1st Edition

Mental Health and Academic Learning in Schools Approaches for Facilitating the Wellbeing of Children and Young People.

By Andrea Reupert Copyright 2020
    206 Pages
    by Routledge

    206 Pages
    by Routledge

    Mental Health and Academic Learning in Schools: Approaches for Facilitating the Wellbeing of Children and Young People investigates the many areas impacting on young people’s learning and mental health in a unified manner. Offering a new model for teaching, learning and connecting with young people, it provides compelling evidence about the intertwined nature of students’ academic performance, mental health and behaviour.



    The book presents integrated models and strategies that serve to enhance student learning and promote wellbeing. Chapters explore issues relating to classroom management, school culture and leadership, staff wellbeing, pedagogy, inclusion and the curriculum. Placing students at the centre of decision making, the book showcases innovative models and strategies that schools might use for preventing problems, engaging students and identifying and addressing learning or mental health problems that some students might experience.



    This book will appeal to academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the fields of mental health and education, and will also be of interest to school counsellors, educational psychologists and those working with young people in schools.

    Chapter 1: Alice’s story

    Chapter 2: The role of schools in promoting children’s mental health

    2.1 Introduction

    2.2 The role of schools

    2.3 A question of priorities

    2.4 Key terms and concepts

    2.4.1 Mental illness

    2.4.2 Social and emotional wellbeing

    2.4.3 Mental health promotion, prevention and intervention

    2.5 Why should schools be involved in promoting children’s mental health?

    2.5.1 Prevalence of children’s mental illness

    2.5.2 Causes of mental illness

    2.5.3 Lack of support for children’s mental health concerns

    2.5.4 Schools can make a positive difference

    2.5.5 Inseparable relationship between school success and mental health

    2.5.6 Economic arguments

    2.5.7 Equality

    2.6 Finally…

    2.7 References

    Chapter 3 The relationship between mental illness, wellbeing and academic achievement

    3.1 What is academic success and failure?

    3.2 Why do some children fail at school?

    3.3 A sequence of experiences

    3.3.1 The adjustment erosion model

    3.3.2 The academic incompetence model

    3.3.3 Shared risk model

    3.4 Socio-economic factors, academic performance and academic achievement

    3.5 Influence of schools on mental health and academic achievement

    3.6 What does this mean for schools?

    3.7 References

    Chapter 4 Towards a school wide model for supporting students’ mental health and academic learning

    4.1 Programs to support students’ mental health and academic learning

    4.1.1 Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs

    4.1.2 Academic learning programs

    4.1.3 Programs that target student behaviour

    4.1.4 Programs to promote a positive school environment

    4.2 One to one counselling services

    4.3 The evidence base

    4.4 The rationale for developing a whole school, integrated approach for supporting children’s academic learning and mental health needs

    4.5 Tiered approaches

    4.6 Examples of whole school, integrated approaches

    4.7 A tiered system of common evidence based practices

    4.8 Problems and future opportunities for whole school approaches for supporting children’s academic learning and mental health

    4.9 References

    Chapter 5 School culture and climate

    5.1 School size

    5.2 Screening

    5.2.1 At risk students

    5.3 A help seeking school

    5.4 Leadership

    5.4.1 Vision and policies

    5.5 School connectedness

    5.6 Cultural competence and sensitivity

    5.7 Safe schools

    5.8 Relationships

    5.8.1 Student-student relationships

    5.8.2 Teacher-student relationships

    5.9 References

    Chapter 6 Reconceptualising student behaviour

    6.1 The relationship between learning, mental health and behaviour

    6.2 What is challenging behaviour?

    6.3 Models of classroom management: what’s our end goal?

    6.4 Teach more, manage less

    6.5 Promoting behaviour conducive to learning

    6.6 ‘Consequences have consequences’ (Lewis, 2015)

    6.7 Motivating students

    6.8 An approach based on mutual respect

    6.9 References

    Chapter 7 Teaching and learning

    7.1 How excellent teachers teach

    7.2 Feedback and assessment

    7.3 Mental health topics

    7.4 Teaching social and emotional skills

    7.4.1 How to purposefully teach social and emotional skills

    7.4.2 Social and emotional learning programs

    7.4.3 Criticisms of social and emotional learning programs

    7.5 Teachers as role models

    7.6 References

    Chapter 8 Partnerships

    8.1 Professional collaborations

    8.2 Models of collaborations

    8.2.1 The referral process

    8.3 Family partnerships

    8.4 Children and youth

    8.5 References

    Chapter 9 Inclusivity: celebrating diversity

    9.1 Why is inclusion important?

    9.1.1 Gender diversity

    9.2 Inclusive education benefits all students

    9.2.1 Attainment grouping

    9.3 Basic principles of an inclusive education

    9.4 How to be inclusive

    9.4.1 Students at the centre

    9.4.2 Teachers’ beliefs

    9.4.3 Teachers’ knowledge

    9.4.4 Teachers’ practices

    9.4.5 Policy, school leadership and systems

    9.5 References

    Chapter 10 Staff wellbeing: school staff have feelings too

    10.1 Teacher social and emotional competence

    10.2 Teacher and principal stress and wellbeing

    10.3 Teachers’ (potentially stressful) role in promoting young people’s mental health and wellbeing

    10.4 Promoting the wellbeing of school staff

    10.5 References

    Chapter 11 Trauma informed schools

    11.1 Trauma and its impact on young people

    11.2 Schools and trauma

    11.3 School based formal programs

    11.3.1 Trauma sensitive school environments

    11.4 Managing specific traumatic events

    11.5 Crisis plans

    11.6 Pulling it all together

    11.7 References

    Chapter 12 Making a difference: Are we there yet?

    12.1 What should schools be doing? Evidence based programs and practice based evidence

    12.2 The place of monitoring and evaluation

    12.3 Action research cycle

    12.4 Reflective practice

    12.5 Just do it

    12.5.1 It’s about attitude

    12.5.2 Take home messages

    12.3 Student voice

    12.3.1 Children and youth: what makes a happy school?

    12.4 References

    Biography

    Andrea Reupert is the Director of Psychology Programs in the Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia.