Join us as we explore how fostering student mental health and wellbeing impacts their academic success. From the importance of creating trusting relationships to the impact of COVID-19 - learn how to create strategies that support both students and teachers to create a nurturing and cohesive educational environment.
Join us as we explore how fostering student mental health and wellbeing impacts their academic success. From the importance of creating trusting relationships to the impact of COVID-19 - learn how to create strategies that support both students and teachers to create a nurturing and cohesive educational environment.
In this episode, Dr. Stella Laletas and Dr. Chloe De Rosbo-Davies discuss the critical role of mental health in shaping educational experiences. As experts in psychology and education, they offer invaluable insights into the complex relationship between a student's sense of wellbeing and learning capacity.
Drawing from her extensive teaching experience, Stella underscores the importance of creating secure and trusting environments for student success. Echoing her insights, Chloe, a psychologist and previous school counsellor, highlights the profound positive changes in students who establish connections with their teachers.
Together, we explore:
This episode advocates for a holistic approach to wellbeing in education, providing a wealth of insights for educators aiming to enrich their classroom environments and foster comprehensive development in their students. Join us for an enlightening discussion on Let’s Talk Teaching.
Resources:
Special Guests:
Dr Stella Laletas
Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, Counselling and Inclusive Education - Monash University
Dr Chloe De Rosbo-Davies
Educational and Developmental Psychologist - Level Up Psychology
If you’re enjoying Let’s Talk Teaching, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review! You can follow us on Instagram, X and Facebook, and share your thoughts on the show by using the hashtag #letstalkteachingpodcast
If you’re interested in hearing more about the short courses, undergraduate and postgraduate study options that Monash Education offers, please visit: Monash Education's learn more page.
We are grateful for the support of Monash University’s Faculty of Education in producing this podcast.
[00:00:00] Bec: This podcast is recorded on the land of the Boon Wurrung people of the Eastern Kulin Nation. We'd like to pay our respect to Elders past and present, and acknowledge that this land was stolen and never ceded. Welcome to Let's Talk Teaching, the podcast created by teachers for teachers. I'm Associate Professor Rebecca Cooper, Assistant Dean of Initial Teacher Education at Monash University's Faculty of Education, and I'll be your host for this series.
[00:00:28] Bec: Our aim is to create a conversational series that's informative, engaging and relevant to your teaching practice. Joined by academics and teaching alumni from Monash University, we'll be exploring the challenges, issues and experiences you might be facing in and out of the classroom. Drawing on their personal experiences to provide you with valuable insights into the world of teaching.
[00:00:53] Bec: Building on our exploration of creating supportive learning environments, today's episode takes a closer look at [00:01:00] the intricate relationship between students mental health, well being, and Joining me to share practical strategies on how to harness wellbeing and belonging in schools is Dr Stella Lalitis, Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, Counselling and Inclusive Education at Monash University.
[00:01:19] Bec: And Dr. Chloe DeRosbo Davies, Educational and Developmental Psychologist at Level Up Psychology. Together we delve into the importance of school wellbeing teams, strategies for equipping teachers to support their students effectively, and the vital need to extend wellbeing support to educators themselves.
[00:01:39] Bec: This discussion offers practical advice. and reflections on enhancing the educational experience for both students and teachers through a focused lens on mental health and well being. Let's get into it. Thank you both so much for joining me here today. Stella, I'm really keen to start with understanding what it was [00:02:00] that sparked your interest in student well being.
[00:02:02] Stella: Thanks Bec. I was a teacher for many years, um, worked in secondary and primary school settings and as a classroom teacher, I had a bit of curiosity about why some students perform better than others and, and sometimes the way that students came to school, especially when I was working in the secondary school sector, I wanted to find out ways that I could help them.
[00:02:25] Stella: and support them because what I started to see there was that some were coming in quite upset or felt they weren't themselves or behaviors started to play out in the classroom. So I wanted to really understand that. So I went through, um, a series of different positions, like coordinating positions, leadership positions, and I had, I was lucky enough to secure student well being.
[00:02:50] Stella: physician. And during that time, I was here at Monash doing my, um, psychology degrees and, uh, well, master's and PhD, [00:03:00] um, related to the work that I was doing in the school. So, um, I focused on educational developmental psychology. Because that's where we, um, concentrate on how, um, students are doing at school and our interventions and focus is around understanding where they're at with their learning and their mental health, and also what we can do in terms of schools to support them.
[00:03:25] Stella: Some of my research. Um, that I've done is around, um, understanding teacher perceptions about what they see in the classroom and what they experience in the classroom.
[00:03:34] Bec: So Stella, from what I'm hearing you say, there's, there's a real connection then between student wellbeing and learning? Absolutely. Can you elaborate on that a bit?
[00:03:43] Bec: Like what does that look like for you? from your perspective?
[00:03:46] Stella: Sure. Now the research shows this, but I saw this anecdotally in my own experience as time went on and I had more confidence in addressing some of the issues. But when students felt safe and self, [00:04:00] uh, safe in the classroom, safe with you, there was a safe space for them to talk to you.
[00:04:05] Stella: And they, there was that trust that developed. I started to see changes, just not in their behavior, but their motivation, wanting to do better. and being more open to getting help from a, from an academic perspective. And what we see, um, what we know is, uh, in the research is that there is a co a very strong positive correlation between social, emotional, Factors and academic outcomes.
[00:04:35] Stella: So when we're getting the mental health and social emotional right, then the academic outcomes start to increase. And Chloe, you're nodding along there.
[00:04:44] Chloe: Yeah, no, I, I don't have Stella's teaching background. I haven't worked in, in schools in that capacity. Um, but certainly I worked in schools from a counselling perspective as a, as a school counsellor.
[00:04:55] Chloe: Um, And I saw exactly the same things. I remember working with students who [00:05:00] didn't feel particularly comfortable at school one year and then the next, really connected with their teacher and had a safe and trusting relationship with them. And their engagement at school skyrocketed. So very similar observations from a slightly different perspective.
[00:05:15] Bec: Okay. So when you say they've got that, uh, relationship and that trust, how do you start that as a teacher? What do you do if you want to start? really start to build that trust? You say you've got this student in your class that is perhaps not feeling or looking or their best and you're seeing their grades drop.
[00:05:33] Bec: What do you do?
[00:05:34] Chloe: I think the most important thing is really understanding the student as a whole. Um, so I understand teachers oftentimes don't get access to all the information available about a particular student and why they might be presenting that way. Um, but understanding that there is something that's underpinning their, their presentation in the classroom, um, and the way they are presenting day to day and the way they are engaging, uh, is really, really [00:06:00] important.
[00:06:00] Chloe: Um, and once you're able to kind of take that mindset and have that approach with that student, you naturally have more empathy. In that, in, in your engagement with them.
[00:06:09] Bec: Okay. So when you say look at the whole student, what does that mean?
[00:06:14] Stella: Well, getting to know students, and we know that's part of the teaching frameworks, you know, really knowing your students, what interests them.
[00:06:21] Stella: You might not know what's going on at home because it might be confidential, private, embarrassing for students, but all you need to know really is that they're struggling. And there's a good reason for why they're struggling. You don't need to know the ins and outs of it. When I worked with teachers, that was part of my capacity in student well being.
[00:06:44] Stella: It was about helping them understand that it's not, you know, students not coming in and just throwing tantrums or having angry episodes because they don't like you, it's because something's happened in their own private [00:07:00] lives and they're just trying to process it. And so I think one of the first things I started to do with the teachers I knew that I worked with was, um, get them to understand, uh, as I said before, that it's not personal.
[00:07:13] Stella: And for them to just kind of be on a needs to know basis, but reach out perhaps to the student wellbeing teams, the psychologists, the social workers and say, you know, I'm just flagging this student. They don't even have to do anything personally themselves apart from being kind.
[00:07:32] Bec: Okay.
[00:07:32] Stella: You're
[00:07:32] Bec: saying reach out to the wellbeing team.
[00:07:35] Bec: Who might these people be in schools? Who might they actually be reaching out to?
[00:07:39] Chloe: It looks so different from school to school. I worked in one school where it was the vice principal was the, was also the head of wellbeing. Um, but the school that I worked in the longest had a full time. Fully fledged wellbeing team.
[00:07:51] Bec: What does that look like? What does a fully fledged team look like? They,
[00:07:54] Chloe: they had two staff members in charge of wellbeing, learning, diversity and support. Right. And are they
[00:07:59] Bec: [00:08:00] teachers or? Yeah,
[00:08:01] Chloe: they'd all come from a teaching background. Um, and then there was me as part of that team as well as, as a psychologist or school counsellor.
[00:08:07] Bec: Okay.
[00:08:07] Chloe: Um, so yeah, I think all in all our team had, uh, four or five staff members, um, attending to different aspects of wellbeing.
[00:08:16] Stella: Depends on the size of the school, doesn't it? For sure. Some campuses are split campuses, you know, they're from junior school to year 12. So the models are different. I found before a lot more of us were coming from teaching background in student wellbeing, but I think more and more now there's a combination.
[00:08:34] Stella: There's more training in student wellbeing that didn't exist before. And then having that team, you know, of your school psychologist coming in, your Social worker coming in, assessments happen at school, counseling happens at school, student wellbeing, coordinators usually do some counseling. And in fact, more and more, a lot of them come from our masters of counseling.
[00:08:58] Stella: So that's how it's [00:09:00] changed. But I think the important message for us is that then it needs to be a team effort and we need to turn to each other for understanding. And just on the other question that you just had, Vic, around what can teachers do, um, before I, you know, sort of went into wellbeing, what I started to see was the relationships are really difficult.
[00:09:21] Stella: We say, we say, you know, build trust and relationships. Not always as easy because you're confronted with some students that are really angry at the world. But taking it slow, getting to know the student, show them that you're interested in who they are as a whole student, like even if it's what, what footy team they like, just remembering on a day that, you know, the football was on and you've got a student in the barracks for Collingwood or, they just, um, they light up.
[00:09:51] Stella: Cause they feel seen and they feel heard and that can make a huge difference for them. So
[00:09:58] Bec: Stella, I think your [00:10:00] message for teachers sounds like bring in the team around you. And work with the student, but step back from that need to know and, and dive deep. And in fact, it's okay if teachers don't have to be responsible for that deep dive in, that in fact, there are teams and people around them that they can call on for that support, but also to just move slowly with students.
[00:10:25] Stella: Yep. Yeah. That's really important. And teachers often feel like they need to be a counsellor or they need to be a, and you know, they don't. Um, and in fact in a lot of the research that we see out there and some of the work that I've done is, teachers don't need to be counsellors or psychologists, but teachers are really well equipped in their training to identify warning signs.
[00:10:50] Stella: So
[00:10:50] Bec: then what do teachers need? How do we, um, support the teachers to do, or to play the role that we need them to [00:11:00] play in, in student wellbeing and mental health? Okay.
[00:11:02] Chloe: Um, it's a big question. I feel like a lot of the teachers that I worked with felt very under equipped.
[00:11:08] Bec: Yeah, I think that's true. I think that's why I'm trying to clarify what their role is in this, because I do think teachers feel, um, very uncertain and quite ill equipped, I suppose.
[00:11:18] Bec: What do they need, Chloe?
[00:11:19] Chloe: I mean, I suppose from a basic level, you could say some, some general mental health first aid type training. Right. Some real basics, but certainly the school that I worked in had a lot of, um, they did a lot of training in trauma informed classrooms. Uh, and I think for the staff that did participate in that, that was exceptionally helpful, um, because not only the kids with trauma benefit from a trauma informed approach, every kid benefits from that sort of approach because it is a really affirming and supportive approach.
[00:11:47] Chloe: Um, so yeah, I think, I think trauma informed care is really important.
[00:11:50] Stella: And it's about knowing not to make it worse, you know, not doing more harm. So, you know, so what sort of
[00:11:57] Bec: things could make it worse? Well,
[00:11:59] Stella: taking a [00:12:00] very authoritative approach to students to try and get them to comply and control and they won't respond well to that.
[00:12:09] Chloe: Yeah, I've seen. exceptional amounts of fear in students where that sort of approach has been taken, where they became really fearful of a particular staff member. And it was actually aversive to have those two interact. Um, It shouldn't
[00:12:24] Stella: really get to that
[00:12:24] Chloe: level. It shouldn't, um, but this, you know, again, the staff in the school weren't really sure how to support the student.
[00:12:31] Chloe: And there was, You know, they were doing a lot for this particular kid as well.
[00:12:36] Bec: So for a kid like that, what's their sort of basic need from, from a school or from their teacher? Safety. Safety. Yeah. And what does that look like for that student?
[00:12:48] Chloe: For this particular student, it looked like Um, feeling comfortable to approach his teacher, um, not feeling like he was going to get an aversive response from his classroom teacher.
[00:12:57] Chloe: Not being scared of going into that class.
[00:12:59] Stella: Yeah. [00:13:00] Yeah. Avoiding that class. Yeah. Or being in the, um, nurse's office in that class. Um, so all
[00:13:05] Bec: of those things that start to happen. And what sort of things would have made, aside from the relationship with the teacher, what sort of things would have made that classroom space?
[00:13:13] Bec: scary or difficult or challenging for that sort of student.
[00:13:17] Chloe: He was, I suppose, to use an awful word, punished for being who he naturally is. He had quite a complex background, um, and that resulted in a lot of sort of just really basic things like general fidgeting and, and being somewhat disruptive in the classroom.
[00:13:34] Chloe: Um, and that punitive approach was taken towards those sorts of behaviors, which led to that sense of, of insecurity and unsafety. As soon as he was allowed to be who he was and, you know, so long as everyone in the space was safe, he was, he thrived.
[00:13:49] Bec: So what's the alternative approach then? If it's not punitive, so that the student still exhibits the behavior, punitive approach.
[00:13:57] Bec: Okay, that's what they've done. What's an [00:14:00] alternative approach? A lot of
[00:14:01] Stella: work has been done and drawn on the restorative practices approaches. And I think they're, they're a great guide. And framework, there are schools that use that, uh, in terms of their, um, you know, managing the different year levels. Um, they do things like circle time and trying to build empathy and understanding among students and between.
[00:14:25] Stella: students. I know when we introduced it at the school where I was at, we had to do the work with students, but also with teachers in terms of helping them understand why we're doing what we're doing. And then once I started to see the results, we had buy in from everyone. So initially you get the resistance, which is a huge barrier.
[00:14:48] Stella: Yeah. Talking about barriers. Resistance from teachers, from students. Both? Well, both really. Okay. So you're trying to, you're trying to bring them all together. Okay. So you might get resistance from teachers, [00:15:00] the students as well, because they are not convinced that teachers really care. And the other barrier as well, that's in the classroom is students may not know how to tackle the work.
[00:15:11] Stella: We see this a lot as, as educational developmental psychologists. So they use behaviors or disruptive behaviors to deflect that they can't actually do the work. So that's, I guess I'm bringing in my, um, training and, and work from inclusive education. So when Chloe said before, know the whole student, it's also about know how they learn.
[00:15:34] Stella: What are some of the issues that they have? The little, the boy that you said was fidgeting, there may have been some other underlying condition that he couldn't control that fidgeting. So it kind of comes in, you know, from both directions. It's that understanding. And then
[00:15:51] Chloe: it's finding ways to meet those particular needs.
[00:15:53] Chloe: So ADHD, what, what does he need to be able to focus, um, and learn effectively?
[00:15:59] Bec: And is that something [00:16:00] that's different for each individual kid or are there sort of Yeah. Okay.
[00:16:04] Stella: That's why we say get to know the whole student, the individual student. That's why the frameworks, if we look at the frameworks closely in teacher education, it's all about knowing the student and understanding their individual needs.
[00:16:17] Stella: Now, I know that's very controversial on how can you do that. But that relationship and that safety and making students feel safe, making students feel safe with you, you're half, more than halfway there.
[00:16:29] Bec: Okay. And from what I'm hearing from you too, it's about drawing on the resources and the team that you've got to get that sort of support.
[00:16:36] Chloe: Yeah. Everyone's got different interactions with the students and, and understands their needs from a different perspective. So it's important to work together as a team to really. To really understand the whole student.
[00:16:47] Bec: I'm going to ask, uh, uh, slightly take a different angle here, but I want to know a bit about the, the sort of flow on effect or the, the impact of COVID on, uh, student mental health and wellbeing.[00:17:00]
[00:17:00] Bec: Has, has that had an, an impact? Are we still seeing an impact? Yes, I would say so,
[00:17:07] Chloe: I was working in schools during that time. Um, what did you see
[00:17:10] Bec: during that time and what are you seeing now?
[00:17:12] Chloe: During that time, we probably saw. Massive increases in disengagement from school. Okay. Um, so students were really having trouble engaging with online or remote learning, I think they were calling it.
[00:17:24] Chloe: When we returned, nearly like 50 percent of the cases that were referred to me came through for separation anxiety. Um, which is continuing. So I'm still getting referrals in private practice for, for separation anxiety type concerns, but I think the other aspect is, is probably, um, changes in resilience, um, that have resulted from COVID.
[00:17:48] Bec: And are these things, uh, particular to certain age groups? So is it different for say kids who were in primary school versus kids who were in secondary school at the time of COVID?
[00:17:56] Chloe: Yeah. I mean, I worked in a primary school, so I was, I was seeing a lot [00:18:00] of the separation anxiety from younger students and a lot more disengagement from younger students.
[00:18:04] Chloe: That being said, I think students with, with different needs, like autistic students or students with ADHD also really struggled with that remote learning aspect. Some of them really liked
[00:18:15] Stella: it.
[00:18:15] Chloe: Some didn't. Some liked it. Which
[00:18:17] Stella: were doing better. So it was kind of a mixture of, um, in terms of those, those students, because they could work at their own pace and they weren't feeling left behind in the classroom and it was more individualized.
[00:18:32] Stella: So it was a mixture, but I, I mean, I definitely agree with what. Um, Chloe saying in that we did, we're still seeing the fallout of COVID from a social and emotional perspective of students. What are you seeing that looks like? The separation, anxiety, the school refusal, the resilience, you know, about building resilience.
[00:18:52] Stella: Um, you know, during COVID if you didn't like school, you could avoid it because you didn't have to, but it's like a lot of things that you could just avoid [00:19:00] not doing things like for some of us that don't necessarily like to socialize a lot or a bit more introverted. COVID was kind of great because we didn't have to do that.
[00:19:11] Stella: And with teenagers, you know, that's a big part of their lives is socializing, going out with their friends. It's school when they're not at school, it's kind of a learning curve there and they miss a lot of
[00:19:23] Bec: that. So what can teachers do to support students who are still feeling the, the impacts and the effects of having done some sort of remote learning, whatever it's like, well, and I suppose these work for those adults of us as well, who are perhaps still dealing with.
[00:19:38] Bec: The aftermath of COVID.
[00:19:40] Chloe: I think from a base level, it's understanding that that time has affected their development, their social and emotional development. And that although they're in year seven or year eight or year nine, there is a delay there with some of those. base social, emotional skills, um, because they haven't had that opportunity to develop them in the same way.
[00:19:59] Stella: So to have [00:20:00] understanding, awareness, patience, and, and kind of help them along where they're at, not where you expect them to be, because it can be very different, particularly now from, and I'm, I think that rule is. Generally, always the case, but I think after COVID, I think it's magnified the necessity for us to, to work and be patient with students.
[00:20:23] Stella: I think one of the things that I was reading also in the research is preppies, like found it very difficult during that COVID period. And yeah, the primary schools are still seeing the fall out of that, you know, cause that's where they get out and they, they make friends and, Yeah, that's pretty hard for a preppy to do remote learning.
[00:20:42] Stella: Hey, I'm don't want to make assumptions here, but we kind of know that it was stressful for most, and so that can all have an impact, um, on students, on, you know, students development and their learning and same for teachers as well. [00:21:00] Self care is a big part of it. Um, part of the work that I like to do in the research space.
[00:21:05] Stella: And so having an understanding about student behaviors and what's happening in that student management area, um, is important for them to, I guess, build and create and, um, gain a sense of awareness, self awareness about what's happening and how they're responding or reacting to it themselves. And then, you know, there is some, well, I mean, we've got some support out there.
[00:21:32] Stella: We'll share some resources, but you know, things like mindfulness training and, and even getting the counselling themselves can be very helpful. And I know it's, schools are very stretched. So student wellbeing teams, um, are usually They're working for students, but, um, I know when I was working in that kind of team approach, teachers needed support as well.
[00:21:57] Stella: But I don't think that's being looked at [00:22:00] enough in our school system. There's a focus on student wellbeing and connection and, and belonging, but there isn't enough being done in terms of looking after the teachers. Cause it's a very, very tough gig.
[00:22:12] Bec: Yeah. So at that system level, what would you like to see?
[00:22:16] Bec: In, in, just generally in relation to, to wellbeing, whether it's for teachers or students.
[00:22:21] Stella: Just the, the model to expand to teachers wellbeing, not just student wellbeing. When we talk about wellbeing, we want it to look like it's for the whole school community. It's not just for students. And I think, That's where we have that kind of more collaborative team approach, but it's also showing teachers that we understand it, that we're understanding this is tough.
[00:22:44] Stella: And needing support doesn't mean that you're not a good teacher, it means you're a human being and not a robot, because we all go through that and we need to have an idea of who to reach out to and what to do when we're not okay with that, because we don't want to lose our [00:23:00] teachers. No, we don't. And that's what's happening out there and I think at a systemic.
[00:23:05] Stella: level, I think that's a really important consideration that needs to be, um, thought of by governments and policy makers. Because if we look after the teachers that are already doing a good job, they're going to be doing a better job if we're supporting them.
[00:23:20] Chloe: Oh, I agree a hundred percent. You can't, you can't pour from an empty cup, right?
[00:23:23] Chloe: So you need to take care of the teachers in order for them to be able to care for the
[00:23:28] Bec: students. So if we're going to take care of the teachers, what would that look like in a school where that was working really well? Yeah.
[00:23:34] Stella: It's listening to teachers so that they feel seen and they feel heard and that they, um, know where to go and reach out.
[00:23:41] Stella: Like if they're not okay with the way 8c has been this week, you know, it's okay for them to share that. And I noticed a lot of schools do have mentor programs and they have groups set up where, you know, you can do a lot of peer kind of support, more [00:24:00] supervision around. We call it supervision in our.
[00:24:03] Stella: psychology kind of space, but it's around having those mentors in place. Um, and I say to my students, they don't have to be ones that are allocated to you by the principal. You'll find your own incidental mentors that you kind of look up to and go, you know, I want to be like them, or I want to learn from them.
[00:24:22] Stella: And I think for me personally, as a young teacher, that helped me a lot. And as I went through, even in my leadership roles, it's always having that mentor that could help me get through some of those tough times.
[00:24:33] Bec: So going back again, where can teachers start? Where's a, you know, if I'm a teacher in the classroom, I've got 8c, um, they're doing their thing.
[00:24:45] Bec: Where do I start? When it comes to student wellbeing and mental health,
[00:24:50] Stella: what we started with is understanding the student, knowing the students that you have in your classroom.
[00:24:55] Chloe: Yep. Get to know them, spend that time connecting and engaging before even diving [00:25:00] into, into the curriculum, I would say.
[00:25:01] Stella: Yeah. I think at the beginning of the year, the critical thing is understanding the students, building those relationships.
[00:25:08] Stella: You won't get through a lot of the curriculum, guaranteed, but you'll catch up. Because if you get off on the right foot in those relationships, it can make things a lot, lot better for when you're trying to teach the content. A lot of teachers will say, I don't have time to sit there and. That's exactly what I was going to say.
[00:25:25] Bec: And when they come back to me and say, but I don't have time for that. I'll just say to them, you'll
[00:25:30] Stella: be grateful for making the time afterwards. You know, I, I'm, I picked that up because I felt that way. Of course. I felt that way. Definitely. And. A lot of my colleagues felt that way, but I guess it's for us all to understand it's building those relationships first, and sometimes it can be two weeks of not getting through any content at all, because you're just trying to manage behaviours in the classroom.
[00:25:52] Stella: We all know that students will test us. In those first few weeks, the first few months. So it's having that understanding and [00:26:00] putting it in perspective because teachers will feel stressed. They're not getting through the content. So of course they feel stressed. And then their responses to students are not going to be great.
[00:26:09] Stella: So it just kind of, um, snowballs from there. Sure. So getting that right at the beginning. Um, I mean, I, I had a mentor who used to say to me, don't smile until Easter, Um, and I don't necessarily subscribe to that, but I, I knew, I know what, um, what the message he was trying to give me was, you know, you've got to work on those boundaries, those expectations and building those relationships all at the beginning, before you kind of try and get stuck into the learning.
[00:26:41] Stella: And I, I use that rule. And I think it's, It worked for me, but anyway,
[00:26:46] Bec: yep. So Chloe, what sort of resources would you recommend, uh, to teachers?
[00:26:51] Chloe: Yeah. Um, I mean, there's a few really good ones. One that I have looked at in the past is the mental health menu, I think it's called. Um, [00:27:00] it's a DAT. Um, government resource, but it sort of, I suppose, outlines the supports that are available at different levels for different students.
[00:27:09] Chloe: So the whole school supports, um, the tier two level supports for those students with, with a few more specific needs, and then the tier one supports. Um, so I think that's a really great place to start to sort of understand what is available, particularly from a whole school perspective. Um, so, yeah. That you can look into and implement.
[00:27:26] Stella: And there's a student wellbeing hub. Great. That's a federal government one. That's got a lot of resources too, for schools, for teachers, for students, for parents. And there's another one. It's about strategies for teachers and that's like having a toolbox for teachers, which is what we're kind of talking about here, which I think is very useful starting point.
[00:27:47] Stella: And I, I, I think a lot of teachers will look at it and go, yeah, you know, I kind of already do that. I'm on the right track. Um, and it's just a matter of understanding why that's having a positive [00:28:00] impact. And, um, I think that's, that can be helpful, but it's kind of having that multi pronged approach. It's doing the programs, it's having the individual counseling, it's doing the work with the teachers and the training.
[00:28:12] Stella: And so it's not, It's not a quick fix, there's no, you know, magic wand, but it's about tackling it from all areas so that we can kind of wrap around that support for students.
[00:28:24] Chloe: To add to what Stella said earlier as well, I think one of the greatest resources is the team around you. So not only the wellbeing team, but other staff, they've got lots of knowledge and, and might have their own resources that have been helpful as well.
[00:28:35] Chloe: So reaching out to other staff can be beneficial.
[00:28:39] Bec: So taking your time with students. Working as a team to support them using all the supports and resources that you've got, but really it comes back to those relationships that you build in the classroom.
[00:28:50] Stella: Absolutely.
[00:28:51] Bec: Thank you both so much for chatting.
[00:28:54] Bec: Thank you, Boone. Thanks. In our next episode, we shift our focus to the dynamic and [00:29:00] critical field of literacy. Join me as I chat with Dr. Kylie Bradfield and Claudia Schutt, leaders in the innovative field of literacy education. We'll explore how their approaches extend beyond traditional boundaries to include critical thinking and digital skills, crucial for navigating today's technological landscape.
[00:29:20] Bec: You won't want to miss this episode as we uncover new methods that prepare our students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. We've included a wealth of practical resources in our show notes that support your teaching journey. Be sure to check them out. If you're enjoying the show, don't forget to subscribe, rate and review, and follow us on Instagram at monash underscore education.
[00:29:44] Bec: X at Monash Education and Facebook at Education Monash and tell us what you thought of today's episode using the hashtag Let's Talk Teaching Podcast. We are grateful for the support of Monash University's Faculty of Education in [00:30:00] producing this podcast. For more information on short courses and undergraduate and postgraduate study options, head to monash.
[00:30:08] Bec: edu. au.
[00:30:14] Bec: Thanks again for listening to Let's Talk Teaching.