Appleby College, an independent, co-ed day/boarding school in Oakville, Canada, focuses on leadership and character development in a global context. Along with compulsory co-curricular and boarding programmes, students must engage in an international learning experience as a part of the School’s effort to cultivate global citizenship.
Appleby searched for a whole-school approach to wellbeing in response to the rise in social-emotional and mental health issues in its student population. After conducting a wellness review in 2014, the school developed an approach to wellbeing structured on prevention and response. Seeking pedagogical practices to teach skills associated with wellbeing, the College grounded its program in the science of Positive Psychology. Appleby has aligned its organizational structure and strategic priorities to ensure wellbeing is at the heart of teaching and learning. In 2018, Appleby partnered with Geelong Grammar’s Institute for Positive Education in Australia to roll out a four-year strategic training and implementation plan for PosEd. In addition, Appleby has collaborated with peer schools to develop a positive education association in Canada to support integration of PosEd into Canadian curricula.
Presenters will share approaches to strategic implementation of PosEd in school, notably achieving leadership buy-in, and reflect on early mistakes and lessons learned.