The Well-being Classroom – Details, episodes & analysis

Today, we're joined by Dr. Helen Street, an education consultant with a background in applied social psychology and mental health. Known for her influential work on student wellbeing and motivation, including the 'contextual wellbeing' model, Helen is also a published author and co founder of the Positive Schools initiative.

by Sian Jorgensen, a seasoned child protection expert and founder of Encompass Safeguarding, a consultancy dedicated to providing safeguarding and child protection training to international schools and families. With 20 years of experience investigating abuse and supporting families internationally, she's here to discuss the latest developments in child protection and offer practical guidance.

George Cowie has dedicated his career to creating access and inclusion for disadvantaged learners. As the Director of Learning Support Asia, and with published research on autism and dyslexia, he's here to share practical tips for effectively working with our most vulnerable children, those with special educational needs or disabilities.

Dr. Pilant specializes in cultivating collaborative and innovative learning environments. We'll be diving into her practical strategies for enhancing staff well-being, focusing on communication, servant leadership, and effective staff recognition.

Welcome to the very first episode of the wellbeing classroom! Xavier is a dedicated elementary teacher, published author, and educational leader with over 20 years of experience shaping classrooms across the US and the Middle East. 

Link to Xavier's published book, A Powerful Book of Positively Passionate Poems to Push People to Pursue... https://a.co/d/fN9YR0N

How could we move beyond "retrofitting" lessons and instead design learning that is accessible to everyone from the very start?

In this episode of The Well-being Classroom, Samantha McFarlane from NASEN joins us to discuss "Inclusion by Design." We explore how to move away from traditional differentiation and toward adaptive teaching, ensuring every student reaches high-aspiration goals through intentional, flexible support.

Key Takeaways:

• Adaptive Teaching via the "Five-a-Day": Discover how to use the "five-a-day" framework—including explicit instructions and scaffolding—as the foundation for effective adaptive teaching.
• Proactive Design: How the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework removes barriers to progress before they even arise.
• High Aspirations for All: Shifting the focus so all students work toward the same objectives via varied, adaptive paths.

• Authentic Engagement: Utilizing flexible grouping and accessibility technology (like dictation tools) to help every learner thrive.

How can leaders move from simply managing the daily "people complexity" of schools to truly thriving under the pressure?

Welcome back to The Well-being Classroom. Today, I’m rejoined by Fran Reddan, an accomplished Executive Coach and Board Director with the Victorian Registration & Qualifications Authority. Having spent fifteen years as a school principal, Fran now uses her deep expertise in emotional intelligence and leadership development to help educators revitalise both their organisations and their own professional well-being.

Here is a link to Fran's website: https://www.franreddanconsulting.com/

In today’s episode, we dive into the five major triggers of leadership stress. We’ll explore practical "1% shifts," the science of performance-enhancing thoughts, and how to build personal rituals that protect your mental space.

Welcome back to The Well-being Classroom.

Today, I’m thrilled to welcome Alyssa Temple. With over 20 years of experience, first as a Specialist Harm Reduction Youth Worker and later as a Counsellor, Alyssa has trained hundreds of practitioners on tricky issues like mental health, safeguarding, and peer-on-peer abuse. She currently works in an international school, continues to provide clinical supervision, and coordinates the Southeast Asia School Counselling Network, which holds annual conferences. We'll be diving into her extensive insights into affluent neglect and its often-hidden impact on young people's emotional lives. Welcome to The Well-being Classroom…

Today, we welcome Gareth Steed, an experienced educator and passionate advocate for inclusive learning. He currently leads the counseling department at an international school. We'll discuss how to truly support student well-being by moving beyond debunked VARK styles to key research-based strategies, with Gareth sharing his valuable insights. Welcome to The Well-being Classroom…”

In episode 7 we're joined by Sania Green-Reynolds, a visionary educator, bestselling author, and the founder of Lit Education & Publishing and the AI-Powered Literacy Collective. With her deep commitment to blending innovation with culturally responsive practices, Sania champions AI-integrated, literacy-rich classrooms. We'll be diving into the powerful connection between well-being and reading, exploring it through the lens of character development and value-based education. Welcome to The Well-being Classroom…