Wellbeing before Learning - Adelaide Thinkers in Residence - SA ...

Wellbeing before Learning
Flourishing students, successful schools
Adelaide Convention Centre
Monday 27 February 2012
Keynote presentation by Dr Martin Seligman
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About Prof Martin Seligman
Prof Martin E.P. Seligman is one of the most widely know
psychologists of our time. He has spent over 40 years working on
the issues of depression, optimism and pessimism. His ‘learned
helplessness’ theory is one of the most influential psychology
theories of last century, shedding light on problems such as
depression, child abuse and domestic violence.
In 1996, Prof Seligman was elected President of the American
Psychological Association, by the largest vote in modern history.
Since 2000, his main mission has been the promotion of the field
of positive psychology.
Prof Seligman is currently working with the US Government on
wellbeing and resilience for the whole armed forces, focusing
on the use of positive psychology to combat post-traumatic
stress and suicide rates. He has worked with both the US and
UK governments in education settings. He continues to have a
strong focus on training psychologists in positive psychology -
individuals whose practice can make the world a happier place,
in a way that parallels clinical psychologists having made the
world a ‘less unhappy’ place.
The program
Conference opening by Hon Grace Portolesi MP, Minister for Education and Child Development
9:00am
10:30am
11:00am
12:30pm
1:30pm
Hall E
Whole of School
Approach
to Positive
Psychology: how
do you do it?
Meeting Room 2 Meeting Room 10
Plenary – Martin Seligman: Positive Education: By applying the principles of Positive
Psychology to schools, can we teach young people how to have more wellbeing in
their lives in addition to the traditional goal of doing well at work?
A Shared
Preventative
Approach: health
and education
services working
together
Sharing Power:
Who gets to define
what wellbeing
actually means?
Hall AD
Morning Tea
Lunch
Plenary – Flourishing Lives: Young people in conversation with Keith Bartley
The Residency
Wellbeing and resilience: building a flourishing state
How can we create the conditions for every individual to flourish?
How can we build wellbeing and resilience into the lives of our
communities? What skills need to be developed for living a
happier, more meaningful and engaged life and help prevent
mental health issues becoming problems?
2:40pm
3:00pm
4:30pm
Classroom reality:
Positive Psychology
in practice
Positive education’s
role in training for
future employment
Plenary – wrap up with Keith Bartley
Metrics of
Wellbeing
Afternoon Tea
The challenge of Prof Martin Seligman’s residency is to use his
groundbreaking research in measuring the wellbeing of an
individual, school or organisation, to uncover what it takes to
create a ‘flourishing’ state.
5:00pm
Close
‘Flourishing’ focuses on the strengths and character of the
individual to help build resilience to overcome challenges and
build wellbeing. This capacity creates better, stronger and
more positive relationships between individuals, families and
institutions.
By integrating the tools of wellbeing and resilience into our
communities we can begin to deal with the causes of mental
illness rather than its symptoms and give every individual the skills
to flourish in their daily lives.
Twitter
We encourage you to join the conversation on twitter throughout
the day. Chat between streams and keep the dialogue going after
the conference. Make sure you use the official hash tag for the
Seligman residency:#FlourishSA
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Morning Breakout Session 1 - Hall E
Whole of School Approach to Positive Psychology: how do you do it?
Successful schools and early childhood services understand the importance of the work that they do all
day every day to strengthen the wellbeing of children and young people. They are able to show how they
attend to wellbeing in every aspect of their work. In this session, educational leaders will describe where
and why they began, where they are now and where they hope to be in the future. They will share what
they have learned along the way.
chair: Garry Costello, Head of Schools,
Department of Education and Child Development
Prior to Garry’s appointment as Head of Schools, he was an English Coordinator, Student Counsellor, Assistant
Principal, Principal and Regional Director. Following his appointment in 1997 as Principal, Mount Gambier High
School the school began a journey of rapid improvement, demonstrating high-level success academically, in
the Arts, and in sport and vocational learning. He has been involved as a presenter at a range of workshops/
conferences for Principals and leaders around Australia and has taken part in a range of international forums.
Morning Breakout Session 2 – Meeting Room 2
A Shared Preventative Approach: health and education services working together
We seek to safeguard the psychological and physical wellbeing of children and young people through
prevention and treatment strategies spanning the health, education and family support sectors and
involving government, non-government and private agencies and practitioners.
After decades of progress and improvement, the psychological and physical wellbeing of children and
young people is declining. In this session, panel members consider the timely question - how can health
and education services work together on the common goal of enhancing the wellbeing of children, young
people and families?
chair: Mark Diamond, Executive Manager,
Strategy Implementation and Community Reform, Mental Health Unit, SA Health
Mark Diamond is responsible for the implementation of Social Inclusion Board reforms relating to the community
mental health sector in South Australia, including the reconfiguration and integration of community mental
health services in the Adelaide metropolitan area. Mark has had senior management experience in three
states of Australia over the past 20 years. Mark has a strong interest in seeking to improve health outcomes for
particularly the most marginalised and achieving sustainable health system reform.
Panel:
Dr Mathew White, Director of Wellbeing and
Positive Education, St Peter’s College
Dr Mathew White is Director of Wellbeing and
Positive Education at St Peter’s College, where he
teaches Year 12 IB English. Mathew was the first
Head of Positive Education at Geelong Grammar
School. He is a Fellow in the Melbourne Graduate
School of Education at The University of Melbourne
and a member of the St Mark’s College Education
Committee, the first residential college of The
University of Adelaide.
Stephen Meek, Principal,
Geelong Grammar School
Stephen Meek has been Principal of Geelong
Grammar School since 2004, having previously
been Headmaster of a school in the UK for 9 years.
At Geelong Grammar, he has overseen an ongoing
collaboration with Dr Martin Seligman to develop
Positive Education - a whole school approach to
teaching and learning the skills of wellbeing from
Early Learning to Year 12.
Meredith Edwards, Principal,
Woodville HS
Meredith Edwards is the proud principal of a richly
diverse and challenging school in the western suburbs
of Adelaide. Under her leadership as both a Deputy
Principal and then Principal for 14 years, the school
has achieved national recognition for addressing the
very real wellbeing issues of all students, including
those from Aboriginal backgrounds, backgrounds of
poverty and those recently arrived in Australia.
Associate Professor Lea Waters,
University of Melbourne
Associate Professor Lea Waters is an academic and
a registered psychologist (MAPS) who holds a PhD
in Organisational Psychology. She is the Director of
the Masters in School Leadership at the Melbourne
Graduate School of Education (MGSE), University
of Melbourne and was awarded the Melbourne
Graduate School of Education’s Teaching Excellence
Award, 2011. She is a known expert in the areas of
Organisational Change, Organisational Psychology
and Positive Psychology.
Panel:
Pauline McEntee, Director, Child & Adolescent
Mental Health Services
Pauline has responsibility for mental health services
to children and young people across 70% of the state
of South Australia. This includes community services
across the state, the only psychiatric inpatient service
for children and young people in South Australia,
perinatal mental health inpatient services and a
range of intensive community based services
Dr Brian Graetz,
Senior Program Manager, beyondblue
Dr Brian Graetz is the General Manager: Child
and Youth at beyondblue: the national depression
initiative. He oversees national mental health
programs in education (primary, secondary & tertiary)
and early childhood settings.
Janine Harvey, Assistant Director,
Child and Youth Wellbeing, Department of
Education and Child Development
Janine Harvey taught for 16 years in a range of
schools, and has extensive experience in the area
of behaviour management. She is a member of the
Veteran’s Education Board, the Community Protection
Panel and the Council for the Care of Children.
Janine is now Assistant Director of Child and Student
Wellbeing at the Department for Education and Child
Development overseeing a range of services related
to vulnerable young people.
Angela Congdon, Parent
Angela is the parent of Grace, a year 11 student, who
has a chronic health condition. She requires frequent
and lengthy stays in hospital. Grace was educated
within the State Education System and is now
undertaking her final years of schooling outside of it.
Linda Weddell, Mind Australia
Linda Weddell is the Youth Project Officer at Mind
Australia. This new position was established to scope
current youth mental health services provided across
South Australia, as well as gaps, with an aim to
identify the best ways Mind can improve its services
to young people aged 12 – 25. Linda brings years
of experience working with young people in the
community, particularly in primary health care, and
project management roles where youth participation
principles are paramount.
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Morning Breakout Session 3 – Meeting Room 3
Sharing Power: Who gets to define what wellbeing actually means?
When we talk about the use of positive psychology in schools, what power do students have and to what
degree do young people get to shape the program and influence the decisions that affect their lives.
In this session, we will hear young people talk about their experiences of being in schools with a culture
that intentionally fosters wellbeing. Their views are counterpointed with the experience of senior
educators who will outline the mechanisms that school communities use to empower young people and
the challenges associated with sharing power in traditional school environments.
Plenary Session – Hall E, 12:30pm
Keith Bartley, Chief Executive, Department of Education and Child Development
Flourishing lives: Young people in conversation with Keith Bartley
Keith Bartley, Chief Executive of the new Department for Education and Child Development, will lead
a conversation with four outstanding young people about how they have developed their character
strengths, and how they use these strengths to contribute to the community and lead meaningful lives. The
aim of this session is to learn from young people about what it means to have a flourishing life, and how key
individuals and institutions can play a part.
chair: David Kelly, Deputy CEO, The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI)
David Kelly is deputy CEO of the Australian Centre for Social Innovation. He is an experienced strategist,
project coordinator and program manager with a twenty five year commitment to working with disempowered
communities. In the non-government sector, in local government and in his own business, he has achieved
national recognition for creativity and innovation in community and cultural development and social enterprise.
About Keith Bartley
Keith Bartley commenced as Chief Executive for the Department
for Education and Child Development (DECD in May 2011.
He has 35 years experience in education as a teacher, leader
and policy maker, with a strong record as a reformer.
Panel:
Xara Kaye, School Captain, Geelong Grammar
Xara Kaye is School Captain at Geelong Grammar
School in 2012. Xara joined the School’s Year 9
campus Timbertop in 2009 from her home in Canberra
and currently boards full-time in Senior School. Xara
has experienced explicit teaching of Positive Education
in Year 9 and Year 10 and has actively contributed to a
range of school-wide Positive Education initiatives.
Tennessee Coulthard and Rohan Chopra,
Students, Woodville High School
Tennessee and Rohan are Year 12 students at
Woodville High School. They have both been activley
involved throughout high school as student leaders.
They were the first group of Woodville High School
students to be trained in the Youth Empowerment
Process.
John Vrodos, St Peter’s College student
John Vrodos is a Year 12 student at St Peter’s College
and Captain of Farr House. He is studying English,
History, Physics, Chemistry and Italian as a candidate
for of the International Baccalaureate Diploma. John
has been involved with The Smith Family Student
Reading Program and environmental projects at
Saints.
Mary Camilleri, Principal, Marymount College
Mary Camilleri, Principal at Marymount College, a
Catholic girls’ middle school for Year 6-9.
Mary has a strong commitment and belief in the
promotion of good mental health and wellbeing for
all members of the school community. The school’s
Catholic identity and living out the Good Samaritan
values of hospitality, compassion, reconciliation and
stewardship are what underpins the many initiatives
undertaken in the school.
Jen Parker, Youth Engagement Strategy
Jen has been an educator for more than 30 years,
predominantly working in primary schools and
communities across the Southern Adelaide region.
She has a deep commitment to building capacity
within schools to meet the needs of all students.
Currently, Jen provides leadership to the DECD Youth
Development through Transitions Project working with
8 regional Youth Development Coordinators to support
increased engagement for students in years 5-9 across
170 schools.
Amy Walker, University of Pennsylvania
Amy Walker graduated in 2010 with a Masters of
Applied Positive Psychology from the University of
Pennsylvania. She has over 10 years experience
working as a teacher in schools in Melbourne, Peru and
the United States. Amy currently works in the Positive
Psychology Centre at the University of Pennsylvania.
Panel:
Brianna Wedding, Student
Thom Manning, Student
Shane Johns, Student
Kira Taylor, Student
He is a passionate believer in public education and its
importance in shaping the lives of young people, as well as
valuing teachers and early childhood practitioners and their key
role in preparing young people for successful lives.
Prior to taking up his position as Chief Executive of DECD,
Mr Bartley was head of the General Teaching Council for
England. He was also the county of Oxfordshire’s first Director
for Children, Young People and Families, and provided
expertise to the UK government in a number of advisory
capacities, contributing to the development of educational
and regulatory policy.
Keith moved from the UK to South Australia to take up his role
as Chief Executive of DECD where he will build on the reforms
being undertaken in South Australian public education to ensure
that children, students and their families gain the greatest
possible benefit from public schooling in this state.
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Afternoon Breakout Session 1 – Hall E
Classroom reality: Positive Psychology in practice
What do educators need to know about the relationship between wellbeing and educational achievement
- in the broadest sense? How does this change the way we think about our interactions and approaches to
children and young people? In this session, panel members will bring this topic to life - in the classroom,
what does it look like, feel like and sound like?
Afternoon Breakout Session 2 – Meeting Room 2
Positive education’s role in training for future employment
How well are young people prepared for the psychological challenges and opportunities of the modern
workplace? Do we need skills for work or skills for wellbeing? Are we driving this “either or” when really
we need both? What must schools, universities, training institutions, unions, and employers know and do
as they prepare young people for productive and rewarding careers in a flourishing economy?
chair: Margot Foster, Program Manager, Teaching for Effective Learning,
Department of Education and Child Development
Margot Foster has worked in the South Australian public education sector for 33 years – in the early, primary
and middle years in complex schools as classroom teacher, science coordinator and school leader, and then
in a range of leadership positions. She is sought after as a speaker and currently works regularly with school
and preschool leaders across SA, engaging them in professional learning regarding educational leadership,
pedagogy and learning design.
chair: Michelle McQuaid, Executive Director for Human Capital,
PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia
Michelle is an award-winning researcher, teacher and designer, who is passionate about bringing out the best
in people. Having worked for leading organisations in London, New York and Australia and completed her
Masters in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, Michelle’s recent adventures include:
training more 1,000 employees in using their Strengths to improve engagement and productivity;
and delivering positive business workshops for more than 100 business executives with Martin Seligman and
David Cooperrider..
Panel:
Casey Bell, Early Childhood Teacher,
Kalaya Childrens Centre
Casey has worked at Kalaya Children’s Centre for
the past three years, under the uncompromising
guide that the wellbeing of the children in her care
is paramount to every decision. In addition to this
is the wellbeing of the children’s families and the
kindergarten community as a whole. She loves
spending her days with the children dancing,
digging, reading, painting and chatting.
Walter Barbieri, Teacher, St Peter’s College
After growing up in Milan and performing on
Europe’s theatre festival scene, Walter Barbieri found
his calling in teaching. With Honors and Masters
Degrees in English and Drama from Exeter University,
Walter has taught in three different countries, refining
his skills as a Leading Practitioner in Devon, UK. Since
2009, he has been teaching English at St. Peter’s
College, Adelaide, whilst juggling a PhD at Flinders
University.
Anne Hampshire,
Head of Research and Advocacy,
The Smith Family
Anne has a background in education, research,
social policy, and service innovation. She is currently
Head of Research and Advocacy at The Smith
Family, a national children’s charity providing long
term-support for disadvantaged children and young
people’s participation in education. Anne has over
20 years’ experience working across the community
and government sectors, including at national, state,
regional and local levels. Anne has researched and
written in a range of areas, including young people,
children and families, and social capital.
George Vickers-Willis, Student,
Geelong Grammar School
George Vickers-Willis is also School Captain at
Geelong Grammar School in 2012. Originally from
Torquay on Victoria’s south coast, George started
at the School in Prep and currently boards full-time
in Senior School. George is a keen guitarist and a
member of the School tennis and football teams.
Audrey Kent and Thomas Milham, Students,
Birdwood High School
Audrey and Thomas are Year 9 students involved
in Birdwood High School’s Academy of Innovative
Learning. This flexible personalised learning
programme has relationships at its core, resulting in
high levels of engagement and achievement.
Panel:
Stephen Meek, Principal,
Geelong Grammar School
Stephen Meek has been Principal of Geelong
Grammar School since 2004, having previously
been Headmaster of a school in the UK for 9 years.
At Geelong Grammar, he has overseen an ongoing
collaboration with Dr Martin Seligman to develop
Positive Education - a whole school approach to
teaching and learning the skills of wellbeing from
Early Learning to Year 12.
Raymond Spencer, Chair,
Economic Development Board
In 2009, Raymond Spencer returned to Australia
follows 35 years of living and working in the USA,
India and Europe. Raymond is Chairman of The South
Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
(SAHMRI), Chairman of Capgemini’s Financial Services
Global Business Unit (FS GBU) and Chairman
of Signostics Limited, a director of Rubicon Technology,
Inc. (RBCN) a NASDAQ listed manufacturer of
advanced electronic materials and a partner and
member of the investment committee in three US
based venture funds.
Bethia McNeil, Programme Leader for Youth
Transitions, The Young Foundation
Bethia McNeil is Programme Leader for Youth Transitions
at the Young Foundation, based in London.
Bethia leads work around youth leadership, employability,
social and emotional learning, and the impact
of services for young people. Bethia has previously
worked in post-16 teaching, training and youth policy.
Phillipa Duigan, Director ICAN and Mentoring,
Department of Education and Child
Development
As Director, Youth Engagement and Inclusion, within
Aboriginal, Student and Family Services in DECD,
Pip is leading a state wide team implementing a
significant expansion of the successful school and
community partnership model, Innovative Community
Action Networks (ICAN) and the broadened Student
Mentoring and Youth Development through transitions
programs within DECD schools. Pip has a deep
passion for and wide experience in working with
disadvantaged students, through extensive leadership,
policy development and program management
roles.
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Afternoon Breakout Session 3 – Meeting Room 3
Metrics of Wellbeing
Traditionally, education systems use literacy and numeracy tests and attendance rates to assess the
educational performance of students. Child protection systems use rates of notification of adverse events
to assess success, and child health systems use rates of illness. A growing body of evidence suggests that
children’s wellbeing is at least as important as these traditional measures, but how do we measure the
wellbeing of children and young people? How can we to construct a consistent and reliable approach to
measuring the wellbeing of children from early childhood to the end of schooling?
chair: Ben Temperly, Executive Director, Policy Directorate,
Department of Education and Child Development
As Head of Policy and Communications with DECD, Ben works as part of the Executive Leaders Group to
contribute to the provision of high quality education to young South Australians and maintain South Australia’s
position of influence in the development of education policy at a national level.
TuttiEnsemble
Today’s lunchtime performance is by members of the Tutti Ensemble.
The Tutti Ensemble is a recognised leader in community cultural development and disability culture in
South Australia. Tutti offers opportunities to both disabled and non-disabled people of all ages to become
involved in a range of concerts and music-theatre events through its socially inclusive choral program.
In addition Tutti offers talented school leavers and emerging artists with a disability full-time professional
training across a broad range of artistic disciplines.
Visit www.tutti.org.au to find out more.
Panel:
Associate Professor Lea Waters,
University of Melbourne
Associate Professor Lea Waters is an academic and
a registered psychologist (MAPS) who holds a PhD
in Organisational Psychology. She is the Director of
the Masters in School Leadership at the Melbourne
Graduate School of Education (MGSE), University of
Melbourne and was awarded the
Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s Teaching
Excellence Award, 2011. She is a known expert in the
areas of Organisational Change, Organisational
Psychology and Positive Psychology.
David Engelhardt, Project Manager Business
Intelligence, Department of Education and
Child Development
David Engelhardt is responsible for the performance
analysis, reporting, evaluation, performance
reporting, data governance and data linkage
activities of the Department of Education and Child
Development. He is leading the development of a
new reporting and business development capability,
integrating data sources covering both departmental
responsibilities and data relating to the broader
determinants of learning and development within the
context of both state priorities and the COAG Reform
Agenda.
Kristina Birchmore,
Women’s Health Statewide
Kristina Birchmore (BSW) is Senior Social Worker at
Women’s Health Statewide, Mental Health Program
Area. Her current focus is the development and
delivery of training and group work on mental health
and wellbeing work. Kristina has worked extensively
in the field of gendered violence in the areas of
research, provision of lectures, practice and training.
Her current research interest is working towards the
completion of her PhD at the University of South
Australia.
AN INITIATIVE OF
Major residency partners
SA Health
THANK YOU
Thank you to Aesop for their generous contribution to the conference bags and gifts.
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The Adelaide Thinkers in Residence Program
Developed in South Australia in 2003, the Adelaide Thinkers in Residence program brings new ideas into
the state and translates them into practical solutions to improve the lives of the people who live here.
The program sets out to:
• generate new thinking
• inspire momentum
• provoke change; and,
• activate results for the people of South Australia
In eight years of operation, the Adelaide Thinkers in Residence program has delivered positive changes
in South Australia in a rapid timeframe.
Since 2003, the program has resulted in more than $200 million of investment in programs and
infrastructure, both in South Australia and across the nation.
Residencies have looked at subjects including health, education, water, technology, climate change,
transport, design and road safety.
Visit www.thinkers.sa.gov.au
Residency partners
Department of the Premier and Cabinet
Department of Education and Child Development
St Peter’s College, Adelaide, Australia
SA Health: Mental Health Unit
PricewaterhouseCoopers
The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI)
The Smith Family
beyondblue
MindMatters
Reach Foundation
Integrated Design Commission
Catholic Education SA
The University of Adelaide
Flinders University
University of South Australia
Department for Communities and Social Inclusion
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