How to better student performance – Encourage positivity and happiness
As a society, we often place emphasis on academic excellence, achievements, knowledge and skills when our primary goal should be the pursuit of happiness.
Maple Leaf Kingsley International School believes in creating a safe and happy environment where children feel confident to learn, grow and shine. Read more to find out how happiness translates into a child’s overall well-being and success.
Research shows that happiness plays a vital role in the motivation and well-being of school children. Happiness in children has often been linked to other benefits such as better health, better learning, higher emotional literacy and good behaviour. On the contrary, lack of happiness can be detrimental to the thinking skills, creativity, intelligence, academic performance and personality growth of the children.
The importance of happiness has not just been an important subject of inquiry, but a goal that has been recognised globally, becoming a part of the development and educational policies of various countries over the years.
Given the strong link between happiness and quality and education, UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education (UNESCO Bangkok) published a report called Happy Schools: A Framework for learner well-being in the Asia Pacific. Evidence in the report shows prioritising student well-being and happiness in schools can lead to higher academic achievements.
However, this has often been undervalued with more focus on test scores as the prime indicator of the quality of education.
Another report called Because I’m Happy published by the Harvard Graduate School of Education shows that happiness really matters when it comes to learning. In an intriguing study by Christina Hinton conducted among students from elementary to high school, Hilton says that “Students often reported that happiness, or positive feelings like enjoyment or fun, promotes learning.” Students cited various reasons for the positive feelings which include a safe and secure environment at school and good relationships with teachers and peers. However, they found that “a network of supportive relationships is at the heart of happiness.”
What do our teachers say?
The quality of the students are a direct reflection of the quality of the teachers and a school’s environment. When asked about how much happiness is related to learning, our Primary Principal, Ms Josephine, says it’s “absolutely 100% of happiness!” Her tip to entering the classroom is to begin the lesson with a joke or a riddle.
She also shares a few words of wisdom with her colleagues.
“I always tell my teachers that if your students are not happy, they are not learning. So the first thing that you do when you go into the classroom is to make your students excited, happy and eager for you to come into the classroom.”
Building a caring community
At Maple Leaf Kingsley International School, we believe that mindful and positive interactions between teachers and peers, authentic connections, building strong trust and genuine care are the key to the wellbeing and success of the students. Supportive relationships between teachers and peers ensure that students feel comfortable to confide and share their problems; an initiative for building better mental health.
A caring community, in turn, leads to a bully-free environment where students are nurtured into confident and independent youths who see the importance of living purposefully and fearlessly in life. Kingsley creates an enriching learning atmosphere where people are confident, engaged, innovative and respectful towards each other.
Our teachers employ fun and creative methods of teaching to create engaging learning experiences that empower students and create excitement to come back to school every day. Students are encouraged to ask questions, research their interests, train their bodies and mind, and be who they are.
Located on expansive grounds with a lush landscape, not only does Kingsley encourage the students to connect with nature but also learn to appreciate the environment and care for it. By combining a visionary curriculum, state-of-the-art facilities and an expansive environment to learn in, Kingsley is able to create an environment conducive to learning for students, teachers and parents to flourish.
It is not about smart children, it is about happy children who have the confidence to learn and pursue things dear to their heart. – Alexandra Eidens
At Maple Leaf Kingsley International School, the happiness and well being of our students is at the heart of everything we do. Kingsley is more than just a school – it is a place where children can feel free to learn, grow and express themselves without the fear of failure. We ensure that Kingsley is a home away from home for our children – a place where they love to come back every day.