Wellbeing
'Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself' – John Dewey
Visual Arts - Wellbeing and Learning
The Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) provides for a new area of learning at junior cycle called Wellbeing which will cross the three years of junior cycle and provide opportunities to enhance the physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing of students. Wellbeing is crucial to learning and healthy development. Visual Art teaches students how to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the world and is therefore not only able to nurture the future thinkers and innovators of this world but is in a unique position to deliver the messages of Wellbeing in an engaging and holistic manner.
Who will teach it? The Junior Cycle Wellbeing Programme will begin with 300 hours of timetabled engagement in 2017 and build up to 400 hours by 2020 as the new Junior Cycle is implemented fully in schools. Presently there is a strong emphasis on the role that CSPE, SPHE. PE and Guidance can play in supporting learning about and for Wellbeing from the NCCA. With all Visual Arts obvious connections, it begs the question of why has Visual Art not been made a pillar for the delivery of the Wellbeing Programme.? NCCA short courses can also be adapted or used as the basis for creating a school's own short course in any area of learning.
Yes, it's possible for all subjects and short courses to make an important contribution to a schools Wellbeing programme and the opportunities are there to include learning or activities taking place in visual art, music, home ec, science, religion into the wellbeing programme of a school, once the appropriate rationale and links are made. However, by NCCA making Visual Art a pilar (an option like CSPE, SPHE, PE Guidance) for building a schools Wellbeing programme, it would eliminate the need for the rationale for inclusion and the clear link to the six Wellbeing Indicators to be made every time. (Wellbeing Guidelines 4.4).
My PME action research report What do You See When You Look at Me? Combining Traditional Animation and Expressive Self-Portraiture to
5th-year visual art student work. Video Loop taken from research scheme of work connecting the Visual Arts to Wellbeing programme
Enhance Wellbeing, examines the ability of artistic processes, such as Traditional Animation, to Enhance Student Wellbeing; the animation above was created by a 5th-year Visual Art student who took part in a scheme of work used as part of the research used for my PME paper.
Additionally, I created a Short Course in line with NCCA short course guidelines as a testament to the Visual Arts connections to the Wellbeing Programme.
Furthermore, my extensive experience in diverse Alternative Placements is another example of utilising Visual Art in the promotion of Wellbeing.
‘Empowered and engaged teachers are more likely to achieve learning outcomes of students’ (Soini, et al, 2010)
Click HERE to see Wellbeing groups used to support Wellbeing.
Wellbeing Guidelines
Teacher Wellbeing
Considerations in planning for Junior Cycle Wellbeing 2020-21 available at this link
SPHE back to school lessons available at this link - one for 1st yrs, one for 2nd/3rd yrs and one for 5th/6th yrs.
PDST have a dedicated SPHE portal Health and Wellbeing
Supporting Teacher Wellbeing is essential to nurture student Wellbeing see Towards Learning; An Overview of Senior Cycle Education 2002 and Informed insights into the Irish policy-making process with a focus on TPWB by Elizabeth Lynott
Established Options For a Wellbeing Programme
CSPE. SPHE and PE must be included in the Wellbeing Programme and minimum requirements of approx 70 hours SPHE, 70 hours CSPE, 135 hours PE across three years of Junior Cycle. 'After these minimum requirements have been met, remaining hours may be allocated by schools to other aspects of wellbeing.......such as guidance-related 'p.57 guideline
NCCA has designed 3 Short Courses to provide important learning for and about Wellbeing. (Appendix A, B, C NCCA Wellbeing Guidelines 2017).
Access visual Art Short Course I developed inline with NCCA short course guidelines as a testament to the Visual Arts connections to the Wellbeing Programme.
SPHE
CSPE
P.E.
Guidance
Develop and Introduce Short Courses
The Visual Arts curriculum marries well with the delivery of the Wellbeing programme in schools. So why not make Visual Art the main pillar of a schools Wellbeing programme? The short course is a new curriculum component in the Junior Cycle. A short course is designed for approximately 100 hours of student engagement and provides opportunities for schools to broaden the range of educational experiences they can offer in Junior Cycle.
Click on image to view a short course developed by myself in collaboration with Rafaella Clemente. It connects the Visual Arts to the Wellbeing specification for Junior Cycle.
Below are links to relevant documents and departments relating to Wellbeing.
Simple Ways to Wellbeing - Ideas for your School
Here are some ideas for teachers of all subjects to integrate into their lessons
Host Wellbeing Awareness Events
It is a great opportunity to have class discussions about wellbeing and discuss the work of people working in the area of Wellbeing. Organising a visiting lecturer, For example, the poster here was designed for a school visit from Clinical Psychologist David Coleman
Establish Wellbeing Areas
These can be public areas like a wall, a shelf and /or a window where students can place messages about how they feel or offer kind words to another. They function best if an adult assigns a Theme which can change/rotate on a for aexample; monthly basis
A Wellbeing room. Students can use this as a safe space to escape the many stresses of the day
Research confirms that for children, mindfulness can:
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Mitigate the effects of bullying (Zhou, Liu, Niu, Sun, & Fan, 2016);
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Enhance focus in children with ADHD (Zhang et al., 2016);
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Reduce attention problems (Crescentini, Capurso, Furlan, & Fabbro, 2016);
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Improve mental health and wellbeing;
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Improve social skills when well taught and practised with children and adolescents.
Put simply, mindfulness is “to pay attention, on purpose, to the present moment” (Grossman, 2016). It’s also important for caregivers and educators to provide age-appropriate mindfulness practices to children.
Collaborate with outside agencies: For example; ERIKON runs the HeadSmart Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme teaching 5 ways to wellbeing; Connect, Learn, be Active, Take Notice. It is a UK initiative however can be adapted to the needs of every school.
Nurture Students with the Power of the Outdoors
ETB’s operate 12 Outdoor Education & Training Centres across the country and an Outdoor Education Support Service in Dublin. Outdoor Education & Training is a vital element in any comprehensive education programme.
New Wave Adventure Therapy is an innovative social work-based intervention service offering uniquely tailored therapeutic programmes on a one-to-one basis exclusively in natural outdoor settings and using adventure activities.
www.newwaveadventure.ie the New Wave Wild Project CLG, a not-for-profit adventure therapy service offering professional interventions for individuals, families and small groups, and removing barriers to access by working collaboratively with services and sourcing funding where possible.www.newwavewildproject.ie
Give Back
Find a charity that you feel a connection with and volunteer or organise a fundraising event.
Cultivate a Progressive mindset
Habits for Happiness: 10 Daily Steps for Living Your Happiest Life By: Dr Tim Sharp How do we get happy?
on a regular basis, you can create a life of happiness and wellbeing
TED Talks are influential videos from expert speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity, with subtitles in 100+ languages.
Learn To Breath!
Simple Breathing Exercises Explicitly teaching mindful breathing is providing students with a skill that will be with them for life, it will enable and support them to be their best selves in every situation they will ever encounter.
Calm Ap; Breathe Bubble | Breathing Exercise 30sec
Alternative Nostril Breath to restore balance: This is a guide to an Alternate Nostril Breathing exercise, it's a great way to calm the nervous system and an effective stress reliever that anyone can practice at any time of the day.
A Simple Breathing Exercise (1 min) from BeautifulChorus to bring us to the here and now
Bee Breathing
This BreathE is a fun and effective way to reduce stress, anxiety, anger, and frustration; exhale slowly through the nostrils, making a deep buzzing sound in your throat like a bee. Because the lips are closed, you will not hear the “ZZZ” sound. Instead, you will hear a “swarm” of bees in your throat. Start with three rounds on the exhale only. Practice this breath no more than 10 times
