• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Go to Expat Living Hong Kong
Get our Newsletter

Lifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living HomepageLifestyle Guide To Moving To & Living in Singapore - Expat Living

Moving to Singapore and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Singapore.

Menu
  • Living in Singapore
      • Living here
      • Neighbourhood Guides
      • Schools
      • Property
      • Work And Business
      • Finance
      • For Guys
      • Environment
        • Ultimate Performance SingaporeBest gyms & fitness studios for getting fit
        • Dairy FlatsWhat’s like living in Dairy Farm Heights?
        • Invictus International School singaporeA Change in Curriculum at Invictus
        • Anne Trads Juel SauerbergProfile: Anne Trads Juel Sauerberg
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things to do
      • EL Events
      • Calendar
      • Competitions
      • Noticeboard
        • image of Forest adventure grand course for things to do with kids in SingaporeFun Things To Do In Singapore
        • Billie Eilish Happier Than EverWhat’s on this week and beyond
        • looking for clues treasure hunt time heistWin big in the Civic District treasure hunt
        • Shamelss podcastWhat we are listening to: Great podcasts, Music and more!
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Enrichment
      • Kids Things To Do
      • Mums & Babies
      • Schools
      • Tots & Toddlers
      • Tweens & Teens
        • image of Forest adventure grand course for things to do with kids in SingaporeFun Things To Do In Singapore
        • Little Artists Arty Party kid's birthday party ideasBest children’s party venues in Singapore
        • Invictus International School singaporeA Change in Curriculum at Invictus
        • kids dentistTips from orthodontists & kids’ dentists in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Decor
      • Readers’ Homes
      • Furniture
        • Table wareFabulous dinnerware, tableware and crockery!
        • B55Fab furniture, home decor & art galleries in one spot!
        • kids beds and children's roomsKids’ furniture that’s quality, fun and cool
        • Danish Design's designer furniture piecesDreamy designer furniture pieces!
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Asia
      • Australia & New Zealand
      • Rest Of World
      • News
      • Travel Offers
        • CrusieA Singapore cruise with skydiving, a wave machine & fab food!
        • vietnam 1Everything you need to know about Vietnam!
        • Cruise in SingaporeVisit 3 destinations in 5 days on this exciting cruise
        • Brisbane KangarooWhy and where to buy property in Brisbane
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Asian Cuisine
      • Western Cuisine
      • Bars & Clubs
      • Groceries & Speciality Services
      • Recipes & Classes
        • Le-Bar-SofitelWhere to go for the best high tea in Singapore
        • The StoreLatest bars in Singapore: New drinking spots!
        • weber singapore duxtonBecome a guru at the Grill Academy Weber Singapore
        • Keyaki best restaurants in singaporeBest Restaurants in Singapore – Where to eat for foodies!
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
      • Beauty Offers
        • urban CompanyNail salons in Singapore we’ve tried & tested!
        • hyper PigmentationTypes of pigmentation, removal & treatment
        • eye treatmentsOur guide to popular eye treatments
        • SkincareBest products for a fuss-free skincare routine
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Dental
      • Fitness
      • Medical
      • Wellness
        • Ultimate Performance SingaporeBest gyms & fitness studios for getting fit
        • kids dentistTips from orthodontists & kids’ dentists in Singapore
        • pilates 40sFitness after forty at FitNut Loft!
        • AcupunctureComplementary & Alternative Medicine in Singapore
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
    • PRINT MAGAZINE
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINE
    • BOOKS
    • Close

What does Positive Education mean?

21st May 2019 by Monica Pitrelli 4 Min Read

https://expatliving.sg/positive-education-ais-australian-international-school-singapore/

Positive Education combines traditional education with lessons on character, resiliency and happiness. Simply put, it’s schooling for the mind as well as the heart. We sat down with ANDRE CASSON, Head of School at Australian International School, to talk about what Positive Education has done for the school since AIS introduced it five years ago.

Why did AIS incorporate Positive Education into the curriculum?

It isn’t just a part of our curriculum, it’s our philosophy for pastoral care. To that end, it permeates all that we do. A student may learn resilience as part of a sporting team. A teacher may develop a growth mindset by introducing a new and innovative lesson to their students. A parent may develop gratitude through an interaction with a staff member who has “gone the extra yard” for their child.  For Positive Education to be authentic, it must be a part of what we do. Of course, we need to provide our staff with the skills to achieve this through training and support and, at times, distinct lessons may occur. But for Positive Education to live and breathe it must be part of our way of life.

We commenced this journey in 2013, when I was Head of Secondary School. I worked on introducing this program at my previous school, so I knew how it could make the lives of AIS students better.  To that end, when I arrived at AIS, I saw it as my duty to permeate this philosophy as part of our culture.

positive education 1
Andre Casson, AIS Head of School

Schools have long focused on academic pursuits. Why is this not enough anymore?

Schools are about learning – we are striving to provide our students with those dispositions that will allow them to be successful in their lives, not just academic achievement. I believe that effective schools should never be just about academic pursuits. They certainly have a place but academic excellence is just one facet of a child’s education. At AIS, we focus on the whole student – academic, physical, creative, altruistic and relational. In a world that’s seeing an increase in AI and machine learning, it is these uniquely human skills that prepare our charges for success in an unknown future. As a school, we don’t lose focus on the academic imperative, but it’s just one facet of an AIS education.

Who is Martin Seligman, and what are the six classes of virtues he developed?

Martin Seligman is considered the “father” of positive psychology and, by extension, Positive Education. His Six Classes of Virtues refer to broad classifications of 24 character strengths that we all possess. These are:

  1. Knowledge and Wisdom
  2. Courage
  3. Humanity
  4. Justice
  5. Temperance
  6. Transcendency

How specifically does AIS teach these virtues?

Students and staff at AIS will utilise the VIA Character Strengths Survey to determine which of these dispositions are their “go to”. We then use these areas of strength to inform how we might tackle an issue that is part of our lives at school. This follows the work of Professor Lea Waters in her book The Strength Switch. Professor Waters discusses that if we “double down” on an area of strength rather than focusing on an area of development, we develop greater efficacy and resilience with which to tackle our areas of deficit. We do not ignore that which we must improve, but we do approach this first from a strong position.

An example of how we might use this technique at AIS is in our Year 6 Goal Setting Program. Students undertake the VIA Survey and then when they develop a plan to achieve their academic and personal goals for the year, they work with their class teacher on how they might use their character strengths to achieve this aim. For instance, a student with curiosity as their strength may set a goal for the year to use “curiosity to explore learning in Science more deeply”.

AIS positive education

What is your goal for Positive Education at AIS?

That everyone in our community will have the opportunity to be the best version of themselves. To achieve this goal, we must work at developing a caring community that nurtures and loves each member of our family. Positive Education provides an effective framework to support this goal.

I recall a recent Voice of Student Survey in which one of our Year 10 students was asked to describe AIS. He said that we had “a culture of kindness where everyone could be who they wanted to be.” That statement made me very proud. When we can build on our students’ strengths, we have the opportunity to achieve greatness for their future.

Historically, instilling virtues was thought to be the duty of parents and others; for some, this is still true. What feedback have you received from parents?

They say that it takes a village to raise a child. It might take a city to educate them. The teaching of virtues and character certainly is the domain of parents, religious leaders and people of significance in children’s lives. School must have a vital place in this development – our students spend more waking hours with us than they do their parents. To create well-rounded young people of substance, the school must take an active role in this domain. To extend the religious metaphor – only when student, home and school are all working toward the same goal will the most be gained through the education prism. This is my Holy Trinity for success at school.

Australian International School                                        
1 Lorong Chuan
6664 8127 | ais.com.sg


Read more in our Schools section:

Want to ace the IB? Here’s how one girl did it
Top international schools in Singapore 

Get the latest events, stories and special offers
sent to your inbox.

By signing up, you'll receive our weekly newsletters and offers, which you can unsubscribe to anytime.

Categories: Living in Singapore Schools Tags: Australian International School International Schools

You May Also Like

What’s like living in Dairy Farm Heights?

Invictus International School singapore

A Change in Curriculum at Invictus

Profile: Anne Trads Juel Sauerberg

Primary Sidebar

  • Competitions
  • Noticeboard
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy

© 2022 Expat Living Singapore, All Rights Reserved.