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Positive education

Positive education is a way of thinking about teaching where the aim is not only for students to learn school subjects, but also to grow as people and feel well. The perspective is grounded in research within positive psychology and education science and starts from the premise that learning and wellbeing are closely connected.

Positive education is not about always being happy or ignoring problems. On the contrary, it is about creating the conditions for students to develop their strengths, cope with setbacks and feel that they can succeed. At the same time, school needs to offer a safe, inclusive and stimulating learning environment where students feel involved and a sense of belonging.

Research shows that students learn better when they feel motivated, experience meaning in their work and have good relationships with teachers and classmates. That is why positive education emphasises both the quality of the teaching and students' personal development.

Some important elements of positive education are:

  • Strengths – helping students discover, use and develop their strengths.
  • Positive relationships – building safe and respectful relationships between students and teachers.
  • Engagement and motivation – creating teaching that sparks curiosity, interest and a desire to learn.
  • Participation and influence – giving students the chance to be active in their own learning.
  • Meaning and goals – helping students understand why they are learning and how the knowledge can be used.
  • Resilience and coping – developing strategies for handling setbacks, stress and challenges.
  • Self-belief and hope – strengthening belief in one's own ability and in the future.
  • A positive learning environment – creating a school environment where both students and staff can grow and feel well.

Current research describes positive education as more than individual exercises or programmes. It is about a holistic perspective in which teaching, relationships, the school environment and the organisation together contribute to both learning and wellbeing.

Pomelo is grounded in positive education as a perspective and builds on research into how both the learning environment and students' strengths can be developed to promote learning, wellbeing and mental health.

Kern, M. L., & Wehmeyer, M. L. (Eds.). (2021). The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64537-3