Positively Teach
Gain Social and Emotional control so that you can start to enjoy your profession.
Your Mind and its well-being
Your mind is an extremely powerful tool and how you treat it will determine whether or not it will continue to cooperate productively with you. As previously mentioned, a Teacher is responsible for meeting the expectations of various audiences including students, parents, peers, admin and the community. This can be the source of a lot of stress if your mental and emotional health is not care for.
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Below is a compilation of YouTube clips, from a range of highly accomplished professionals, that bring to light various social and emotional interactions that can be controlled with a healthy perception of the situation, positive psychology and social and emotional intelligence. Remembering that, as a Teacher, you are constantly participating in social and emotional scenarios and your wisdom as well as emotional control in these situations will determine how people, including yourself, are impacted. Therefore, knowledge of social and emotional intelligence is at the forefront of your career success. Watch these clips and apply the suggested strategies in order to work productively with your emotions to promote your own mental well-being and career success.
Positive Psychology
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Positive Psychology is the scientific study of how humans are able to flourish by applying certain strategies that promote optimal functioning. Furthermore, it focuses on the strengths and virtues that enable individuals, communities and organisations to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play. Positive Psychology relates to the teaching profession in many ways and in particular allows Teachers to learn how to be optimistic in the most adverse of situations and to teach their students to do the same. Of course there will be good and bad days but understanding how your psychology works will provide you with the tools to overcome adversity and increase your resilience, thus reducing periods of stress.
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Mindfulness
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Put very simply, mindfulness refers to the idea of being present in the moment. Mindfulness allows the brain to relax and recover leading to effective functioning. Unfortunately the teaching profession requires that Teachers adhere to many expectations and deadlines that can become an overwhelming source of stress and rumination whereby the brain can seem to never 'switch off'. In this TED Talk by, Andy Puddicombe, a meditation expert, he explains that life is not supposed to be a fast paced rat race filled with overwhelming thoughts and feelings. He poses an interesting fact that life is way too short to be lost in unproductive thought and suggests that just 10 minutes of meditation a day will change your life. Being self-aware and applying strategies to control unhelpful thoughts and emotions is another tool leading to emotional intelligence and career success.
Food and the Brain
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It's no secret that the food we consume will determine how we feel. So why is that some of us continue to mistreat our bodies? Among other reasons, it is possible that we are experiencing and emotional hijacking and we turn to food for comfort. Therefore, becoming emotionally intelligent will allow us to recognise our behaviours and choose the right foods to produce the right outcome in our mind and bodies. Watch this YouTube clip to find out more about how the food you choose to eat has a massive impact on the chemistry of your brain. As a Teacher at anytime in your career you will require your brain to function to the best of its ability, do yourself a favour and feed your brain the right foods to help it perform at its optimum level. You'll be thankful you did!
David Brooks - Social Skills
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David Brooks, an American journalist, social analyst and political commentator, discusses how 21st Century social expectations are possibly putting unrealistic pressure on humans to strive to achieve unrealistic goals. This knowledge is powerful for Teachers as it helps them to develop a deeper view of human nature and as David Brooks explains, this view is in the state of the human mind and developing a revolution in consciousness. When putting this all together, these ideas are providing a new view of human nature that Brooks describes as the 'New Humanism'. He explains how the conscious and unconscious mind works together during social and emotions interactions to determine the outcome. This knowledge is yet another piece of the puzzle in developing emotional intelligence that will allow you to grow and prosper personally and professionally.
Marisa Peer - How to deal with rejection.
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As a Teacher you will constantly be faced with set backs, adversity and rejection. Working with humans at the peek of their human development (adolescents) will ensure that you will feel uncomfortable on a regular basis. However, as Marisa Peer (award winning Therapist) explains, the way you handle being rejected can help to make meaningful connections.
She explains why humans feel the need to seek acceptance and suggests a 5 step strategy with very simple techniques that can be applied to overcome this destructive emotion. Again this knowledge and skill is emotional intelligence in its finest form; recognising and controlling your own emotional response in order to achieve a desired outcome will ensure you thrive in your own skin.
Social Superpowers
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In this YouTube clip Matthew Leiberman, Social Psychologist, explains how people require social connection in order to lead happy, successful lives. He provides an emotional example of how humans can be adversely effected by social pain and how this pain can be treated in same way as physical pain. A school community is a social network of staff, students, parents and other stakeholders. This network will only function effectively when emphasis is applied to the importance of social connection. At the core of making social connection is working collaboratively which requires all parties to be socially and emotionally aware and respectful. Leiberman explains how this idea is beneficial in the classroom as it is human nature to be socially motivated to learn and if our school community is equipped with leaders who have strong social skills, they will motivate others to be smarter, happier and more productive.
The Power of Vulnerability
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Brene Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston, discusses the importance of expanding our perception of being vulnerable beyond the belief that it is a sign of weakness. She explains that humans mistakenly numb emotion in an attempt to avoid pain when, in fact, they should embrace their feelings in order to gain emotional control. As a beginning Teacher you may experience periods of vulnerability and this is expected in any new situation. Be kind to yourself, be honest, be open and communicate with your network as this will help you recover during times of stress. Furthermore, let yourself be seen in your classroom by showing your students the real you. This will help develop meaningful relationships with your students and shows them that you are confident in your own skin. Don't forget to model gratitude and joy as this will promote these emotions in your classroom.
Adolescent Brain Development
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Sarah-Jayne Blackmore, a Professor at the Institute of Cognitive Science, explains how the adolescent brain is partaking in one of its most dramatic changes in human development and explains how this can have adverse effects on the choices adolescents make. As a Teacher it is important to remember that our students are participating in one of the most fascinating periods of human development and this will ensure that they can be, at times, emotionally out of control. Being wise and considerate of this will help Teachers to cope with students' emotional outbursts and irrational behaviour. Instead of thinking negatively about adolescent behaviour, it would be beneficial for all involved to be impressed with signs of cognitive development and explain to them why they are feeling the way they do. Suggest ways to cope and of course apply appropriate consequence so that they come out the other end with the skills required to function productively in society.
The Law of Attraction
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Dr Ivan Young is a highly accomplished American Motivational Speaker, Life Coach and Author. In this YouTube clip he explains how the "Law of Attraction" positions you for immediate manifestation of your desires while unleashing your preordained purpose. Whether you are a spiritual person or not, there are times in your life when you can't help but think that a higher power is in control; so many unexplained coincidences and blessings in disguise. This could just be the Law of Attraction in motion. In the Teaching profession you may experience times when the outcome is not what you intended and your students may feel the same. Having faith in what the Universe has in store for you may help to defuse moments of adversity and build resilience. On the other hand, perhaps you need to change your mindset in order to manifest what it is you desire. The words of Dr Ivan Young, "As you feel, as you believe...you will receive!"
Self-Affirmation Theory
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​In this YouTube clip Geoffrey L. Cohen, Professor in Stanford University's Graduate School of Education, Department of Psychology, and David Sherman, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara, talk about their article "The Psychology of Change: Self-Affirmation and Social Psychological Intervention," which they wrote together for the 2014 Annual Review of Psychology. The Professors explain how self-affirmation affects social and education outcomes and discuss how focusing on values can help counter the effects of stress and improve performance. As an adult it is likely that you have already been applying the 'Self-Affirmation Theory' throughout your life. However, this clip brings to light just how important positive affirmations are in promoting human growth. This skill should be taught to everyone in the education community and be applied when ever necessary. Self-affirming is an inexpensive and invaluable skill that has been proven to decrease stress and promote well-being.