September 1, 2022

Well-Being for Life and Learning Guidebook Enters Second Print

^{9/1/2022 – Victoria Robinson}

As campus begins preparing for the arrival of Fall quarter, the UW Resilience Lab is excited to announce that we have a tall stack of Well-Being for Life and Learning Guidebooks, fresh off the press! Spurred by a continuing interest from the UW community, the WBLL’s second printing run means that there are plenty of copies to go around.

Meeting the 2022-2023 Academic Year with an informed and equitable perspective requires instructors and educators to think critically about UW’s commitment to our students, as well as the people and programs that support their learning.

ABOUT THE GUIDEBOOK

The Well-Being for Life and Learning Guidebook serves as a resource for instructors to aid them in designing learning environments that promote well-being for our students and our community. Co-written by a multidisciplinary team of faculty, staff, and students, the guidebook combines the wisdom of experienced educators with emerging research and best practices, offering instructors concrete ideas for supporting the whole student and promoting resilience and compassion.

“As we prepare the next generation of citizens and servant leaders, future educators, researchers, entrepreneurs and more, it really is critical that we incorporate practices that support our students’ whole lives and lived experiences,” says Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean on Undergraduate Academic Affairs. “This guidebook helps us with that work right here at our UW home, knowing that it expands beyond campus as we all interact with our broader community through research, service and teaching.”

The Guidebook includes four core sections: teaching for equity and access, nurturing connection, building resilience coping skills, and connection to the environment. Each section features the work and testimony of UW faculty and staff, ideas for practical implementation, and student reflections on compassionate pedagogies.

FEEDBACK

Since the original Well-Being for Life and Learning initiative began in the 2019-2020 academic year, the Resilience Lab has facilitated an interdisciplinary community of practice for instructors, meeting monthly to share teaching strategies, discuss challenges, and explore new pathways for the project.

---

“As an instructor, the lowest bar I can meet is ensuring all of my students are able to fully engage with course content. This means meeting access needs, adjusting racist or other harmful language and behavior, and responding to their feedback throughout the quarter.”

Vern Harner, Ph.D.

“Teaching this way encourages me to teach from a place of authenticity. I show up to the class as my whole self and invite students to do so as well. This gives all of us more integrity, which limits imposter syndrome and opens our minds and hearts to new ways of thinking and being.”

Beck Tench, Ph.D Candidate

“In our class, we talk about growth mindset from the very beginning—the fact that all of us, even us old senior faculty here, can learn new things, and the brain can be still wired and grow neurons and strengthen some of those pathways.”

Dr. James Mazza

“In my work with students, we talk a lot about imposter syndrome— the experience of feeling ‘less than’ or like we don’t belong. One of the most effective ways to manage this feeling is to build our sense of self-compassion. That means that instead of being hard on ourselves for feeling like we should know something we don’t yet know, we recognize that in fact, we’re always in the process of learning.”

Dr. Charisse Williams

HOW TO ACCESS THE GUIDEBOOK

If you are interested in using the Well-Being for Life and Learning Guidebook to establish an environment of well-being in your classroom, you can request a hard copy through our order form, or access the full pdf on our Well-Being for Life and Learning webpage.

UW instructors are invited to join the Well-Being for Life and Learning community of practice. For more information, email uwreslab@uw.edu.