In the Media: How Student Wellbeing Impacts Learning
While student joy and ‘wellbeing’ may sound like a ‘nice to have’ but often unrealistic element in a classroom setting, in Waldorf Education, we see differently. This belief is backed by substantial research from leading institutions.
Research from across the globe over recent years has demonstrated the student wellbeing is key factor in multiple elements related to learning and long term success.
What is Student Wellbeing?
As outlined in a University of Oxford Impact Study, “Some authors use wellbeing as a term for general happiness, others as a term encompassing physical and mental health, while others frame wellbeing as a component of physical and/or mental health. It is important to note that we are specifically focusing on student wellbeing here as opposed to general wellbeing. One well-known approach to defining wellbeing is by American psychologist and educator Martin Seligman who designed the PERMA Model, which represents what he classifies as the five core elements of happiness and wellbeing” The model is sourced from the Oxford Impact Study and includes the following 5 elements:
The Oxford Impact Study, titled, Student Wellbeing: an analysis of evidence, poised the overarching research question: ‘To what extent does the promotion of wellbeing in schools lead to improved educational outcomes?’
How does wellbeing impact learning?
The wellbeing of a student arguably impacts every element of their learning in relation to both academic skills and human capacities. The impact study from the University of Oxford notes that “Students who are happy and healthy tend to: Develop and improve concentration, motivation and energy levels, Develop coping skills for life, Build and maintain better relationships, Successfully overcome difficulties, Continue with and be successful in their academic studies". The study further emphasizes that “It is also important to note that employers value soft skills such as emotional resilience, adaptability and lateral thinking, making it even more important that today’s educators focus on developing these skills to support their students’ academic, personal and professional successes.” (Source).
In other words, the joy and overall wellbeing of the student is directly tied to their academic, personal and professional success.
For this reason, in Waldorf Education, nurturing the whole human being and elevated social emotional learning is a non-negotiable element in the curriculum.
How to Support Student Wellbeing?
The focus on what makes a student ‘successful’ can have critical impact on their overall wellbeing. In Waldorf Education, performance is not measured by traditional grades but instead on levels of engagement, improvement and growth over time. While this has always been the approach in Waldorf Education, the impact of this approach is reinforced by the University of Oxford Impact Study that notes: “Ensure that as well as a performance culture, there is a focus on wellbeing and embrace a growth mindset. A student’s sense of achievement shouldn’t rest solely on school grades. Teach children and parents that it’s not all about attainment, it’s ultimately about enjoying the process, overcoming challenges and embracing failure. Happy students will naturally develop and improve their concentration, motivation and energy levels. So by focusing on improving their wellbeing, students are more likely to be in a positive place to embrace learning and good results are likely to follow as a result.”
Social emotional learning is nurtured in Waldorf Education as our curriculum takes rigorous academics as the starting point and goes further to ask: How do we prepare human beings for life?
