POSITIVE EDUCATION

“Positive education is about teaching children how to deal with change, how to manage their physical and mental health, and how to contribute to society. It’s about setting the groundwork for a lifetime of learning and living well.” – Dr Phillip Moulds, Headmaster

The Rockhampton Grammar School espouses positive education, an educational philosophy based on the principle of students “feeling good and doing good”. Positive education is not solely aimed at maximising happiness, although happiness is a component of the process. It’s about encouraging girls and boys to develop an abiding sense of well-being. This means fostering a growth mindset in students by emphasising the idea that the mind can and should grow. It doesn’t punish failure. Instead, it views a setback as an opportunity to learn by reinterpreting the experience to gain a new perspective. Positive education is also consistent with School policies and programmes that ensure practical student safety, security and wellbeing for all students. Key themes within positive education include: • Positive engagement: reinforcing the idea that the most fulfilling moments in life come from times when students are voluntarily pushed to their limit to achieve something meaningful and difficult. • Positive emotions: savouring good things when they happen and doing good for others and society. Developing a sense of wonder and taking time to reflect on the beauty of the natural world. • Positive relationships: promoting social and emotional skills to develop a sense of self-worth and the ability to form lasting relationships with others. • Positive health: fostering resilience to allow students to overcome adversity, take calculated risks, and make the most of opportunities as they arise. • Positive purpose: cultivating altruism and compassion in students and encouraging them to believe in something greater than themselves.