Understanding the Key Concepts of Positive Psychology and Its Role in Values Education
Lyndsey Martin, the NET at Yuen Long Merchant's Secondary School (YLMSS) at the time this presentation was delivered, shared a few activities that she organised with her junior secondary students to promote positive values and attitudes, inside and outside the classroom, based on the PERMA Model (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishments), a model for happiness and wellbeing designed by American Psychologist, Martin Seligman.
In her previous school, Lyndsey took the opportunity to integrate positive psychology concepts into my lesson plans. For example, in a speaking and writing lesson about the meanings behind both English and Chinese proverbs, students chose one proverb related to their own lives and experiences to write about.
Having the opportunity to understand the proverbs on a more personal level provided her students with the opportunity to reflect on and share their experiences, and to learn and grow from them.
Another example was a cross-curricular project that Lyndsey worked collaboratively with the Art and P.E. departments to create ‘A Portrait of an Athlete’. For this project, students and alumni chose an athlete that they viewed as a role model and created a portrait of them using an art medium of their choice. There was a strong emphasis on developing the ‘Positive emotions’, ‘Engagement’ and ‘Accomplishment’ of the PERMA Model, which gave participants the opportunity to inspire and motivate others through their work.
In YLMSS, Lyndsey designed a series of sharing sessions for the school assemblies. These sessions focused on the 24 Character Strengths, by Martin Seligman (2004). They teach us that by understanding and maximising on these strengths within ourselves, we can lead a more fulfilling life. The aim of implementing these strengths was not only to provide students with a space to practise their public speaking skills, but also to encourage them to think about how they can inspire and motivate other students through sharing their speeches.
In Lyndsey’s presentation, she showed us how the PERMA Model has been adopted and integrated into her teaching practice. As reflected in her different school projects focusing on positive psychology and English language learning, she put a balanced emphasis on cognition, affect and action when applying the theory of positive psychology in her English classroom.
For more information, please click on the link here to access the PPT slides.
Disclaimer
To enhance the teaching content, teachers can exercise their professional judgment and consult relevant scholarly work when adopting the learning and teaching resources prepared by educators and other teachers. In support of the implementation of the English Language Education KLA Curriculum, teachers can also select appropriate parts of the resources for classroom learning or extended learning based on pedagogical consideration and the learning needs of students.
