What is Positive Education?

Home-schooling and disrupted education are important topics in the midst of the current pandemic. At some point however schools will reopen their doors, but it is unlikely things will just carry on as they were. As a society we have been changed by the events we have experienced. There has been a great deal of loss and fear. We should not forget that. There has been a great deal of hope and bravery too. That also needs to be remembered.

Whenever something has been so radically altered, we have an opportunity to go forward differently. I think this is a critically important moment in education. We have an opportunity to make some far reaching changes, changes that will benefit our children and society as a whole.

Before the pandemic there were already some positive signs that that education was being seen as more than qualifications and examination results. Moving forward education should be about the whole child – developing children to live a life with happiness and meaning, able to encounter adversity and setbacks, and still thrive.

This may seem a huge ask of schools, and in some ways it is. But in the most important ways it could not be simpler. You see we already know that for children (and indeed adults) to perform at their best they need to feel at their best. Decades of research have gone into finding some of the best evidence-based ways of helping children feel and perform at their best. It’s called Positive Education and there is already a world-wide network of schools using its tools and techniques in their classrooms, and staffrooms. While it is true to say it tends to be less well known in the UK, interest in it is growing, and the training we provide to teachers is becoming even more in demand.

In preparation for schools reopening their doors, we want to do all that we can to support both teachers and pupils. As such we have created the first in a series of free animations giving tips about using Positive Education in the classroom.  We will also be offering webinars and other remote learning packages to equip teachers to navigate re-starting of education as easily as possible.

Things will never be the same again. But we have an opportunity to make them better.

Music: www.bensound.com.