Positive Psychology in Practice: Promoting Human Flourishing in Work, Health, Education, and Everyday Life, 2nd Edition

Chapter 16Different Approaches to Teaching Positive Psychology

AMY C. FINEBURG AND ANDREW MONK

From the beginning of the movement, education has been one of the main pillars of positive psychology (Seligman, 1998) and has become regarded as one of the most appropriate forms for its effectiveness (Burns, Andrews, & Szabo, 2002). Education as an institution is a natural fit into the positive psychology realm in that its entire goal is to enact positive change in individuals through learning. The institution of education also works to provide a positive outcome for communities by producing informed citizens who can interact knowledgably with society. Positive psychologists concern themselves with research and practice into what aspects of school assist students' learning and well-being, while also investigating how people within the educational system can enhance and be enhanced by their experiences in school. Researchers have examined the roles of strengths (Hodges & Clifton, 2004; Lopez & Louis, 2009), hope (Lopez, Rose, Robinson, Marques, & Pais-Reibero, 2009; Snyder et al., 2002; Worrell & Hale, 2001), gratitude (Bono, Froh, & Emmons, 2012), self-regulation (Duckworth, Grant, Loew, Oettingen, & Gollwitzer, 2011), grit (Duckworth & Seligman, 2005; Duckworth, 2013), and resilience (Gillham et al., 2007) in how well students perform in schools. This research has translated into lessons and strategies that teachers use in their classrooms either to teach the academic content of ...