Strategies to Foster Student Wellness in the Learning Environment: 7 Pivotal Approaches
==============================================================================
At our school, we believe in creating a nurturing and supportive learning environment that fosters a sense of community, reduces anxiety, and encourages collaborative learning. Here are some of the strategies we employ to achieve this goal.
Designing Spaces for Collaboration
Our classrooms are intentionally structured to encourage interaction, feedback, and connection between educators and learners. Design spaces for group work and individual study are integral to our classrooms, promoting a sense of shared responsibility and collaboration.
Empowering Student Agency
We prioritize student agency and responsibility by offering topic or format choices in assignments. At all levels, from the Primary Years Programme to the Middle Years and Diploma levels, students are empowered to shape the direction of their inquiries.
Incorporating Movement and Mindfulness
To promote emotional well-being, we incorporate movement and mindfulness into the daily schedule. Students have access to calming areas where they can reset their focus, and we encourage the practice of mindfulness moments throughout the day.
Cultivating a Culture of Peer Support
We believe in the power of peer support. Our school encourages students to work together, fostering a culture of kindness, empathy, and perspective-taking.
Embedding SEL into Classroom Instruction
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is a daily practice in our school. We embed SEL into classroom instruction through the Approaches to Learning framework, teaching emotional regulation skills and fostering positive relationships.
Teaching Emotional Regulation Skills
Educators help students name and navigate their feelings using tools such as feeling charts, discussions, and stories that validate emotions. They also provide students with coping strategies for managing stress, including journaling, movement breaks, sensory tools, and role-playing conflict resolution scenarios.
Creating a Safe and Supportive Learning Space
Establishing consistent routines and clear expectations reduces anxiety and helps students focus. Allowing student voice through opportunities to express thoughts and feelings increases their sense of belonging and engagement.
Building Positive Teacher-Student Relationships
Greetings at the door, showing empathy, active listening, and modeling self-awareness by teachers cultivate emotional safety and connection in the classroom.
Incorporating SEL Practices into Daily Routines
Using daily check-ins, mindfulness moments, emotion charts, and peer support programs fosters social connection and belonging, encouraging kindness and perspective-taking.
Providing Autonomy and Respecting Boundaries
For example, greeting-choice boards allow students to choose how to interact with teachers on arrival, supporting autonomy, respect for personal boundaries, and positive social interaction.
Posting Visual Reminders of Classroom Norms
Visual reminders of classroom norms help students understand what is expected of them and contribute to a positive learning environment.
Using Modern Teaching Practices
In the Middle Years and Diploma levels, students explore real issues through personal projects, interdisciplinary subjects, and independent study.
Supporting Students' Well-being
Teachers at our school serve as facilitators rather than instructors, designing learning that challenges students while offering individualized guidance. They also schedule individual check-ins to discuss student progress and well-being, using language that affirms effort and resilience.
Connecting Learning to Real-World Issues
We believe in connecting learning to real-world issues. Encouraging student-led projects and emphasizing whole child education ensures that students not only acquire knowledge but also develop the skills and attitudes necessary to succeed in life.
These approaches require consistent implementation, school-wide cultural support, teacher training, and involvement of families to be most effective. Collectively, they contribute to classrooms where students feel seen, heard, and emotionally supported, which correlates with better academic and social outcomes.
[1] Goldstein, T. R., & Reiss, D. (2019). The Power of Self-Compassion: Using the Science of Kindness to Build Stronger, Happier People. Little, Brown Spark.
[2] Zins, J. E., Weissberg, R. P., Wang, M. C., & Walton, G. M. (2004). Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say? Child Development, 75(1), 37–50.
[3] Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432.
[4] Eisenberg, N., & Fabes, R. A. (1998). The development of prosocial behavior in children. In W. Damon (Ed.), Handbook of Child Psychology: Social, Emotional, and Personality Development (5th ed., Vol. 4, pp. 83–120). John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- In order to foster a supportive learning environment, our school intentionally structures classrooms for collaboration and group work, promoting shared responsibility and connection.
- To empower student agency, our school offers topic or format choices in assignments, allowing students to shape the direction of their inquiries across various levels of education.
- To promote emotional well-being, we incorporate movement and mindfulness into the daily schedule, providing students access to calming areas and encouraging mindfulness moments.
- Our school encourages peer support, fostering a culture of kindness, empathy, and perspective-taking among students.
- Social-emotional learning (SEL) is embedded into classroom instruction, teaching emotional regulation skills and fostering positive relationships through the Approaches to Learning framework.
- Educators help students navigate their feelings using tools like feeling charts, discussions, and stories, while providing coping strategies for managing stress and providing individualized guidance.
- At our school, teachers create a safe and supportive learning space, establishing consistent routines, clear expectations, and opportunities for student voice.
- To build positive teacher-student relationships, teachers greet students empathetically, listen actively, model self-awareness, and schedule individual check-ins to discuss student progress and well-being. SEL practices are incorporated into daily routines, such as using visual reminders of classroom norms and providing student-led projects that connect learning to real-world issues. Through these strategies, our school aims to create a nurturing environment where students feel seen, heard, and emotionally supported for better academic and social outcomes.
