Wellbeing & PD

If you’re an educator you’ll know this: teacher wellbeing has never been more important. And yet, this complex issue is often misunderstood, leading to band-aid solutions that don’t address the root cause or inspire long-term change. In this go-to guide for teachers and leaders, Amy Green provides inspiration and practical tools to unpack the many facets of teacher wellbeing. She explores the purpose of teacher wellbeing; where we’ve gone wrong in tackling issues such as burnout and stress; and what we can do to build teacher capacity and enhance school systems to support teacher wellbeing. Amy believes we all play a part in writing a better story for our teachers. With awareness and knowledge we can move beyond tokenistic activities to long-term, embedded, sustainable solutions. In these pages you will find a deeper, richer, more holistic approach to improving wellbeing. It’s a book that will inspire the real conversations we so desperately need. Together, we can bring about transformation far beyond what we imagine.   Praise for Teacher Wellbeing by Amy Green: I absolutely loved this book. The whole thing. It is absolutely needed and so timely. This is the go-to guide for school leaders and teachers who are eager to unpack the complex issue of educator wellbeing in this current crisis and beyond. Despite the best efforts of school leaders, many of us feel that we have been falling short when it comes to understanding how to proactively attack issues such as burnout for ourselves and our staff. The chapter summaries and 'Theory into Action' learning throughout provide practical strategies for the individual and collective change that is so desperately needed for teachers and school leaders. Celia King, School Leader This book emphasises why teacher wellbeing is important and that it is far more than feel-good activities. Amy highlights many things that may not initially be perceived as part of wellbeing, however through explanation, research-based evidence and links to teaching, it just makes sense. Amy shows how teacher wellbeing is crucial to school culture and that we need to be open to reflecting on and changing the structures we use to support the wellbeing of teachers. This book is a must-read for leaders and teachers alike. Dr Selena Fisk, Author, Data Storyteller This book will resonate with many school leaders and teachers. I found myself nodding along in agreement many times. The framework Amy uses for teacher wellbeing throughout this book synthesises the elements of being and doing individually and collectively so beautifully, and fits in with all we do in schools and as humans. It aligns school culture and improvement to collective wellbeing, and in a currency of change is 100% on message and what is needed right now and beyond. It is a powerful, important, yet easy read. I struggled to put it down. I want a copy for every teacher I know. Belinda Fenn, School Principal

We know education is not a level playing field. Those living with early adversity are starting school significantly less likely to complete their education than their peers who have things easier. When educators and schools understand childhood trauma, they are well placed to embed wellbeing practices into every interaction, and when those interactions are trauma-informed and responsive, students’ lives are positively impacted in a deep and enduring way. Safe to Learn offers readers an understanding of behaviour through the lens of trauma and adversity, and provides practical strategies for primary schools and educators to become trauma-informed and responsive in a way that best supports all students, regardless of their life experiences. This book offers guidance for schools to introduce, or expand, a whole-school model of integrated wellbeing practice and support for individual teachers to learn how they can make a significant difference to their students. It also provides the tools to identify which interventions may benefit a student or class as well as ideas for tracking and showing wellbeing growth.

As educators we all recognise the power of using data to inform our work. A key piece that is often missing is how we engage students in their data story. When we use data with students they become data-informed learners. They have a better understanding of their ability as a learner and can articulate their goals and challenges more clearly. We can support our students through targeted conversations, working in partnership to help them improve. There are three main purposes for using data with students: goal setting, learning dispositions or behaviour, and the quality of student learning or understanding. There are five main modes by which we do this: data walls, success criteria, student-generated assessment, deliberate conversations and data on walls in classrooms. In this book, Dr Selena Fisk unpacks these purposes and modes, giving practical ideas for implementation in schools and classrooms. She offers guidance in having constructive data-informed conversations with students, while building a culture of psychological safety where data use is productive and transformational.   Praise for this book: This book offers readers an important glimpse into what it takes to ensure that students can answer my 5 questions: What are you learning and why? How are you doing? How do you know how you are doing? How do you improve? Where do you go for help? When they can, we know that they are all 'Data-informed Learners'! This makes this book a rich piece of school improvement literature. Dr Lyn Sharratt - International Consultant and Author  

Good thinkers are 4P thinkers. The international bestseller, Become A Better Thinker, focuses on ways of improving the 4Ps. Positivity for better attention to a task Pattern seeking for identifying key elements Probing for asking yourself helpful questions Picturing for summarising key words and their connections Become a Better Thinker contains examples, strategies, and tests for improving the 4Ps. Aiming to examine, support and improve the creative and critical thinking skills of teachers and their students in order to help all learners think better in our rapidly evolving world. Revised and updated, this book is now in its fourth edition.     Download PDF of the tests from this book to use: The Langrehr Test of Creative ThinkingThe Langrehr Test of Critical ThinkingThe Langrehr Test of Early Childhood Thinking

Leading with the Social Brain in Mind puts relationships front and centre of the important work that educators do. The number and different types of relationships that educators maintain on daily basis can be undervalued and underestimated. Specifically, it challenges system and school leaders to investigate how social brain theory affects the unintended results of collaborative interactions in their own complex organisational environments. Designing environments for collaboration in schools is a complex task and requires a lot of skill, especially in those where many institutional practices and structures are so widely accepted that they are rarely questioned. This book discusses the importance of collaboration in schools, explores silo mentality and asks educators to reflect on how their decisions are impacted by implementation barriers. It is an invaluable read for educators who want to understand associations among cognition, complexity and collaboration in leading change initiatives in schools.    

The roles and responsibilities of educators grow more complex every year. School leaders and teachers are tasked with creating high-performing schools that foster a culture of trust, collaboration and enquiry for students, parents and staff – all while working within prescribed protocols of safety, equity, transparency and fiscal responsibility. How do they do it? There’s no simple solution, but balance is the key. Andrew Oberthur draws on his rich experience as a principal and teacher to unpack a range of scenarios where a balance must be struck between following the rules and building relationships. His insights on ethical and courageous leadership – including when to follow and when to flex – offer new and experienced educators a proven framework for difficult decision-making. Exploring real-life dilemmas of communication, enrolment, staffing, budgeting, behaviour management, parent-teacher relationships, managing through uncertainty and more, Balance provides tested strategies for navigating the system’s myriad rules and regulations while building positive relationships and improving outcomes for all students.     Praise for this book: Andrew Oberthur has done it again. He has taken on one of the world’s most complex and challenging human dynamics: how do we manage the relationships of teachers, parents and primary school students to produce a significant improvement in our educational outcomes?Allan Parker OAM, behavioural scientist and international negotiator This book puts all the everyday decisions of a school leader into a real and raw perspective we can all relate to. I wish I had the book when I first became a principal.Gabrielle Hansen, Head of Department – Curriculum

Being a teenager can be tough. There are changes and challenges to deal with, and seemingly endless priorities competing for your attention. It can be hard to find the time and energy to take care of yourself, but it’s vital for your health and happiness to make self-care part of your daily routine. In the Student Wellbeing Handbook, Leon Furze unpacks the key issues impacting high school students’ mental and physical wellbeing, including mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, water, sleep, resilience, technology, bullying and emotional regulation. In these pages you’ll uncover effective strategies and proven techniques for increasing mindfulness, reducing stress and building resilience, ensuring you’re in the best position to meet the challenges of life and learning with confidence, clarity and a positive mindset. 

A simple, yet beautiful reflection journal to accompany Gratitude Practices for Teachers. Far from recycling simplistic gratitude platitudes, Dr Kerry Howells and Dr Jo Lucas offer a series of deep gratitude practices educators can use straightaway to create meaningful change. With chapters addressing problems such as exhaustion, toxic staff relationships, perfectionism and angry students, this journal will support educators through everyday difficulties.  Whatever your challenges are right now, discover how you can grow your resilience, nurture robust and respectful relationships, and replenish your joy and passion for education by practising deep gratitude.