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Positive Schools Conference Australia

"Amba presented a valuable and engaging workshop at Positive Schools 2018. It was a pleasure to have her on board, to meet her & to have such a great contribution to the event"

Dr. Helen Street, Founder, and Chair,

The Positive Schools Initiative

About the workshop:

 

Positive Transitioning - How students can flourish through their major transitions

This workshop explored one of the critical, and often overlooked, factors of Positive Education - “Positive Transitioning”. That is, how we can support youth through change - specifically; starting school, transitioning to high school, and preparing students for life after school.


In Australia, these transitions are likely to be more challenging for students from families who are financially disadvantaged, Indigenous, with disabilities, and culturally diverse, however, all students can benefit from increasing their preparedness and skills for adjusting to change. “Readiness” for these transitions is found to be predictive not only of increased well-being but for long-term academic and occupational achievement.


Within this interactive workshop participants had the opportunity to explore the general principles for promoting positive change and discuss specific resources for these transitions. A partnership between educators/institutions, parents, and students is believed to be most effective when navigating these periods. With the relevant resources, together we can confidently and holistically support youth through their schooling years. 

 

LEARN MORE > 

The conference was quite an eye-opener for me, with many fresh and inspiring ideas and talks including Amba Brown's on Positive Transitioning. Good on you all for being the change."
- David, Conference Guest

FURTHER READING

 

Baumeister, R., Vohs, K., & Oettingen, G. (2016). Pragmatic prospection: How and why people think about the future. Review Of General Psychology, 20(1), 3-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000060

 

Benson, P. L. 1997. All kids are our kids: What communities must do to raise caring and responsible children and adolescents. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

 

Cardemil, E., Reivich, K., Beevers, C., Seligman, M., & James, J. (2007). The prevention of depressive symptoms in low-income, minority children: Two-year follow-up. Behaviour Research And Therapy, 45(2), 313-327. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2006.03.010

 

Duckworth, A., Peterson, C., Matthews, M., & Kelly, D. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087-1101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.6.1087

 

Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). What Good Are Positive Emotions? Review of General Psychology : Journal of Division 1, of the American Psychological Association, 2(3), 300–319. http://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.300

 

Fredrickson, B. L., & Branigan, C. (2005). Positive emotions broaden the scope of attention and thought-action repertoires. Cognition & Emotion, 19(3), 313–332. http://doi.org/10.1080/02699930441000238

 

Gable, Shelly L., Haidt, Jonathan, What (and Why) Is Positive Psychology? (PDF), MichaelGeorge.com

 

Gollwitzer, P., & Kinney, R. (1989). Effects of deliberative and implemental mind-sets on illusion of control. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 56(4), 531-542. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.56.4.531

 

Kern, M. L., & Friedman, H. S. (2008). Early educational milestones as predictors of lifelong academic achievement, midlife adjustment, and longevity. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30(4), 419–430. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2008.12.025

 

Milburn, C. (2018). Preparing kindergarten children for school. Essential Kids.  http://www.essentialkids.com.au/education/school/starting-school/preparing-kindergarten-children-for-school-20090215-88ki

 

Pittman, K. J. & Wright, M. (1991). Bridging the Gap: A Rationale for Enhancing the Role of Community Organizations in Promoting Youth Development. Washington, DC: Center for Youth Development and Policy Research.

 

Seligman, M. (2011). Flourish. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing

 

Stillman, D., & Stillman, J. (2017). Gen Z @ Work. HarperCollins.

 

World Health Organization. Promoting mental health: concepts, emerging evidence, practice (Summary Report) Geneva: World Health Organization; 2004.

 

Wyman, P., Cowen, E., Work, W., & Kerley, J. (1993). The role of children's future expectations in self-system functioning and adjustment to life stress: A prospective study of urban at-risk children. Development And Psychopathology, 5(04), 649. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954579400006210

 

Zhou, K., Liu, Q., Niu, G., Sun, X., & Fan, C. (2017). Bullying victimization and depression in Chinese children: A moderated mediation model of resilience and mindfulness. Personality and Individual Differences,104, 137-142

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