Flourishing at School

Join Justin Robinson, former director of the Institute of Positive Education at Geelong Grammar School and co-founder of The Wellbeing Distillery, as he shares his journey in promoting wellbeing in education. He discusses evidence-informed strategies and the integral link between student wellbeing and academic success. Discover innovative brain break techniques and the significance of resilience and community involvement. Plus, get a sneak peek into exciting new resources designed for educators to enhance their wellbeing and foster lifelong learning.

Dr. Carol Radford, founder of Mentoring in Action and author of Teaching With Light, discusses the pivotal role of mentoring novice teachers. She highlights the necessity of integrating well-being practices, such as yoga and mindfulness, to combat burnout. Carol also shares innovative approaches to problem-solving in education, emphasizing collaboration. Additionally, she underlines the importance of fostering a shared language among educators to build resilience and create inclusive classroom environments that reflect student identities.

In part 2 of this special episode we bring you an excerpt from the Psych Health and Safety podcast where Jason and Joelle chat with Dr Helen Kelly about burnout in teachers and school principals. Helen shares some of the statistics about burnout and attrition rates in teachers, the commonalities and differences in psychosocial hazard exposure between teachers and principals, and the reasons behind the ever-increasing workload for both groups. She offers suggestions for how schools can better manage psychosocial hazards, and shares examples of novel approaches that different schools have taken to improve the wellbeing of their teachers and principals.

In this discussion, Dr. Helen Kelly, a researcher and speaker known as the Positive Principal, dives into the pressing issue of teacher burnout and its impact on educational well-being. She shares startling statistics on burnout rates among teachers and principals and discusses systemic factors contributing to their increasing workloads. Helen emphasizes the crucial link between teacher welfare and student success, advocating for comprehensive strategies over individual resilience. Her insights and suggestions offer a pathway for schools to foster healthier environments.

In episode 26 Tamara is joined by Empathable's CEO, Micah Wonjoon Kessel. Micah and Tamara talk about the new definition of empathy, the reason it is a future skill for all learners, and the "2 in a room" theory that allows radical change without having to change the radicals.

In episode 25 Tamara and special guest Angie Shearer talk about coaching, character strengths, and the power of leading with relationships. They also consider why so many PE teachers excel at connecting with students and how peer coaching can improve the wellbeing of both the coach and the coachee.

In episode 24 Tamara and Jason explore antifragility with Dr. Nick Hotlton, a coach and consultant working with schools, high-performing executives and athletes. Nick also runs a podcast alongside the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard which focuses on research to help individuals better understand how to live well.

In episode 23 Tamara and special guest Associate Director of the Center for Positive Education,Lina Maria Aristizabal, talk about certifications for whole-school wellbeing leaders, the vital role of movement for classroom regulation, and how teacher mental health impacts students.

In episode 22 Tamara talks with expert guest Meg Kapil about her work as a counselor in helping clients to achieve better regulation and her research exploring how mental health challenges and stress regulation interact with learning and performance in educational settings. They discuss simple co-regulation strategies and Meg's curriculum for navigating school stress called the "Stress Stories Project".

In episode 21 Tamara and Jason talk with Rhiannon McGee. Rhiannon leads Pos Ed at its "birthing place" Geelong Grammar School and in this conversation, we explore its evolution, coaching, how it looks across different campuses and the connection to creative education and adventure education.