Wellington College Brings Happiness Lessons to China

Wellington College, the first UK school to introduce 'lessons in happiness' into its curriculum, is to pioneer them in China.

Lessons in well-being and positive psychology (colloquially known as 'happiness lessons') will be in the curriculum for Wellington College International Tianjin, the first of three schools in China initially planned by Wellington College. The lessons include meditation, gratitude, friendship and love, care of the body, emotional management, altruism, strengths, optimism, ‘flow' and resilience.

Wellington College UK's Master (headmaster) Dr Anthony Seldon hopes to interest the Chinese government in considering the introduction of well-being lessons generally in the education system in China, which is in the process of being reformed, moving away from a tradition of memorising information and passivity in the classroom towards working in groups, having discussion in class and improved communication by pupils. “This subject has never been taught in China, and Chinese education is intensely focused on examinations and academic achievement. Our schools in China will be modeled on our ethos of educating the whole child and the lessons in positive psychology and well-being are a core part of our philosophy,” said Dr Seldon. “Developments in the last 10 years show very clearly that schools can and should be teaching children far more how to prepare for lives which are healthy, happy and psychologically balanced. We owe it to children to give them the mental ammunition to cope better with life. There is no more important objective for any school than to teach its children how to live, to learn more about who they are, and how to relate to others and the world into which they will go to study and work.”

The aim of the well-being curriculum is to equip pupils with an understanding of what makes lives thrive and flourish, and how they can improve their chances of experiencing happiness, good health, a sense of accomplishment and lasting companionship. As they gain this understanding, they will be taught a set of skills to help them achieve this in a practical way. There is a growing body of scientific evidence which underpins the content of the classes.

Dr Seldon also highlighted the importance of having active rather than passive learning in Wellington's Chinese schools. “Developing children to be active, independent learners is also central to our ethos. To flourish in the knowledge economy of the 21st century, children need to have the confidence, strategies and skills to lead their own learning, and not be reliant on teachers to impart knowledge,” he said.