facilitators

I attened two fantastic student led workshops - one on diversity including LGBT and Tourettes, the other on teacher stress awareness from a student perspective!

In my teaching at the University of East London on the Master of Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology (MAPPCP) I get to hear about my students' application of their learning in many professional contexts. It was therefore great to meet so many of them at the International Positive Education Network (IPEN) London Conference in October where some of them actually got to engage with the great man himself - Prof. Martin Seligman! Without Seligman's groundbreaking focus and research on Positive Psychology, our work might not actually be happening today so it was a special moment indeed!

Sharing my own learning and practice with students on the MAPPCP has been a real privilege and it was so good to see some of my students at the IPEN event in London hearing more about the Science of Positive Psychology from the master himself!

End of October/early November I was back at Bangkok Patana International School for the latest Year 8 program of workshops on Character Strengths and Mental Toughness as preparation for the Y8 Residential and ongoing well-being activity throughout the year. This involved working with Y8 students, parents, tutors and the residential team. As usual I then got to meet and work with this year's Y9 Junior Delegates to explore how strengths use can help them build their leadership skills throughout the year in their new roles. Whilst at Patana I also got to run a new staff workshop on Career Development & Progression and an advanced Evidence-based Coaching Conversations workshop for middle leaders.

It's always great to engage with staff and students at Bangkok Patana!

And the parents are always keen to learn too - here they are discovering some of their own character strengths

My last trip of the year was back to College Alpin Beau Soleil! This is so meaningful because it shows how work on well-being progresses at the school's own pace. Having over the past couple of years developed a greater awareness of well-being and it's importance for the school leadership and staff themselves, it was now felt the right time to engage with students on what it means to flourish! This took the form of the school's first ever Well-being Week which explored the Five Ways to Well-being and how students can find ways to apply these more in their school and boarding life. I ran a Mental Toughness workshop for each year group to kick off the week alongside some 1:1 faculty coaching sessions and a coaching workshop for the Admnistrative and Support Leadership Team. It will be interesting to see the student feedback from this week and their ideas for embedding activity to enhance their well-being further.

Well-being week at Beau Soleil! At My Best cards are great for generating uplifting discussion!

So that was my year in Positive Education! As I have said there are #lessonsforusall here and I know that such as focus on well-being is equally important in all other professional contexts. I look forward to sharing my practice and ideas through my leadership and executive coaching, my executive career development and transition support, in my corporate workshops, and in my teaching and writing.

There's lots to look forward to in 2019 including more international schools work in the Middle East, Eurpope and Asia; UK Education Mental Health Workshops with Worth-It Projects; an external examiner role with the University of Worcester Post Graduate Certificate in Positive Psychology Coaching; participating at the World Congress on Positive Psychology in Melbourne alongside my wonderful colleagues from The Positivity Institute; an online well-being self study program and even a potential book - so watch this space!

Clive Leach M.Org.Coaching works across the corporate, public and education sectors providing coaching and facilitation with a focus on well-being & mental toughness. He is accredited in the MTQ48 Mental Toughness Assessment and Strengths Profile Assessment. For more information about coaching and facilitation services please contact [email protected] or message through LinkedIn.