Wellbeing Across the Educational Landscape - Article 3: Wellbeing Considerations to Support Young Students' Learning

In Article #3 of the "Wellbeing Across the Educational Landscape" series, we look at developmental and wellbeing factors affecting young students. This includes an application of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, the impact of developmental trauma, the Department of Education and Training's 'High Impact Wellbeing Strategies Resource', and positive education principles. Factors specific to young students' wellbeing such as classroom climate and community-mindset are also addressed. Practical strategies are then presented to support young students' wellbeing and learning.  

Erikson's Theory of Psychosocial Development
Erikson's theory of psychosocial development outlines challenges that individuals face balancing their own needs with the demands of culture and society. Unresolved challenges can impact development later in life. While this theory has limitations,
including lack of sensitivity to diverse cultures or abilities, it provides some insight into children's general developmental ages and stages.

● Stage 1 - Trust vs mistrust (birth-18 months). Safe and attuned caregiving promotes a sense of safety and security for young people, and trust that their needs will be met. This gives them the confidence to explore and experience life. Unpredictable and unreliable caregiving results in fear, anxiety and mistrust.
***While the foundation for this stage of development is laid in the early years, we need safe and responsive caregiving throughout our whole lives. Safe and trauma-responsive caregiving from parents, teachers and other significant adults is addressed in more detail in Article 1 and Article 2 of this series.
● Stage 2 - Autonomy vs shame and doubt (18 months-3 years). Increasing independence is a natural progression at this age and stage, helping to improve self-esteem and self-efficacy. Lack of autonomy can lead to feelings of inadequacy or self-doubt. Within collectivist cultures greater emphasis may be placed on group identity, which is fostered through social harmony, cohesion and conformity.
● Stage 3 - Initiative vs guilt (3-5 years). Increasing socialisation gives children the opportunity to be responsible for their world within age- and capacity-appropriate limits, which promotes self-confidence and self-efficacy. Failure to master this stage may lead to reduced ambition, or guilt.
● Stage 4 - Industry vs inferiority (5-12 years). As children increasingly engage in various endeavours (friendships, school, sports, hobbies etc.), they will continue developing new skills and having an impact in their world. If children compare themselves negatively with others, receive negative feedback, or are overwhelmed with demands, they may feel inferior. During this stage, supporting children to identify and exercise their unique strengths can encourage feelings of accomplishment and pride.

Developmental Trauma
As discussed in Article 2 of this series, trauma experienced during childhood or adolescence can impact the growth and function of the brain. This may impair the 7 domains of global functioning; cognitive processes, behavioural control, emotional regulation, attachment, biology,
dissociation, and self-concept. However, these developmental impacts may be minimised with appropriate support.

Children's Wellbeing at School
The High Impact Wellbeing Strategies (HIWS) were developed to support classroom teachers, wellbeing and interdisciplinary teams, and school leaders, and are best implemented as part of a whole-school initiative to promote student wellbeing. The HIWS are 7 practical, evidence-based strategies that have demonstrated significant positive effects on student wellbeing, and identify the important role that teachers play in advancing student wellbeing;
● HIWS #1: Build relationships with students
● HIWS #2: Facilitate peer relationships
● HIWS #3: Establish and maintain clear classroom expectations
● HIWS #4: Support inclusion and belonging
● HIWS #5: Foster student self-efficacy
● HIWS #6: Engage students
● HIWS #7: Promote coping strategies and facilitate referrals.

A whole-school approach to positive education can further support a positive school climate. This integrated approach aligns school-wide culture and policy with explicitly taught social and emotional knowledge and skills, while supporting individual students' strengths and purpose. Positive education has been found to improve young students' physical and emotional wellbeing, contacts with friends, and functioning at school, while reducing problem behaviours. This included increased supportive cooperation and active learning, and participation in decision-making, and decreased bullying. Additionally, teachers reported PEP to have a positive impact on their relationship with their students, student engagement, overall school climate, and classroom climate.

Classroom climate can significantly impact students' academic and psychological wellbeing. Research shows that students' perceived autonomy and teachers’ care and monitoring, may improve life satisfaction. Further research found that positive interactions, effective instruction and organised behaviour management contribute to meeting children’s psychological needs. This, in turn, supports motivation and engagement, engaged learning, socioemotional and academic skills and outcomes, and adaptive psychological wellbeing.

Additional research shows that having a say and being listened to can support young students' wellbeing through meeting needs for recognition from peers and staff, fostering relationships, and being cared for, valued and respected. Helping students improve their sense of community can  support social and emotional development, especially for students with difficulties. Furthermore, brief classroom-based physical activity breaks may support children's self-confidence, quality of life, and self-efficacy in learning via video exercises.

Educational strategies to support young students' wellbeing and learning
Strategies to support psychosocial development;
● Stage 1 - Trust vs mistrust
   ○ Safe and responsive caregiving
● Stage 2 - Autonomy vs shame and doubt
   ○ Opportunities for independence
   ○ Supporting students from collectivist cultures to experience social harmony, cohesion and conformity
● Stage 3 - Initiative vs guilt
   ○ Age- and capacity-appropriate limits to take initiative and responsibility
● Stage 4 - Industry vs inferiority
   ○ Encouragement and positive feedback regarding students' acquisition and application of new skills
   ○ Supporting children to identify and exercise their unique strengths

Strategies to support the functioning and learning of trauma-affected children;
● Safe and responsive caregiving, co-regulation, emotional and physical warmth
● Narrative experiences - journalling, identifying strengths and supports,
● Play and creative arts
● Repetitive rhythmic activities (i.e. movement such as drumming, clapping, tapping, rocking, deep breathing)
● Whole-body movement
**These movement-based strategies can be regularly integrated into the daily routine as brief classroom-based physical activity breaks.

Examples of ways to implement the High Impact Wellbeing Strategies (HIWS) include;
● HIWS #1: Build relationships with students
   ○ Model skills and attitudes of respectful relationships, including interactions with parents/carers
   ○ Maintain empathy and cultural sensitivity with students
   ○ Use entry routines to check-in with students regarding their wellbeing, readiness to learn, and need for additional supports during that lesson
   ○ Address and repair negative interactions, including apologising
● HIWS #2: Facilitate peer relationships
   ○ Create a cooperative (not competitive) classroom environment, with a focus on student strengths and skills
   ○ Use games and activities to build connection between students, and opportunities to explore new friendships
   ○ Understand how classroom dynamics and relational patterns affect their peer interactions
   ○ Help students develop conflict resolution skills and manage different perspectives
● HIWS #3: Establish and maintain clear classroom expectations
   ○ Focus on what is expected, rather than what not to do
   ○ Respond positively when expectations are met
   ○ Use non-punitive and proportionate responses, educating the student on desired behaviours when expectations are not met
   ○ Identify warning signs, and support students to identify their triggers and manage their emotions
● HIWS #4: Support inclusion and belonging
   ○ Model respect, and create an inclusive and culturally safe classroom
   ○ Respond swiftly and effectively to discriminatory, offensive or demeaning language and behaviour
   ○ Understand that students' background and lived experience may cause them to listen or respond differently in the classroom (e.g., lack of eye contact may be culturally appropriate for them, or due to their autism)
   ○ Seek support if feeling ill-equipped to manage student needs or circumstances
● HIWS #5: Foster student self-efficacy
   ○ Build student understanding that abilities and intelligence can be developed, rather than being fixed
   ○ Consider each student’s progress compared to their abilities, rather than comparing to peers
   ○ Provide differentiated learning strategies to support diverse student needs
   ○ Value different types of knowledge and expertise, such as First Nations cultures
● HIWS #6: Engage students
   ○ Tailor tasks to student interests
   ○ Scaffold group work to support all students, including diverse learners, to engage meaningfully and effectively
   ○ Provide a variety of meaningful and challenging ways for students to complete classwork and assessments
   ○ Use strategies to help students regulate emotions before beginning a lesson or when the energy level of a class shifts
● HIWS #7: Promote coping strategies and facilitate referrals
   ○ Discuss use of positive coping strategies students can use as needed
   ○ Promote help seeking by talking positively about professional mental health and wellbeing support
   ○ Notice changes in demeanour or behaviour, raise concerns promptly with the wellbeing team and collaborate with the team and other professionals as needed
   ○ Consider individual student mental health and wellbeing and make reasonable classroom adjustments.

Improving interactive classroom dynamics is a cost-effective way of enhancing classroom climate, and supporting positive outcomes for young people. Effective measures can include;
● Instructional support which incorporates quality feedback, measures to enhance critical thinking, and expressions of high academic expectations
● Socioemotional support including safe and warm interactions with peers and teachers
● Classroom organisation and management including practices to form classroom routines, consistently reinforce classroom rules, provide support for positive behaviour, effectively and fairly manage disruptive behaviour, and engage preventative measures to minimise punitive actions.

Advocating for students to have a voice, and choice, includes;
● Providing opportunities and space for students' to speak with adults who understand, and support, them
● Acknowledging students' individual circumstances
● Enabling students' input regarding what they learn

Supporting students' sense of community through;
● Adopting a whole-school, community-based mindset
● Establishing safe and trusting relationships between students and their peers, teacher and other professional supports
● Consistently teaching social and emotional learning programs, within classrooms and as a whole-school culture
● Sourcing teacher support from the wider community
● Developing working relationships with parents within the classroom community

In closing, some considerations;
● What are some strategies that you already have in place to support young students' wellbeing and learning?
● Select 2 new strategies to implement over the coming weeks

Stay tuned for Article #4 in this series, providing strategies to support adolescent students' development, wellbeing and learning.

With best wishes,
Kim
(The information in this article is not intended as medical advice. For persistent stress or specific support, professional healthcare is advised.)

Kim Vanderwiel (BA-BEHP(Psych), GDipCouns, AdvCert Guiding & Teaching Meditation & Mindfulness (In Progress)) has a background in clinical research, counselling, mindfulness and meditation, and is the founder and CEO of the Practical Wellbeing Institute. Kim has supported the wellbeing of young people and adults with different identities, needs and experiences, including; mental health challenges, trauma, neurodiversity, learning difficulties, LGBTQIA+, and multiculturalism. Kim is particularly passionate about supporting post-traumatic growth, and flourishing.