Module: Wellbeing

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Wellbeing
Module Code	ISE1010 (ITS: SI720)
Faculty	Inclusive & Special Education	School	DCU Institute of Education
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	10

Description

This module aims to develop participants’ knowledge and understanding of the promotion of wellbeing in schools. Participants will demonstrate a critical awareness of current policies relevant to this area. They will critically reflect on their own views, understanding, skills and practice in relation to wellbeing as well as reflecting on learners’ experiences in this area. Participants will recognise the range of risk and protective factors that contribute to wellbeing at varying levels (e.g. individual, relational, school, community, society). They will be aware of the relationship between reduced wellbeing and key outcomes including pupils’ learning and engagement in school. Participants will be introduced to the value of a whole school approach to the promotion of wellbeing and be able to contribute in an informed way to its development. Participants will demonstrate critical understanding of evidence informed teaching approaches aimed at fostering children’s wellbeing and recognise the theory on which they are based. This module will emphasise a preventative, whole-school, multi-component, evidence informed approach to the promotion of wellbeing.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate critical awareness of current policies relevant to social and emotional wellbeing/mental health.
2. Critically reflect on one’s own views, understanding, skills and practice in relation to social and emotional wellbeing/mental health.
3. Demonstrate awareness of and reflection on the experiences of learners in relation to social and emotional wellbeing/mental health.
4. Understand the range of risk and protective factors that contribute to social and emotional wellbeing/mental health (e.g. individual, relational, school, community, society).
5. Recognise the relationship between reduced wellbeing/mental health and key outcomes including pupils’ learning and engagement in school.
6. Understand the value of a whole school approach to the promotion of social and emotional wellbeing/mental health and be able to contribute in an informed way to its development.
7. Demonstrate critical understanding of evidence informed teaching approaches aimed at fostering children’s social and emotional wellbeing/mental health and recognise the theory on which they are based.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	14	A range of lectures covering the learning outcomes will be delivered by core staff and some specialist guest speakers
Independent Study	110	Students are expected to engage with asynchronous materials provided on the VLE loop page and undertake additional independent reading and reflection.
Assignment Completion	126	Students are required to research and submit an assignment (audio recorded power point or poster presentation) which will be used to assess their learning in this module.
Total Workload: 250

Section Breakdown
CRN	20019	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	PASS/FAIL	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Rosemary Savage	Module Teacher	Eamonn Mccauley, Leanne Connolly, Sylwia Kazmierczak-Murray

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Presentation	Individual presentation, participants may choose to submit either: ● an audio recoreded powerpoint presentation of 7-10 minutes duration. ● or an audio recorded poster presentation of 7-10 minutes duration. Participants are asked to identify a change relating either to an area of whole school practice or their own practice which will be of benefit to learners’ wellbeing. Participants are free to select a topic of high personal or professional relevance to their own context.	100%	Sem 1 End

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Indicative Content
● Conceptualisations of wellbeing ● Current policy relating to wellbeing in schools ● Risk & protective factors contributing to wellbeing ● Impact of reduced wellbeing/mental health on key outcomes ● Whole school approaches to promoting wellbeing ● Teaching strategies and interventions to support wellbeing ● Preventive approaches to support wellbeing ● Social and emotional learning ● Collaboration ● Pupil voice, choice, holistic strengths-based approach.

n/a

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Cefai, C, & Cooper, P: 2009, Promoting emotional education. Engaging children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties., Jessica Kingsley, London,
Colley, D & Cooper, P.: 2017, Attachment and Emotional Development in the Classroom., Jessica Kingsley, London,
Reupert, A.: 2019, Mental health and academic learning in schools: approaches for facilitating the wellbeing of children and young people., Routledge., London,
Tynan, F.: 2018, WISE wellbeing in schools everyday: A whole school approach to the practical implementation of wellbeing., Limerick: Curriculum Development Unit, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick,

Articles:

Weare, K: 2015, What works in promoting social and emotional well-being and responding to mental health problems in schools? ., 522421
2024: Children's School Lives: Children's Wellbeing in Irish Primary Schools 2019-2023, 522422, 2
A systematic literature review to support the curriculum specification development for the area of wellbeing: 522423, 2, O'Brien, T and Guiney, D
Support for Learning: 36(3),

Other Resources

None