Chapter
Report
(to be printed in The Language
Teacher)
Guest speaker: Marc Helgesen |
AKITA – October 2010 - ELT and the Science of Happiness: Positive psychology
in the classroom - Marc Helgesen. Positive, motivated students -- engaged
in what they are studying and with each other -- learn more. This workshop
started with everyone receiving a homemade cookie, and the eating of it
by sections became the metaphor for the entire talk. Professor Helgesen
asked the question: “How do we facilitate that positive attitude in the
classroom?” This was an activity-based session that looked at the ways
positive psychology (TIME magazine called it “The science of happiness”)
could be combined with clear language learning goals for active, invested
learning. This is more than mere “hippy-dippy”, “healie-feelie”, California-esque
“positive self-talk”. Positive Psychology is based on data gathered from
scientific experiments. Starting from the set-point of personal affect
and moving to the tipping point of positivity ☺, Professor Helgesen gave
a hands-on –literally, as the workshop included back massage - demonstration
of how to apply the Science of Happiness to EFL/ESL teaching methodology.
Not only was the cookie delicious, but the entire audience was noticeably
happier by the end of the presentation.
Reported by Stephen Shucart |
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