Well-being led from the ground up: keeping the State at bay in education

Loynes, Christopher ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9779-7954 (2015) Well-being led from the ground up: keeping the State at bay in education. In: Leading Wellbeing International Research Festival, 16-18 July 2015, Ambleside, UK. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Gagen (2013) argues that governing emotions through national programmes such as the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme is counter-productive leading to conformist behaviours rather than active citizens. Drawing on recent case study research of residential experiences co-constructed by pupils and teachers this paper argues that effective engagement with the social and emotional worlds of young people through experiential approaches to teaching and learning, that is ‘from the ground up’, enhances wellbeing in dynamic and contextualised ways. Enhanced quality of relationships with peers and teachers leads to greater trust and confidence in students, the breakdown of polarised sub-cultures in the classroom and playground, more widely disseminated socialisation skills and a readiness to engage in learning. Harnessing the leadership capabilities of differently gifted and talented young people also leads to active engagement and leadership with the social life in and out of school. As a consequence significant decreases in poor behaviour were also reported including the cessation of the exclusion of students in some schools. The findings indicate that an emphasis on relational rather than bureaucratic approaches to influencing the life of a school community can be effective and lead to a virtuous circle of student and school improvement.
Gagen (2013) Governing Emotions. Transcactions.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Lecture)
Departments:	Academic Departments > Science, Natural Resources & Outdoor Studies (SNROS) > Outdoor Studies
Depositing User:	Christopher Loynes
Date Deposited:	22 Jun 2016 14:05
Last Modified:	12 Jan 2024 14:16
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/2263

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