Frequently asked questions
What student well-being programmes do you offer secondary schools?
- A dedicated student workbook with clear individual lessons.
- Supporting teacher resources including a teacher manual with background theory, methodology and individual lesson plans, along with online resources and video links.
- Fast-track induction training for teachers in each of the programmes.
How should we plan for the well-being provision in our school?
- Provision of universal well-being programmes to all students which promote positive life choices.
- Identified support structures within the school to support students who may present as needing extra individual support.
- Clearly identified external referral pathways for students who present with more complex needs.
Our well-being programmes fit into the first tier of this model, where we provide schools with a structured universal well-being programme promoting positive life choices. Each programme can be inserted into the school timetable and taught by the teachers themselves in the classroom. As a structured programme, it is broken down into individual lessons for the students, with accompanying lesson plans in the teacher manual, and follows a logical progression.
Is there training available in certain areas for teachers interested in teaching well-being modules?
- The Super Generation run a number of train the trainer teacher training events throughout the year in various locations around Ireland. Schools may decide to send individual interested teachers on these one-day courses. Dates and further information on upcoming training are available on the Super Generation website under ‘Upcoming Training and Events’.
- There is limited capacity to deliver a full day’s training to a whole school staff upon request. Dates and arrangements depend on time of year and number of staff involved.
- Responding to the needs of schools, we have begun to develop a number of webinar training options for teachers and these will be expanded upon in the near future.
What does each programme entail?
- A dedicated student workbook with clear individual lessons.
- Supporting teacher resources, including a teacher manual with background theory, methodology and individual lesson plans, along with online resources and video links.
- Fast-track induction training for teachers in each of the programmes.
What is the connection between well-being and learning?
How can we further motivate students to develop a strategy for self-reflection?
How to introduce well-being more often into exam classes?
Have you any tips on engaging with students about their personal well-being?
(I find it is often quite a general conversation I can have with students due to the size of classes)
Have you any strategies to bring well-being to a whole-school level?
Therefore, it is preferable that training opportunities be provided for any person being asked to deliver a well-being programme in their school.
How to embed either of the programmes within the constraints of the existing timetable?
- What priority do we as a school place on student well-being? If we place a value on it and believe that it is something that should be taught, then a closer look will be given to the timetable to see where it can fit in.
- Do we appreciate that a happy student makes a more successful student? Too often, we look at our timetables and give focus to the academic subjects and amount of time needed for them, thinking that if our students do well in their learning then they will be happier. However, the opposite is actually more true: a student who is happy and content in and of themselves will go on to become more successful in their learning.
Therefore, the challenge is where to find time on the timetable. This will take some consideration by those who have responsibility for creating the timetable, and a conversation may need to be had with them to fully appreciate the need for a clearly designated time.
In terms of the Junior Cycle, there are 400 hours allocated to the teaching of well-being, and having taken SPHE, PE and CSPE into the equation, there are around 100 hours remaining for schools to implement a well-being programme. Schools may decide to do this as part of their tutor period time, or even timetable a new class specifically for the teaching of well-being.
In terms of the Senior Cycle, it is not as clear where the time may be found on the timetable. However, many options still remain available to schools. Transition Year as a year of personal development is always a good starting point for introducing a well-being programme to students. Schools tend not to have as much pressure on their timetable during this year, and are always looking for new easy-to-teach programmes with great personal value for the students, making the teaching of well-being a natural choice. In terms of fifth and sixth year, schools are asked to provide guidance hours for students.
This might be another natural fit for incorporating well-being into the timetable, and in some schools they have recognised the value of well-being for their students and made a conscious decision to allocate one period a week to the teaching of well-being and SPHE at Senior Cycle.