Well-Being for Life & Learning: Supporting the Whole Student

Video Presentation

Authors:

• Sasha Duttchoudhury, MSW Program, School of Social Work, UW Seattle
• Kaleb Germinaro, Learning Sciences & Human Development Program, College of Education, UW Seattle
• Megan Kennedy, UW Resilience Lab, Undergraduate Academic Affairs, UW Seattle
• Jon Monteith, UW Resilience Lab, Undergraduate Academic Affairs, UW Seattle

Abstract:

The UW Resilience Lab’s Well-Being for Life and Learning (WBLL) initiative supports instructors in designing learning environments that promote well-being. A pilot program of WBLL took place over the 2019-20 academic year. During this time, more than 40 WBLL Fellows — including instructors, staff, and students from all three campuses — participated in a community of practice, shared teaching strategies, and worked with the Resilience Lab team to conceptualize a framework for advancing student well-being that serves as the foundation of the recently released Well-Being for Life and Learning Guidebook.

This poster/presentation will explore the use of this guidebook for creating a culture of well-being in the classroom. The guidebook includes four core sections: teaching for equity and access, nurturing connection, building resilience coping skills, and connecting to the environment. It was co-authored through a collaborative process that entailed significant research, critical inquiry, and extensive discussion between students, staff, and instructors across multiple disciplines at the UW. The guidebook recommends dozens of teaching practices, highlights important resources, and features the work and personal testimony of UW instructors and staff. It also centers the voices of students and their reflections on these practices. For example, as one student notes: “Instructors and TAs reminding me that I am worth more than my test scores or a number at the top of a page finally made me feel connected to this school.”

There is no perfect formula for advancing this work on campus. Each instructor must determine the right-sized ways to utilize practices and approaches that fit their teaching style and the context of their learning environment. To aid the UW community in that work, in this poster/presentation, the Resilience Lab will draw from specific practices and strategies in the guidebook that can help instructors prioritize the well-being of their students.

Poster PDF

View a PDF version of the poster in Google Drive to enlarge the image or download a copy.

Comments

The presenter for this poster will be available to respond to comments during Poster Session 2 on April 20, 3:45-4:30 p.m.