Flourishing in your teaching: Cultivating a practice that supports your well-being

Most of us invest our hearts and souls into our teaching and experience amazing highs, depressing lows, and so much in-between. But what can we do to bolster our well-being as Science teachers? What practices can help us thrive in our teaching? In this interactive workshop, we will gather to work in groups to create concrete strategies for how we can improve our well-being as Science teachers. We will draw on principles from Positive Psychology, “the study of the conditions and processes that contribute to the…optimal functioning of people, groups, and institutions” (Gable & Haidt, 2005, p. 104), including Seligman’s (2011) Flourishing model, to explore how we can increase five aspects of our well-being in our teaching: positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning, and sense of accomplishment. Specifically, we will work in small groups to generate concrete strategies for increasing our well-being in our teaching and together we will discuss the advantages and challenges of implementing these strategies in our lives as educators. We hope that you will join us and share in the flourishing! Gable, S. L., & Haidt, J. (2005). What (and why) is positive psychology? Review of general psychology, 9(2), 103-110. Seligman, M. E. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster