ABSTRACT
This chapter describes those teaching and learning strategies that simultaneously promote students' mental health, wellbeing and academic learning. The notion of who is an excellent teacher and what he or she does is contentious and relies on whose definition of excellence is being applied. Though delivering feedback is at the heart of good teaching, it is critical that teachers do this in ways that promote both academic learning and student wellbeing. Teachers will also need to consider how to manage students who struggle with school work and score poorly on assessments. Teachers across all year levels are in a position to teach specific mental health and wellbeing topics. Activities to promote social and emotional competence can be infused in curriculum teaching. Students will learn social and emotional skills in a manner similar to the way they learn other skills, by observing others, including school staff, and practising and applying these skills in activities in and outside of the classroom.
