Teaching Happiness: A ten-step curriculum for creating positive classrooms

Increase your pupils' happiness and emotional resilience This innovative programme translates key concepts from positive psychology and the recent research on happiness into a practical, ten-session curriculum which is suitable for both primary and secondary aged pupils. The sessions include:

• Signature strengths
• Positive self-talk
• Think good, feel good
• Sort that problem
• The power of goals
• Optimistic thinking.

The programme is designed to be delivered with a sense of fun and celebration to engage and inspire all learners, and can be delivered to whole classes or to groups. It includes a variety of practical activities and cognitive techniques, as well as examples of feedback from pupils to reflect real-life experiences.

The book offers general guidance on how to deliver the programme and comes with a free CD Rom to print off various teaching activities such as Happiness Diaries.

Table of Contents

Preface

Foreword

Part 1: Setting the Scene

• Introduction
• Positive Psychology
• The New Science of Happiness
• Key Concepts
• The Sessions

Part 2: Staff Preparation

• PowerPoint Presentation
• General Guidance on Delivering the Programme

Part 3: The Happiness Curriculum

• Session 1: What Works Well: WWW
• Session 2: Wishing Others Well: WOW
• Session 3: Enjoy
• Session 4: Go with the Flow
• Session 5: Elastic Brain
• Session 6: Good At It
• Session 7: Goal Power
• Session 8: Thought Catching
• Session 9: Think Good: Feel Good
• Session 10: Celebration - What Have We Learnt?

Part 4: Creating Positive Classrooms

• Continuing Work in School
• Further Reading
• Useful Websites

References