School Mental Health: Should We Be Fixing Students or Creating Healthier Systems?
Student stress, along with educator stress, is at an all-time high. Yet, our efforts to improve student mental health through universal SEL instruction don’t seem to be working. But is mental health a subject like any other than can simply be taught? Mental health is complex, it’s subjective, and is arguably less about individual skills and more about relationships and experiences. Perhaps it’s time to shift our focus from student instruction to creating healthier educational environments for all. However, adopting a truly systemic approach to mental health requires a significant shift in our thinking and change in strategy. Read the Leaders and Learners article HERE.
HUMAN-CENTRED, SYSTEMS APPROACH TO IMPLEMENTATION HANDOUT
Looking for a one-page, placemat summary of the Third Path’s Human-Centred, Systems Approach to Implementation? Download it HERE.
Trauma-Sensitive School Leadership Study
Trauma-sensitive education has been promoted as a potentially powerful tool to more effectively support students at-risk, as well as a comprehensive approach to further developing student resilience. However, becoming a trauma-sensitive school can require a substantial rethinking of both educator unconscious biases and conventional pedagogical practices. Implementingtrauma-sensitive education, therefore, poses genuine challenges for school leaders. The purpose of this study is to better understand the experiences, challenges and opportunities of school administrators in Ontario toward leading a trauma-sensitive approach to education. Read the report HERE.
Trauma-Informed Practice: Why educator well-being matters
How are we actually doing when it comes to genuinely supporting students who experience trauma? How are educators feeling about their understanding of trauma, and their ability to effectively address the complications that trauma often brings to the classroom? Read the EdCan article HERE.
Trauma-sensitive School Leadership: Survey Data Analysis & Recommendations
In 2022, the Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC) conducted a study on trauma in public schools to better understand the experiences, challenges and opportunities of Ontario administrators toward leading a trauma-sensitive approach to education. This article provides excerpts from the final study report. Read the article HERE.
RESPONDING TO DEFIANT AND OPPOSITIONAL STUDENT BEHAVIOUR
The goal is to change the way the student relates to others from one that is characterized by conflict, chaos and emotional intensity, to one in which they can share the stage with others, remain under control emotionally, and problem-solve in a successful manner. It’s about lowering the emotional intensity of relationships. Read the article HERE.
Understanding Self-Regulation: Why Stressed Students Struggle to Learn
Self-regulation is a term used widely by educators; however, there is very little agreement about what it actually means. What do educators need to understand about self-regulation, and how can they support self-regulation in students? Read the Ministry of Education on Self-Regulation HERE.
Relationships are the Active Ingredient in Learning and Development
Teachers put a lot of time and energy into the technical aspects of teaching, but often they have much less time to devote to the relational aspects of education. They become experts in curriculum content areas, and fully adept at a wide range of teaching strategies, but they are given fewer opportunities to build their relational toolkit. This is problematic because, while teaching strategies are of course very important, the research on learning and development makes clear that they work only if they are done within the context of a strong teacher-student relationship. Read the article HERE.
You Are the Strategy: 21st Century Education
Teachers are preparing today’s students for the world of 2030, 2040, and even 2050. What do you think the future will look like? What are the biggest challenges that our students will face? What does education need to focus on now to help the next generation thrive in the world of tomorrow? Read the article HERE.