“Positive psychology is a branch of psychology which seeks, examines and researches human strengths and abilities, which allow the person to flourish, grow, maximize abilities and experience happiness”
(Shosh Zimmerman, Emotional Welfare Using Positive Psychology 2010).
Psychology researchers have been studying the source for emotional illness and its cures for many years. Success means ‘being ok’. Positive psychology focuses on decoding the DNA of successful people, who define themselves as happy and fulfilled. Instead of setting the average bar as a measurement, positive psychology seeks to elevate people to a bar of happiness, emotional welfare and satisfaction.
The guiding principle underlying educational methodologies based on educational/positive psychology, is that when pupils believe they are headed towards an enabling (hope and optimism) future, they become curious and full of excitement when facing whatever comes their way. These components build pro-active adults, who are ready to face difficulty, frustration and having to make an effort, and to cope with them. Research shows that positive emotions in learning improve perception, memory, problem solving and creativity (B. Fredrickson).
A routine of mindfulness, research and identifying within oneself resources, abilities and strengths, with a parallel routine of evaluating and measuring strengths and providing possibilities for practicing and developing personal skills acknowledged by those surrounding the individual, will lead to results. It will immediately start a chain reaction which will improve several factors: self-esteem and perceiving the self as good, productive and valued; the feeling that one is capable, has a sense of belonging and autonomy; and improvement of the class environment. The basis for building the motivation to train and practice educational and life skills lies in enabling each pupil to develop as an individual, to feel that he or she is capable, unique and is being acknowledged.
The unit for positive psychology within the ORT network adapts the principles to the education system and develops programs to implement practices for the promotion of welfare, resilience and positive feelings in learning.
“Hope and Motivation” is a program based on Snyder’s hope theory and on Antonovsky’s sense of coherence. It trains the pupils to become pro-active, set goals, acquire learning strategies and build the teacher-pupil relationship.
“Positive as a Way of Life” is a program for the teachers, about the educational principles of positive psychology: identifying and developing strengths, gratitude and emotional self-regulation.
“Playdagogy“: teaching strategies which support positive emotions, and developing life skills: cooperation and sharing, self-guidance in learning, strengths, play-based learning, etc.
“I’ve got sunshine in my pocket“- a yearly program for the pupils, teaching practices for expending happiness and emotional self-regulation. As an educational system our goal is to combine our obligation to promote an enabling environment, our responsibility to strengthen personality traits leading to emotional welfare, but certainly, at the same time, to strengthen and develop learning-supporting tools.
“Round Table Discussions“: thinking about manners of expending the “life skills” studies and even to dedicate a full academic year to them, so that the practices of setting goals, emotional self-regulation, meaningful activities and mindfulness will be a major part of them.
Additional units at ORT built on the principles of positive psychology are:
ORTOV- a unit acting to form a climate built on the teacher-pupil relationship, safety and on forming organizations to allow teenagers to contribute to the community, in order to develop leadership, empathy, entrepreneurship and contribution to the community. All these abilities promote establishing the pupil’s self-image as capable, contributing and helpful, and therefore as significant.
“The Holistic Model in Education” is a revolutionary program of the ORT network, which regards each pupil individually and holistically and creates conditions and spaces which enable flourishing, including a system meant to identify pupils on the level of the class, the school and the city.