Positive, motivated students learn more. How do we build that attitude? Positive psychology offers direction. Traditional psychology focuses on mental illness. Positive psychology investigates mental health: What do happy, mentally healthy people do? This is more than “the power of positive thinking.” It’s science, based on real research and replicable studies. TIME magazine dubbed it “the Science of Happiness.” Seligman’s (2011) PERMA model of well being— Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaningfulness, Accomplishment – take positive psychology to a new level which integrates well with our goals as language teachers. For example, positive psychology encourages “active constructive” answers to questions which help people re-experience positivity. Exactly the same behavior helps students practice using questions as a discourse strategy to keep a conversation going. Many more practical ideas will be included. Handout provided.
Marc Helgesen is author of over 180 books, textbooks and professional articles including Pearson’s popular English Firsthand series. He has lead teachers development workshops on five continents. He teaches at Miyagi Gakuin Women's University, Sendai, and in the M.A.TESOL program at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies.

Next Meeting Previous Meeting