Episode #1

SHOW NOTES – Interview with Justin Robinson

EPISODE 1, SERIES 1

What Positive Education is and what it isn't with Justin Robinson

"Our purpose is to inspire our world to place wellbeing at the heart of education" – Justin Robinson

About Justin:

Justin Robinson is the inaugural Director of the Institute of Positive Education, based at Geelong Grammar School. He leads a team dedicated to promoting the theory and practice of Positive Education through research and providing training for other educators. As a passionate leader in the field of student and staff wellbeing, Justin has been invited to write for a number of publications and speak at conferences both in Australia and around the world. His appointment at the Institute follows a successful career as a Mathematics and Physical Education teacher and school leader at both Geelong Grammar School and Trinity Grammar School. An enthusiastic sportsman, Justin has coached many school sporting teams and is a keen marathon runner. Justin is an Honorary Fellow of Melbourne Graduate School of Education, and lives with his wife Jeanette and their four children on the Corio campus of Geelong Grammar School.

Key information:

  • What was the process that Geelong Grammar School went through in implementing Positive Education?
  • What issues arose for the school once the program started to be applied practically?
  • What is the relationship between the scientific theory and practical application of the program? How has this developed over the 10 years that the program has been running?
  • What four aspects make up the central philosophy of what Positive Education is?
  • What four statements help us gain a better understanding of what Positive Education is not?
  • What are the Learn, Live, Teach, Embed principles, and how do they ensure better implementation of Positive Education?
  • What is the future of Positive Education?

Episode Content:

00:00 – Introduction and welcome
00:23 – What is Justin’s role at the Institute of Positive Education? 
02:51 – What has been his experience as Positive Education program developed?
04:31 – How has Justin’s understanding of Positive Education changed over time?
05:45 – What is the relationship between the scientific theory and the practical application of Positive Education?
08:33 – How did Positive Education move on from a focus purely on the science?
08:52 – What is Positive Education today?
10:49 – What are the four philosophical aspects of Positive Education? 
12:43 – What are the Learn, Live, Teach, Embed principles and how do they relate to the implementation of Positive Education?
20:00 – Continuation of the four philosophical aspects of Positive Education
23:32 – What is not included in the field of Positive Education?
25:14 – Positive Education is not about being happy all the time and avoiding negative emotions
29:43 – Will Positive Education be re-branded? What does the future look like for Positive Education?
34:34 – Positive Education is not about ensuring a child is free from failure and adversity
35:58 – “Our goal is to prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child”
40:26 – Positive Education is not a one-size fits all approach, it’s not a quick-fix and it’s not a standalone curriculum
44:08 – Geelong Grammar School’s new philosophy statement: enabling wisdom
45:20 – Case study: How the program made a difference to the attitude of a year 12 student
46:29 – Why Pos Ed is not just another program for schools to introduce, why schools should also look at what they take out as well as what they add in to improve their curriculum
53:24 – What do the next 5 or 10 years hold for Positive Education?

    Episode Resources:

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