11 Teaching with PERMA

Why Does it Matter?

University students’ psychological wellbeing, including anxiety and stress management, has received increasing attention over the past twenty years. Tertiary institutions have implemented programs and services designed to support students facing mental health challenges and to develop preventative measures. However, many students fail to engage with these services and may feel more comfortable discussing their struggles with people they perceive as caring and supportive, which often includes educators. Therefore, it is important to be aware of what we can do to help students facing a mental health crisis, which is discussed in the separate chapter, Supporting Students in Distress.

Apart from dealing with mental health crises, educators also have a role to play in supporting student wellbeing through their teaching practices:  “As educators, it is our job to facilitate student learning. This means it is in our interests to adopt curriculum, teaching and assessment approaches – informed by psychological principles and research – that may mitigate psychological stressors in the educational environment. This is because good mental health is essential for effective learning, and because curriculum design and teaching practices influence student mental wellbeing (positively or negatively). Adopting teaching and learning approaches that actively support student mental health will enhance the wellbeing and educational experiences of all students, not just those at risk of experiencing mental health difficulties during their time at university” (Enhancing Student Wellbeing – Resources for University Educators).

What Does it Look Like in Practice?

There are small but important steps we can take to ensure that our teaching practices support our students’ wellbeing.

In this section:

• Teaching with PERMA: Everyday practices that support students’ wellbeing
• Positive Emotions
• Engagement
• Relationships
• Meaning
• Accomplishment

Teaching with PERMA: Everyday Practices That Support Students’ Wellbeing

Positive psychology is a relatively new approach to mental health that aims to identify practical strategies to increase one’s own psychological wellbeing (Black Dog Institute – Positive Psychology factsheet). Knowing about these strategies can help support our students’ wellbeing by making deliberate choices in our teaching. Several models have been developed to identify the factors that most strongly contribute to individuals’ wellbeing. For example, Ryff’s (1989) model includes six dimensions: self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, positive relationships with others, environmental mastery, and autonomy. Similarly, the PERMA model of wellbeing comprises five dimensions of psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. We will use the PERMA dimensions in the remainder of this chapter, as this model has been widely utilised to support student wellbeing in the Australian school sector.

The PERMA model was originally proposed by Martin Seligman in his book, Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. A description of the PERMA model is offered in this  video presentation by Martin Seligman (approximately 30 minutes).

Happiness & Its Causes, Martin Seligman ‘Flourishing – a new understanding of wellbeing’ at Happiness & Its Causes 2012, Standard Youtube License.

Let’s consider each component of the PERMA model and how teaching practices may contribute to supporting student wellbeing within this framework.

P: Positive Emotions

Positive emotions are linked to the hedonistic concept of happiness and can be experienced in relation to all other PERMA elements. For example, engagement in an activity that is personally relevant and provides a sense of accomplishment is likely to facilitate the experience of positive emotions. As educators, we can ask ourselves, “Do the learning activities in my course provide opportunities for learners to experience positive emotions, such as awe, enjoyment, excitement, and inspiration?”

Examples of activities that may promote positive emotions include:

• Gamification: Introducing ludic elements into the learning process can make activities more enjoyable and engaging.
• Inspiring Awe and Curiosity: Learning about awe-inspiring people and discoveries within one’s discipline can spark interest and wonder.
• Providing Choice: Allowing students to follow their own interests and preferences enables them to engage with what excites them and in ways they enjoy. This idea is strongly linked with the next component of PERMA: Engagement.

E: Engagement

In the PERMA model, Engagement refers to motivation and being deeply involved in an activity. The experience of Flow refers to optimal engagement, i.e., those experiences when time seems to stop and we are completely focused on the task at hand. According to Csikszentmihalyi, we tend to experience Flow in relation to something that interests us and that we perceive as challenging but within reach, as he explains in this  video  (Approximately 19 minutes). This idea aligns with other educational constructs, such as Vygotsky’s (1978) Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).

A.R., TED Talk – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – Flow – 2004, Standard Youtube License.

Self-efficacy is involved in flow, as evaluating a task as providing the appropriate level of challenge for us (not too easy, not too hard that it’s impossible to achieve) requires using knowledge of our strengths and beliefs about our own capabilities. This is linked to Achievement, as the feedback we receive from the learning environment while engaged in the task will affect our self-efficacy beliefs as well as our ability to self-monitor and self-evaluate during the task.

One way to support students’ engagement is by encouraging them to find and use their core strengths. Information and tools to explore our core strengths are available from  viacharacter.org. This also implies that students have some agency in selecting activities that align with their core strengths and fuel their curiosity, for example through project-based learning.

A learning environment that provides guidance, feedback, and encouragement along the way can make an incredible difference in terms of supporting students’ engagement.

R: Relationships

Positive relationships are critical for human wellbeing in any context, including the classroom. Fostering positive relationships within the learning environment can significantly enhance students’ sense of belonging, engagement, and overall academic success. To build a welcoming learning environment where everyone feels valued, we need to consider inclusiveness. Ensuring that all students feel included and respected is fundamental to fostering positive relationships. The Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley University offers a useful guide on dealing with bias and fostering relationships across differences. You can access it here.

A sense of belonging has been found to be a strong predictor of student engagement and retention. When students feel they belong, they are more likely to stay engaged and less likely to drop out (Hausmann, Schofield, & Woods, 2007). Trust and empathy are crucial components in building this sense of belonging and fostering positive relationships. Creating a supportive and empathetic classroom environment can significantly impact students’ motivation and resilience (Dweck, 2006). Jim Knight’s concept of ”power with” rather than ”power over” highlights the importance of collaboration and mutual respect in educational settings. This approach encourages educators to work alongside students, fostering a sense of partnership and shared responsibility (Knight, 2013).

Finally, Mind Matters Australia provides a module on Relationships and Belonging which, although targeted at school teachers, contains principles applicable to tertiary settings as well. You can explore these principles further in their video on Belonging.

Practical Steps to Establish Positive Relationships

• Get to Know Students:
  • Take the time to learn about your students’ backgrounds, interests, and aspirations. Personal connections can make students feel valued and understood.
  • Establish a positive ‘teacher’s presence’ online by being approachable and responsive. See Building Online Communities with Your Students
• Establish an Inclusive, Mutually Supportive Environment:
  • Create a classroom culture that values diversity and inclusiveness. Acknowledge and celebrate different perspectives and experiences.
  • Incorporate Aboriginal perspectives and other culturally diverse viewpoints into your teaching to foster a more inclusive environment. See Weaving Aboriginal Knowledges across the Curriculum andTeaching Students from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds  for ideas.
• Promote and Facilitate Student-Student Interaction:
  • Use ice-breakers and collaborative activities such as think-pair-share to encourage interaction among students. See Interactive Activities for Online Tutorials
  • Establish peer mentorship and peer feedback opportunities to build a supportive community.
• Encourage Connections Beyond the Classroom:
  • Where possible and advisable, encourage students to form study groups or participate in extracurricular activities that foster relationships beyond the classroom setting.
  • Support opportunities for networking and professional development to help students build meaningful connections in their fields of study.

M: Meaning

A sense of meaning and purpose is essential to living a fulfilling life, as explained in this  article by the Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley University.

As discussed in the chapter, Constructive Alignment for Course Design, Biggs’ concept of constructive alignment underlines the importance of helping students understand how learning activities contribute to their own goals so that they can develop a sense of purpose and sustain their intrinsic motivation. For example, it is important for students to understand that activity A, which may seem useless and irrelevant now, actually prepares them to engage in activity B later on, which has a clearer connection with students’ own goals.

Service learning and other ways in which students may work with communities to help them achieve their purpose also contribute to increasing meaning. At a simpler level, finding meaning may involve identifying ways in which one’s discipline is or has been solving some of humanity’s wicked problems, i.e., how it can contribute to making the world a better place.

In summary, as educators, we can contribute to our students’ sense of meaning by:

• Providing individual choice: Support learners in achieving their own learning goals.
• Articulating the rationale for activities: Show how they fit into the overall plan and support individual students’ long-term goals.
• Providing opportunities for engagement: Encourage project-based, community-based, service learning, or the creation of open educational resources (open pedagogy).
• Highlighting the value of the discipline: Demonstrate its contribution to solving world problems.

A: Accomplishment

Experiencing a sense of accomplishment, of having achieved something meaningful and worthwhile at the end of anything that requires effort, is the final component of the PERMA model of wellbeing.

Setting relatively short, achievable goals and celebrating successes, however small, is a way of facilitating a sense of accomplishment. This approach focuses on progress rather than ‘perfection’ or ‘mastery’.

Setting the bar too high or focusing too much on achievement as the end goal can be risky. Debilitative perfectionism may set in and lead to anxiety, procrastination, and other self-defeating habits.

Resilience and ‘grit’, or persistence, are crucial in learning. People with a growth mindset, who see failure as a source of learning and stick to their goals because they attribute success to effort and development rather than pure luck or stable traits (e.g., “intelligence” or “aptitude”), are more likely to succeed (Dweck, 2006).

Here are a few ways we can help our students experience accomplishment:

• Help students set SMART goals: Break complex tasks (including assessments) into manageable ‘chunks’.
• Scaffold assessment: Address anxiety and perfectionism to avoid self-sabotaging habits (e.g., procrastination).
• Support students’ time management: Provide reminders, course calendars, and opportunities for frequent check-ins and feedback.
• Celebrate achievements and failures: Recognise both as part of the learning process.
• Promote a growth mindset: Encourage students to view challenges as opportunities for growth and learning.

Knowledge Check – What Did You Learn?

To reinforce your understanding of teaching with PERMA to support students’ wellbeing, please answer the following questions:

What Does It All Mean for Me?

Reflecting on this chapter, consider how you can apply the principles of the PERMA model to support students’ wellbeing in your courses. Here is an activity to help you integrate these concepts:

Activity: Implementing PERMA in Your Teaching Practice

Using the strategies discussed in this chapter, create a plan to incorporate the PERMA model into one of your courses. Follow these steps:

Reflection:

After implementing your plan, reflect on the following questions:

• How did the activities and strategies impact student wellbeing and engagement?
• What feedback did you receive from students about the changes you implemented?
• What adjustments can you make to further enhance the learning experience and support student wellbeing?

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References

Black Dog Institute. (n.d.). Positive Psychology Factsheet. Retrieved from https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/

Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32(3), 347-364.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.

Duckworth, A. L. (2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Scribner.

Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley University. (n.d.). Four Keys to a Meaningful Life. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/four_keys_to_a_meaningful_life

Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley University. (n.d.). How to Build Relationships Across Differences. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_build_relationships_across_difference

Hausmann, L. R., Schofield, J. W., & Woods, R. L. (2007). Sense of belonging as a predictor of intentions to persist among African American and White first-year college students. Research in Higher Education, 48(7), 803-839.

Knight, J. (2013). High-Impact Instruction: A Framework for Great Teaching. Corwin Press.

Mind Matters Australia. (n.d.). Module 1.4 Relationships and Belonging. Retrieved from https://www.mindmatters.edu.au

Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069-1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069

Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being. Free Press.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (Vol. 86). Harvard university press.