Infusing more meaning and purpose into class lessons can help improve children’s outlook on life, curb depression and boost grades, University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin E. P. Seligman, PhD, said at a convention plenary session.
Seligman shared several studies suggesting that positive education works. In one as-yet-unpublished study, for example, 240 ninth-graders were randomly assigned to a literature course with or without a positive psychology component. Those participating in the positive psychology group read all of the same novels as the control — classics such as “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Scarlet Letter” — but in addition to leading typical class discussions and making assignments, teachers also focused on promoting positive messages, through discussions on such topics as the strengths of the main characters. The students in this group were also assigned to do three loving things for another person. Researchers continued to follow these students throughout high school and found that those who had taken part in the positive psychology class improved their social skills and had a greater love of learning, as well as higher grades than those who did not participate in the positive psychology course.
“Under conditions of high well-being, more classroom learning occurs,” Seligman said.
During the question-and-answer portion of the session, Seligman also shared information about a new initiative he’s set to embark on with the U.S. Army, to use a positive-education-based program to teach soldiers resilience before deployment. The program, called Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, will be rolled out to 1.1 million soliders this fall, and consists of a course to help the soldiers develop skills in four key psychological fitness areas: emotional, social, familial and spiritual.
Seligman also plans to offer a program to teach resilience skills to military spouses and children.
It’s all in an effort to select and train soldiers for the psychological challenges they may face on the battlefield, and tame the increasing number of military members diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he said.
“This is the most gratifying project I’ve ever worked on,” he said.
Source: APA Annual 2009 Convention
