Academics
Shipley Learns Online
Supporting Well-Being
Now, more than ever, we—the School and families—must work in partnership to support students in their learning and well-being. At Shipley, the well-being aspect of this partnership is based on two key facts. (1) Individual well-being and the collective well-being of the community are inextricably linked. (2) Positive education promotes well-being and student achievement because one cannot be sustainably pursued without the other.
The concept of PERMA+ (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishment, +Health) provides a framework to understand and cultivate well-being. Here we offer some tips from our experts and folks around the world on how to foster PERMA+ and therefore support individual and collective well-being for yourself, your student, your family, Shipley, and the broader community.
Note: Many of these tips and activities build multiple PERMA+ elements. They are organized here by the most obvious areas of PERMA+.
Please click on the arrows below to learn more about the elements of PERMA+
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P - Positive Emotions
Psychologist Barbara Fredrickson suggests that positive emotions have the ability to broaden our cognitive perspectives or mindsets and build important cognitive resources and processes. Listen to Dr. Fredrickson talk about positive emotions as essential nutrients for all of us, and how we can learn to pay attention to positive emotions in the present moment.
Dr. Fredrickson reminds us that negative emotions tend to be louder and more noticeable, and we have to work harder to notice the positive. One way to do this for ourselves and for others in our lives is through Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM), a specific type of guided meditation. Try this meditation to get you started.
Penn’s Master’s in Applied Psychology graduates are offering a Strategies to Thrive series. Topics include “Real Time Resilience,” “Optimizing Your Relationships during COVID,” and “Mindfulness - Staying Calm in A Crazy world” among MANY others.
Lea Waters, who spoke at Shipley in September 2018, is offering a free series of resources for building Visible Wellbeing during this pandemic. Includes activities for educators, families, and an ongoing video series.
One way to build positive emotions is through meditation or mindfulness. You can try Calm (free trial) or Insight Timer for no-cost meditation on demand. To learn more about mindfulness, watch “All it takes is 10 mindful minutes” by Andy Puddicombe. -
E - Engagement
Using our strengths is a great way to increase our engagement in daily activities. At Shipley, we celebrate one of the 24 character strengths each month. Here are the resources to celebrate Leadership & Teamwork in April, Creativity in May, as well as all of the strengths we have celebrated so far this year.Listening to music is one way that many people find engagement and flow. Visit NPR for a list of Where to Stream Live Concerts with daily audio and video links to a diverse group of artists.Looking at magnificent works of art is another way that many people find engagement. Here is a way to experience the best museums from London to Seoul in the comfort of your own home.
You can learn more about Engagement and PERMA+ by visiting Shipley's Blog. -
R - Relationships
Shipley’s Community Commitment is real, whether we are in our school buildings or in Shipley Learns Online. Relationships are at the heart of Shipley and we are proud to continue to cultivate and value those relationships. Right now, many people across the world are staying inside their homes, and missing daily interactions with family and friends. Frequently called “social distancing,” listen to 19th Surgeon General Vivek Murthy explain why we should think of it as “physical distancing” instead, and why it’s so important to stay socially connected during these difficult times.
High Quality Connections - Staying close even when we are apart- explains that “when we experience HQCs we become physically and psychologically healthier, have greater cognitive functioning, and are more resilient, collaborative, involved and creative.”
While many of us are missing our Shipley community and day-to-day interactions, this opinion piece reminds us that “Staying at home is a privilege. Social distancing is a privilege.”
EmbraceRace is a community of adults of all colors who support each other in our efforts to raise and guide children who are inclusive, informed and brave when it comes to race. -
M - Meaning
Earth Day 2020 | Earth Day Celebrate the 50th Earth Day by getting involved in a Digital Earth Day activity. And read about how some scientists are reporting that “Nature is taking a breath when the rest of us are holding ours.”
On Coronavirus Lockdown? Look for meaning, not happiness. Emily Esfahani Smith, author of The Power of Meaning: Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed With Happiness, writes about cultivating an attitude of tragic optimism (the ability to maintain hope and find meaning in life despite its inescapable pain, loss and suffering), a term coined by Victor Frankl, holocaust survivor and psychiatrist.
Many people find meaning from helping others. Shipley’s Director of Service Learning, Margie Winters, has provided this list of recommendations for local food donations. You can also send cards to nursing homes whose residents could use things to brighten their day, or you might consider providing some much needed on-site help at a variety of locations if you are able.
If you want to look beyond our local community, CNN’s Impact Your World is a list of resources to support healthcare workers, service workers, refugees, blood banks, and the elderly.
We can add meaning to daily activities by finding a way to serve the community while doing everyday tasks. Leave positive messages in chalk on your neighbor’s sidewalk or ask elderly neighbors if you can do their grocery shopping. -
A - Accomplishment
Shipley Learns Online will provide daily opportunities for students to build their sense of accomplishment. As adults, we may be interested in learning more, and Coursera | Build Skills with Online Courses from Top Institutions has a wide variety of courses. The Science of Well-Being and Positive Psychology are recommendations from Shipley colleagues.Since 1998, The Learning Network has been helping people teach and learn with The New York Times. It is a great source of academic enrichment for learners of all ages.
In order to encourage the accomplishment of reading, Audible will provide free audiobooks for children and teens; audio books and listening to stories are a great way to improve reading fluency and engagement in reading. Michelle Obama has also launched a weekly reading series for children. -
PLUS - Physical Activity, Nutrition and Sleep
One of the best articles we have seen - Four Things to Do Every Day for Your Mental Health- Move, Nourish, Connect, and Be- are four simple ways that we can all improve our health that fit really nicely into a PERMA+ model.
Shipley’s Athletic Department is now offering live fitness sessions every day. The instructors will rotate daily and be available each day of the week (M-F), from 9:00am-9:30am. Email Sean Costello for this week’s schedule and a link to the session.
The Flourishing Center has provided a list of 20 Body & Mind Tools to overcome anxiety, that each come with a detailed explanation and/or video so you will know how to do each of the suggestions. Very helpful!
Maintaining adequate nutrition is important during any crisis. If you or your family are having difficulty, there are multiple resources to assist with food insecurity. And consider adding these foods to increase your immunity to COVID-19.
“Sleep is an essential part of protection from and response to any infection,” said Douglas B. Kirsch, a neurologist and former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Learn concrete tips on how to improve sleep during this crisis.
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.
