Best practice is a lofty goal in any context. Is it aiming to improve learners' knowledge or helping them gain confidence as citizens prepared for an ever-changing global context? Perhaps it should be both and much more. Surely one aim must be learner contentment and happiness. As actors in society developing young people's confidence and competence appear to be linked. The onus then is on educators to teach in ways that trigger their imagination and help develop lasting connection to knowledge ideas and strategies. Real world learning scaffolded by innovative teaching has positive potential for achieving positive outcomes. This chapter provides some suggestions and ideas from educational practice and theory.
“I was in an island environ’d every way with the sea, no land to be seen, except some rocks which lay a great way off…” —Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (1719, Chapter 5)
TopIdeas Into Action
The preceding chapters of this book have attempted to overview the contemporary forces at play along the learning journey. Human cognition is complex and matching pedagogical practices to learners’ needs is a perpetual teaching puzzle. In this chapter the focus is shifted to the teacher and examples of teaching practices which appear to tick many of the prerequisite boxes. The examples have been included because they appear to meet best practice guidelines for the socio-political context of the times. To make sense of the examples some background guidance is needed including an explanation of the meaning of best practice. Hence, helping to frame the review of the examples included are some general reminders of the human condition in the twenty first century along with the needs and goals of society.
From the individual’s perspective maintaining good health and living life ‘well’ invariably equates with being happy (David et al., 2014). Provided the opportunities exist for the pursuit of personal goals in society it should be a simple state to achieve. But it can be a rocky road to navigate if personal goals and well-being conflict with the prevailing politics. Irving Stone’s book The Agony and the Ecstasy (1961) made famous with a Hollywood film of the same name explores the life of the artist Michelangelo, and his personal struggles in Renaissance Italy. Perhaps more fiction than historically accurate the novel is widely accepted as a remarkable insight to human psychology. Achieving ‘ecstasy’ or happiness is thought to be a state of subjective well-being. A sense of calm and purpose which clears the path for productive outcomes. Poets, novelists, and artists offer a rich and diverse trove of images related to human happiness that match the history of civilisation. However, until recent times ‘happiness’ appeared to be a private matter. In 2012, the United Nations met in Bhutan and proclaimed March 20 to be the International Day of Happiness. The UN pronouncement is that happiness is one of 17 sustainable development goals: “Happiness is a fundamental human goal. The United Nations General Assembly recognizes this goal and calls for “a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all peoples.”1 The 2023 UN report claims:
It has been over ten years since the first World Happiness Report was published. And it is exactly ten years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/281, proclaiming 20 March to be observed annually as International Day of Happiness. Since then, more and more people have come to believe that our success as countries should be judged by the happiness of our people. There is also a growing consensus about how happiness should be measured. This consensus means that national happiness can now become an operational objective for governments.2
The Happy School Project is an example of a UN initiative. The UNESCO Bangkok, the Happy Schools began in 2014. The project offers an alternative approach to improving learning experiences by prioritizing school happiness. By focusing on well-being, engagement, and a sense of belonging at school, the Happy Schools Project helps foster a lifelong love of learning. In 2022, a guide and toolkit were developed. From this beginning the Happy Schools Project has extended its reach globally and with its advocacy for prioritizing well-being and happiness in schools, the project has renewed focus on bettering learning experiences.3
The UN initiative of the Bhutanese government, for example, has been to promote a concept of economics based on happiness (see Huppert, 2012). Gathering momentum in recent years, research and happiness related programs have been capturing this ethos and embedding their findings in organisations including education. Mindfulness training is one example (Bajaj et al., 2019) whereby the person is required to manage two forces, self-regulation and focus on the experience. It sounds like positive education which is to be commended. At the same time the extent to which these programs succeed, including achieving the state of happiness, may well be difficult to measure.