About our project: What’s Your HIT?
What’s your ‘inner spark’ or Happy Inducing Thing (HIT)? What makes you excited about life? Research suggests that discovering and holding onto your HIT is key to wellbeing, and kids who experience a sense of wellbeing are less likely to experiment with drugs. With a curriculum focus on Health, and a motivational focus on the mental and emotional wellbeing of the individual, 31 Year 6 students explored some hard yet important topics—like addiction—in their Creative Schools project.
About our school:
Manjimup Primary has 270 students and is one of two government schools servicing Manjimup. Close proximity to the natural environment enhances school culture and allows for various outdoor learning spaces. Our class was of mixed ability and with at least seven different cultural groups represented. The group is shaped by students who have ongoing substance abuse in their family of origin and students whose families are disconnected. There are several high-needs students (including a severe diabetic, students with ADHD and/or Autism and a selective mute).
What happened?
Given the challenging social/family circumstances being experienced by many of our students, in Term 2 teacher Ash Madeley and writer Nic Sinclair wanted to offer these young people the opportunity to explore mindfulness, relaxation, gratitude, connection to nature and creative expression and to develop a deeper understanding of wellbeing and resilience. We gave each student a journal: safe and private spaces to explore concepts and emotions. We kept to a consistent lesson structure, always beginning with a Check-In using a creative writing prompt and a Mood Rating. We could compare journal reflections and ‘emotional check-in’ and Mood Rating at the start of each lesson and again after our Warm-Up and lesson activities. Moods were always elevated by the end, proving research right (mindfulness, relaxation, connection to nature is good for us/makes us feel better). Research posters/TikToks and skits at assembly pulled all the learning together also made learning visible not only to our students but also to others.
The daily Check-In and Mood Rating sparked my imagination because we had to say how we were feeling in terms of a bug, flower, drink etc.
- Student
We used spaces outside the classroom for all warm-ups as the students looked forward to getting outside straight away: their mood was generally elevated as a result. We also were determined to use random groupings for warm-ups and activities to get students working beyond their comfort zones and cliques (safe risk!).
The Hoola Hoop activity was really fun and made my day better.
- Student
The Human Knot was tricky and I liked how we had to use our brains.
- Student
Our class presented their Term 2 findings as a dramatic performance—The Wellbeing Olympics—in school assembly, highlighting the idea that emotional and mental ‘fitness’ needs practice and discipline, just like physical fitness.
Using this lens of maintaining a healthy mind and body, in Term 3 we explored the topic of addiction. By researching an addictive behaviour or substance—not just to drugs and alcohol but also to devices, shopping, sugar etc—students could develop a deeper understanding of addiction and how it affects both individual and community. This led to each student identifying their HIT (Happy Inducing Thing), and understanding that this can be a healthy alternative to drugs, it can be something that offers risk, challenge and a rush.
We also covered some practical tips to help our kids deal with peer pressure: particularly pertinent given they start high school next year.
How did we use the Five Creative Habits of Learning?
We committed to making the Five Habits explicit, using the terminology throughout the lesson. The Five Habits ‘Wheel’ was always on display and referenced, not only on a Creative Schools day. There was real student ownership of the Wheel. When a student identified a Habit they’d used, they wrote their ideas on post-it notes and we added these permanently to the Wheel. Each week, we wrapped the poles outside of the classroom (high visibility area) with corresponding coloured fabric to make explicit the Creative Habits used in the session and the time was spent on each. We wrapped three entire poles during the program.
I persisted with the card towers because it was really hard and I kept trying, failed and kept going and finally made a good tower after about 20 tries.
- Student
I have developed persistence the most because I was dealing with the difficulty of working with people I don’t usually hang out with.
- Student
Ash and Nic also modelled the Habits regularly, especially collaboration, negotiating, and persistence, and we explicitly mentioned them when we did so.
What did we discover?
I learnt so much and it was fun!
- Student
At the start of the program, the class was quite disjointed, and resistant to working outside of friendship groups. Six new students joined during the program, which posed its own challenges.
However, the unusual angle of HIT (Happy Inducing Thing) helped students dig a bit deeper into what gives their life meaning. We successfully did not use a single worksheet—unusual when teaching Health—and made material relevant to the students. The unit on addiction was a real success. While our students are very aware of the topic, few knew much about various substances and their effects. We reinforced that knowledge is power.
Our students became the teachers/experts during the program and there was greater accountability. They had to present The Wellbeing Olympics publicly at assembly and the Addiction projects to peers, parents and the wider school community via SeeSaw. Each group had a different topic (no double-ups), so they really were the experts and they rose to the occasion. This also meant they were an attentive audience and their behaviour during presentations was outstanding. We noticed how public speaking skills and confidence increased between these two presentation activities.
Students were also more willing to share their vulnerability. Ash noted enhanced quality of their creative thinking and expressive writing in other areas (e.g. Literacy and HASS). We created a class poem, ‘Noted for a Normal World’ in response to an artwork for an ENABLE exhibition, and one student was happy to contribute her own poetry about feeling ‘different’ for this exhibition which indicates real bravery. Our class poem is part of an exhibition in the Painted Tree Gallery, Northcliffe with information about Creative Schools alongside.
Being outside for warm-ups and other activities was crucial as was getting the kids to move and be physical. Embodied, active learning is a real winner making things tangible, hands-on and in the words of one individual: ‘real-er.’ We experimented with mindful activities. Students wrote about being grateful for their mum on a piece of paper, which was mixed with soil into which a succulent was planted for Mother’s Day. How gratitude makes us grow was a key takeaway.
We prioritised student-centred learning and co-operative learning activities (students rarely worked alone) and as result, they were more willing to share ideas and actively contribute to the success of the group. Students accepted the random groupings and were more tolerant of others, they became more open to activities and each other, so the class became far more cohesive by the end. This was a great outcome, reflected by greater attendance, more mature, positive behaviour and more positive contributions throughout Term 3.
Prioritising autonomy and choice (e.g. what wellbeing ‘sport’ their group chose for assembly, with control over scripting and costumes; what mode their pair chose for their Addiction presentation and its research focus) meant that gradually we could trust them to work independently. As a result, we could give them more freedom, like working outside the classroom.
The impact on the Teacher/Creative team:
Our team teaching was something Ash and I both were committed to and really loved! This was a definite highlight for everyone I think!
- Creative Practitioner
On a personal level, teacher Ash has been inspired to be more aware of her own mental and physical health, and as a result is more grateful for all aspects of her life. Professionally, she has much greater awareness of how open-ended the curriculum can be. She realises the creative possibilities and cross-curricular potential when planning and teaching and is more flexible in her approach to classroom practice, timing and curriculum.
I was constantly reminded of the energy and vigour of working with youth! My own experience and practice suggest that creative writing is a wonderful vehicle for wellbeing (I’ve explored this in my adult and teen workshops, and it’s good to see it is also true for younger clients). Compiling a class poem using 30 different voices/approaches was particularly rewarding for me and indicates that I’d like to do this more in the future. It’s great to have it published as part of a public exhibition.
- Creative Practitioner
The impact on the school:
Manjimup Primary has decided to undertake a whole-school approach next year and follow the ideas outlined in the Creative Schools project. In Term 3 the Kindy teacher used mindfulness, gratitude and warm-up activities with her class after being inspired by Ash’s presentation and the assembly. The wrapped ‘Habit’ poles were a visible marker outside the project classroom and students from other classes were curious and asked questions about them.
- School Leader
Main Curriculum Focus: Health
Cross-curricular Links:
• English
• Arts (Drama, Visual Arts)
• Technology
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