Symposium 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

SET Framework Initiative For Whole School Wellbeing In Singapore (#438)

Shaen Yeo 1
  1. Singapore Positive Education Network, Singapore

Wellbeing is both taught and caught. To support schools in Singapore in implementing Positive Education in a school-wide approach, I’ve developed the SET Framework (Self, Environment, Tools). The SELF dimension emphasizes teachers investing in themselves, and being first adopters of the well-being strategies in their lives. This not only increases their own wellbeing, it helps them experience firsthand what these strategies feel like. As such, they are able to teach the strategies not just from conceptual knowledge but personal experience. As a role model to the students, they are more authentic and able to empathize with students who find the strategies difficult to implement. The ENVIRONMENT dimension pays attention to the messages that students are catching, through the language teacher and students use and their responses in the moment. Deliberate use of wellbeing and strengths-focused language helps students develop healthier self-concepts and appreciation of the role well-being can play in their lives. Lastly, the dimension on TOOLS focuses on using evidence-based interventions or strategies, or explicitly teaching these tools to increase well-being. These tools are practical and effective, giving teachers the confidence that such concepts can be adopted by students for greater wellbeing.