2019 learning curve teacher planner NAME.........................................................................................POSITION................................... mobile..................................................... TOP CHARACTER STRENGTHS................................................................................................................................................................ EMERGENCY CONTACT AND MOBILE....................................................................................................................................................
inspiring MY BEST POSSIBLE SELF The first choice we all have in life is to choose to choose. Understanding and accepting that when we make choices which challenge many unhealthy rituals that have become our daily habits at school, we then will have a multitude of possibilities and opportunities to explore which will inspire our best possible selves to shine through.
Choosing to live a life full of:
Choosing to use our strengths to:
mpathy to show that other people matter in our e thoughts, words and actions
do good to feel good and feel good to do good
self-forgiveness and self-kindness to love the life we have
t each with passion and purpose to see both our students and ourselves personally shine
rit to challenge our status quo to enjoy a healthy state of g wellbeing.
ease engaging in rituals which don’t make a positive c difference to anyone. Acknowledgement: Tal Ben Shahar
Education should be about us instilling in our young people a love of learning and providing them with the social-emotional and practical skills to live meaningful and fulfilling lives. Doing this on a daily basis lifts the spirits of everyone in a school, because there is a collective sense of striving to achieve a higher purpose that really matters – the wellbeing of students, teachers and leadership. That’s why I entered the teaching profession over 40 years ago. At first glance, the Learning Curve seems to have an oversupply of evidence-based wellbeing building resources for schools. The reason is to provide choice. Schools are able to choose activities which suit their own context. Each week the idea is to plan and then choose one or two of the most appropriate activities to discuss with students to grow each of their elements of wellbeing. As staff confidence in their own social-emotional capabilities develops, they often choose to incorporate more of these activities and strategies into their learning and teaching practices. The research from the likes of Martin Seligman, Ed Diener, Tal Ben Shahar and Shawn Achor shows quite clearly that such an approach results in significant personal and academic growth in students and enhanced staff wellbeing. Consequently, the quality of data is also considerably improved. To this end, a number of new resources have been created, including Strengths Boosters and Strengths for Relationships Weeks.
Strengths FOR RELATIONSHIPS Weeks The challenge over the week for individuals and classes is to enjoy focusing their energies on creating activities for and showing the suggested strength to grow all members of the school community’s wellbeing (see pages 27 to 30). Term 1: Gratitude – February 18th to 22nd Term 2: Teamwork – June 3rd to 7th Term 3: Kindness – August 19th to 23rd
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Term 4: Leadership – October 28th to November 1st
Any feedback will be welcomed. All the best, Mick Walsh
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” Carl Gustav Jung 1
POSITIVE EDUCATION AND WELLBEING The Learning Curve provides you with frequent opportunities to experience positive emotions, to self-assess and then set self-expectations, participate in character building and wellbeing boosting activities to enable you to thrive and flourish. The Positive Education activities listed below are in either the planners/journals or in the Positive Education section of the website www.learningcurve.com.au
Wellbeing Bank Builders Are? – focusing your attention on experiencing the wellbeing builder every day What are the Elements of Wellbeing? – looking at all of the elements of your wellbeing which are equally important What is Thriving and Flourishing? – enjoying life by having healthy state of wellbeing What Are Growth Mindsets? – believing that by lifting your efforts to learn new things you can grow your brain’s abilities Regulating Your Emotions? – regulating the strength of your emotions to reduce stress and anxiety What Is Mindfulness? – connecting with yourself and the moment to broaden and build your engagement with your world Why Develop Grit? – nothing good in this life comes easy, tap into your persistence and passion Why Active Constructive Responding? – responding to someone’s good news story with enthusiasm and genuine interest Why Show Empathy? – observing, understanding and accepting the needs and feelings of others Assertive Language Is? – getting your message across firmly, clearly and respectfully What Are Acts Of Kindness? – giving of yourself to perform kind acts to make a positive difference to others’ lives What Is Help Seeking? – knowing the right people to ask to support you for different issues and then showing gratitude Savouring: Why Live and Relive the Best? – prolonging and reliving great experiences and the positive emotions you felt Why Self-Calming Strategies? – having strategies to calm yourself when you experience stress and anxiety What is Iceberg Thinking? – going beyond first impressions about issues to explore beneath the surface to understand more Your Life Roles Are? – developing your connection with yourself to understand each of your life roles Why Key Competencies for Life? – strengthening your essential life competencies to thrive and flourish Why a Healthy Body, Healthy Mind? – focusing on your physical and mental health to thrive and flourish Why Habits of Mind? – increasing your thinking and reasoning capabilities by knowing how to think for different situations Why Reflect on Body Language? – understanding the messages others send and those you send through your body language Positive Memory Habits are? – activating your long-term memory through positive learning, thinking and living habits Character Strengths Builders are? – building your state of wellbeing by developing your character strengths Why Feelings and Emotions? – understanding and recognising your emotions to be in charge of them What are Positive Personal Descriptors? – becoming your best possible you by showing positive behaviours Why Positive Self-Talk – ‘I can and I will’? – lifting your efforts through telling yourself you can and you will push on Healthy Wellbeing Habits Are? – looking for opportunities to develop each of these as habits in yourself What Are Learning Styles? – discovering about how different people use their senses to learn in different ways What Is Emotional Intelligence? – having healthy emotional wellbeing by making a positive difference to yourself and others What Is Flow: Total Engagement? – engaging and connecting totally with a challenge using your favourite skills What Is Healthy Living? – exercising and eating well to enjoy healthy physical wellbeing to thrive and flourish What Is Your Learning Style? – identifying your personal best ways to learn to thrive and flourish Why Apologise and Forgive? – being fair and humble to make things right for others by saying sorry for your actions Why Positive Personal Safety? – raising your self-awareness of situations which can endanger your personal wellbeing “No one tests the depth of the water with both feet.” Ashanti Proverb. 12
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ONLINE WELLBEING PROGRAM
“Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to.” Saying. 13
WEEKLY WELLBEING BUILDER: fight, flight or freeze / fast and slow track responses Mindful Learning Intentions: Growth Mindset: building students’ Strengths and Emotions through them understanding how to regulate their emotions. Character Strength: exploring ways to show Self-regulation. Student Strengths Booster: Strengths Spotting to use strengths in everyday life. Habit of Mind: practising Thinking Flexibly using Exploring Habits of Mind Thinking Tool (see website). Wellbeing Builder Reflection: doing either the Middle or Senior activity to grow the elements of wellbeing (see website). Thinking Tool: developing thinking abilities using Answer, Reflect, Share (see website).
MIDDLE PLANNER
PAGE 22
SENIOR PLANNER
STRENGTHS AND EMOTIONS
STRENGTHS AND EMOTIONS FIGHT, FLIGHT OR FREEZE
FAST AND SLOW TRACK RESPONSES
Wellbeing Bank: to develop my Strengths and Emotions by being aware of my feelings. When you experience something which may be disturbing, your eyes send a message to your amygdala, which is the part of your brain which naturally creates your feelings and how strong they AMYGDALA are. Your brain’s response to the message may be either fight, flight or freeze. Fight is to stand up to a perceived threat. Flight is to not deal with or ignore it. Freeze is to be overcome and overwhelmed. Your amygdala is well developed and is often called the primitive brain. The good decision-making part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex, also receives the message, but doesn’t process it as quickly. Which means that your fight, flight or freeze feelings can control your thoughts, words and actions. Your prefrontal cortex is still developing, so give it time to make good choices. When you feel fight, flight or freeze, STOP and breathe deeply for a minute before you speak or act. Describe how you currently control your feelings. ..........................................................................................
Wellbeing Bank: to boost my Strengths and Emotions through regulating my emotional responses. Having the ability to self-regulate the intensity of your emotions and how you respond to situations are gateways to personal and academic growth. There are essentially two ways you respond, those being fast and slow AMYGDALA track. They are also sometimes described as downstairs and upstairs responses. Fast track responses are when the primitive part of your brain, the amygdala, which strengthens emotions, is in control. Your thinking becomes hijacked by your emotions, resulting in fast unconscious fight, flight or freeze responses and poor decision making. Others also find it more difficult to understand you. (Google rider and the elephant to learn more.) Slow track responses are when the good decision making part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex, which regulates your emotions, is in control. Your thinking is more rational and you analyse, problem solve and understand experiences. Describe how you currently self-regulate your emotions. ............................................................................................................ ............................................................................................................
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Being able to keep your finger on the pulse of your emotions, will assist you to understand the connections between your thoughts, feelings and actions.
> Website: Thinking Traps, Wellbeing Builder Reflection.
Acknowledgement: Daniel Siegel
> Website: Thinking Traps, Wellbeing Builder Reflection.
ACTIONS
ACTIONS
What are two things I will start doing to be aware of my feelings and fight, flight or freeze?
What are two things I will start doing to be more aware to self-regulate my emotions by using the slow track?
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MINDFULNESS ACTIVITY
MINDFULNESS ACTIVITY
Five Senses – think of two of your greatest achievements and describe what you experienced for each of your five senses.
Five Senses – think of two of your greatest achievements and describe what you experienced for each of your five senses.
RESILIENCE BUILDER
RESILIENCE BUILDER
Since the beginning of time, when we humans have looked at something, our main focus has been to look for what is wrong with it. From now on, let’s start looking for what’s right with things. Look around your classroom and come up with ten good things about it.
Throughout Years 9 and 10 you have had to build your skills in preparation for Years 11 and 12. With a friend brainstorm ten challenging situations you will need to overcome to inspire your best possible self to shine in the senior years. Who could you ask to assist you for each of them and what emotions could you feel?
WHAT WENT WELL THIS WEEK AND WHY?
WHAT WENT WELL THIS WEEK AND WHY?
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2. Character Strength
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STRENGTHS' BOOSTER STRENGTHS SPOTTING (see pages 8-9) 50
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SELF-REGULATION
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3.
HOW DID YOU FEEL THIS WEEK?
21 monday TERM:
january 2019
WEEK:
PRIORITIES / MEETINGS
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Be kind to my wellbeing by living each of the following. Three Joys: what are the three things I am looking forward to most this week? Kind to Myself: I will believe in myself as a person who matters. Strengths Booster: Strengths Spotting – Journal any times I see myself or others using this week’s strength and the actions I or they take. Three for Me: what are three good things I’ve achieved in my life? Acts of Kindness: what are five kind acts I could do for others this week? Strengths Challenges: to overcome challenges, what is one thing I could do to use this week’s strength Self-regulation? A boiled egg is an excellent healthy snack
CLASS
PREPARATION AND FOLLOW-UP:
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7 8 Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Saying
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Learning and teaching in the 21st century The 20th century, in which current teachers were educated was: an information based era in which remembering large chunks of information was the focus it was not about how or why, but concerned with what = content our teaching encouraged the use of the left brain linear thinking; little or no connections transferring information from the past. A game of mini golf is great fun and an opportunity to laugh
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 “The highest reward for man’s work is not what he gets for it but what he becomes of it.” John Ruskin
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Learning and teaching in the 21st century The 21st Century, in which our current students will live and lead, is: a conceptual age in which ideas, creativity, making connections and discovering new knowledge are the keys it’s all about how and why; information, the what, is easily accessible for nearly everyone in the world and it’s cheap.
Correct nutrition balances stress hormones
CLASS
PREPARATION AND FOLLOW-UP:
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7 8 “Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.” Janis Joplin
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Learning and teaching in the 21st century 21st teaching must focus on using the right brain: making connections and seeing patterns creating new understandings teaching students how to think different ways of thinking understanding thinking through Habits of the Mind curriculum will be learning centred and process focused; replacing teaching centred and content focused. A good beginning to a class is joke of the day, students are engaged
CLASS
PREPARATION AND FOLLOW-UP:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 “If you judge people you have no time to love them.� Mother Teresa
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WHAT WENT WELL THIS WEEK?
A great position when meeting people is to start with curiosity not certainty
CLASS
PREPARATION AND FOLLOW-UP:
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7 8 “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” Benjamin Franklin
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