Wellbeing for tertiary learning advisors Lis Roche Ara Institute of Canterbury ATLAANZ conference Dec 12, 2018
What is ‘wellbeing’? • widely-used term -- but little agreement on what actually constitutes wellbeing • happiness, positive emotional state, life satisfaction, quality of life, ability to fulfil goals, positive functioning, flourishing … • descriptions or dimensions of wellbeing, not definition? (Dodge et al., 2012)
“ W e … propose a new definition of wellbeing as the balance point between an individual’s resource pool and the challenges faced ” (Dodge et al., 2012, p. 230). Image from “ The challenge of defining wellbeing” by R. Dodge , A. Daly, J. Huyton, and L. Sanders, L., 2012, International Journal of Wellbeing, 2 (3), p. 230. Reprinted with permission from R. Dodge.
Context-specific wellbeing Context-free - workplace wellbeing - family (overall wellbeing) - social relationships • -
Learning advisor workplace wellbeing * Challenges Rewards Job insecurity Student interaction (especially F2F; seeing impact of Marginalisation of role work) Autonomy Work intensification, Variety and flexibility in work including reduced staffing/time Collegiality & relationships with peers Emotional element of work Emotional element of work *From recent surveys of LAs in New Zealand (Cameron, 2018) and Australia (Malkin & Chanock, 2018) – not surveys of “wellbeing” per se – and other LA literature (Carter & Trafford, 2008; Huyton, 2009; Mitchell, 2008)
Learning advisor rewards Learning advisor challenges Student interaction Job insecurity (especially F2F; seeing impact of work) Autonomy Marginalisation of role Variety and flexibility in work Work intensification incl. reduced staffing/time Collegiality and relationships with peers Emotional element of work Emotional element of work
Each of us will weigh the demands of an event or situation against our own available resources • Time • Personality characteristics e.g. self-efficacy, • Energy self-esteem, • Money positive/negative disposition • Demographics • Ways of coping with stress • Marital/parental status • Emotional responses • Health • Attitudes/interests • Competencies Photo via <a href="https://www.goodfreephotos.com/">Good Free Photos</a>
How can I build up my resource pool? Image from “ The challenge of defining wellbeing” by R. Dodge, A. Daly, J. Huyton, and L. Sanders, L., 2012 , International Journal of Wellbeing, 2 (3), p. 230. Reprinted with permission from R. Dodge.
Intentional activities Some and changeable practices resources Some unchanging resources Adapted from Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, and Schkade’s (2005) paper on intentional activities for sustainable change in happiness and wellbeing
Type and timing of activities should be of your own choosing The effectiveness of intentional positive activities depends on: • the type of activity • how often it is done • the variety of activities • whether you are motivated, feel supported • the ‘person - activity’ fit, which depends on your personality, culture, affective state, age, etc. • evidenced by how often you complete an activity and your subsequent level of happiness. (Layous, 2018; Lyubomirsky and Layous, 2013)
Suggestions from the literature At work Outside of work Taking breaks Physical activity Talking to colleagues Nutrition Reflection Sleep ‘Job crafting’ Strong social relationships Positive psychological interventions Emotional management
Suggestions from the literature At work • Taking lunch breaks https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/newsletter/ and within-day work healthy-break-activities for lists of calming, energizing and relaxing breaks breaks. • Technology for scheduling work breaks, e.g. o Work/Break timer app in the Apple Watch o Workpace stretch-break software http://www.workpace.com/workpace • Talking to colleagues debriefing informally with colleagues • professional conversations — important for new teachers • social and professional networks • Peer-group supervision or peer support groups o Recommended resource: Hawkins & Shohet (2012). • Reflection an acknowledged part of LA professional practice (ATLAANZ, 2012) • See Malthus (2013) re LAs' reflective practice on one-to-one teaching practice • ‘Job crafting’ self-initiated behaviours to improve well-being and person-job fit and make work more engaging and meaningful. e.g. o asking for new tasks to build new skills o meeting with an inspiring colleague o reframing how you think about parts of your job
Suggestions from the literature Outside of work #1 Physical activity Nutrition Sleep Strong social relationships • Positive Mindfulness meditation (eg Headspace app) • psychological Finding and practising meaning in life through goalsetting, interventions reflection on life • Acknowledging and cultivating own strengths of character and talents • Gratitude —appreciation for others’ altruistic acts • Savouring — slow & attentive experience of senses • Optimism — visualising ideal future self • Kindness o spending money to benefit others o random acts of kindness • www.actionforhappiness.org
Suggestions from the literature Outside of work #2 • Emotional Keep an emotions diary to notice and record emotional management responses to situations, and ways of coping with stress, both in and outside of work. o Example in O'Toole et al. (2010); or o Mood Meter (manual, or phone app) for RULER approach (Recognise, Understand, Label, Express and Regulate emotions) — from Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence ( https://www.rulerapproach.org/) • Cognitive reappraisal: o intentionally changing the way you think about a stressful situation; o changing what you are thinking about in order to feel less of a negative emotion, for example sadness or anger; o thinking about a stressful situation in a way that helps you keep calm.
Outside of work At work — At work — individually with others Discussion
References Association of Tertiary Learning Advisors of Aotearoa New Zealand. (2012). ATLAANZ professional practice document . Retrieved from www.atlaanz.org/index.php/home/research Cameron, C. (2018). Tertiary learning advisors in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Part three: Why do we stay?: Rewards and challenges. ATLAANZ Journal, 3 (Special Issue: Identity and Opportunity): 44-66. Carter, S. & Bartlett-Trafford, J. (2008). Who are we? Aotearoa New Zealand Tertiary learning advisors talk about themselves. In E. Manalo, J. Bartlett-Trafford, & S. Crozier (Eds.), Walking a tightrope – the balancing act of learning advising: Refereed proceedings of the 2007 Association of Tertiary Learning Advisors of Aotearoa New Zealand (ATLAANZ) Conference (pp. 39 – 61). Auckland, New Zealand: ATLAANZ. Dodge, R., Daly, A., Huyton, J., & Sanders, L. (2012). The challenge of defining wellbeing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 2 (3), 222-235. Hawkins, P., & Shohet, R. (2012). Supervision in the helping professions . (4th ed.). Maidenhead, England : McGraw-Hill. Huyton, J. (2009). Significant personal disclosure: Exploring the support and development needs of HE tutors engaged in the emotion work associated with supporting students. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (1), 1-18. Layous, K. (2018). Malleability and intentional activities. In E. Diener, S. Oishi, & L. Tay (Eds.), Handbook of well-being . Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers. Lyubomirsky, S., & Layous, K. (2013). How do simple positive activities increase well-being? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22 (1), 57-62. Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9( 2), 111-131. Malkin, C. & Chanock, K. (2018). Academic language and learning (ALL) in Australia: An endangered or evolving species? Journal of Academic Language and Learning, 12 (1), A15-A32. Malthus, C. (2013). “Reflecting on one -to-one teaching - What strategies might shed light on our practice. In C. Gera (Ed.). Working together: Planting the Seed: Proceedings of the 2012 Annual International Conference of the Association of Tertiary Learning Advisors of Aotearoa/New Zealand (ATLAANZ) (pp. 61 - 70). Hamilton, New Zealand: ATLAANZ. Mitchell, C. (2008). Walking an emotional tightrope: The role of emotions in a one-to-one learning consultation. In E. Manalo, J. Bartlett- Trafford, & S. Crozier (Eds.), Walking a tightrope: The balancing act of learning advising: Proceedings of the 2007 Annual International Conference of the Association of Tertiary Learning Advisors of Aotearoa/New Zealand (ATLAANZ) (pp. 172-184). O'Toole, V., Ogier-Price, A., & Hucks, A. (2010). Investigation into the role of emotions in tertiary teaching: A pilot study into the emotions experienced by tertiary educators in their teaching contexts: Final report. Retrieved from https://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/download/ng/file/group-7/investigation-into-the-role-of-emotions-in-tertiary-teaching.pdf Thomas, R., & Bennett, B. (2002). LAS advisers and the changing identity of the workplace: Their sources of stress and the strategies they use to cope. In Changing identities: Proceedings of the 2001 Australian Language and Academic Skills Conference. Wollongong: Learning Development, University of Wollongong.
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