Pembina Hills staff gathered on Monday, September 16 for the annual division opening day. An opportunity for staff to meet and participate in professional learning focused on Student-Staff Relationships, one of our division’s priorities.

Dr. David Tranter, a researcher, writer and professor, who has been teaching and working in mental health, well-being and education for over 35 years provided the keynote address and group session topics for the day. Dr. Tranter introduced staff to a pedagogical framework that he co-created, “The Third Path”, that balances academic achievement with students’ social-emotional well-being. He challenged staff to look at what they are already doing in a new way and focus on “how” they do things rather than “what” they are doing to support student mental health and well-being.

Several key areas were explored:

1. The Importance of Relationships: The Third Path emphasizes that building strong, trusting relationships with students is critical for both academic and personal growth. Educators learned that focusing on the “whole child” means understanding and attending to their emotional needs alongside cognitive development.

2. Integration of Well-being and Learning: The Third Path framework teaches that academic success and student well-being are interconnected. When students feel emotionally supported, they are more likely to engage in learning. Educators learned strategies for embedding social-emotional learning into everyday academic instruction, fostering both resilience and intellectual curiosity.

3. Trauma-Informed Teaching: Educators were guided on how to adopt trauma-sensitive practices. Understanding how past trauma can impact behavior and learning helps educators create safer, more inclusive classrooms, where students are able to thrive emotionally and academically.

5. Balance Between Structure and Care: Dr. Tranter’s approach encourages teachers to find a balance between high academic expectations and compassionate care. This balance allows students to feel both challenged and supported, cultivating an environment where learning and well-being coexist.
6. Practical Strategies for Implementation: Dr. Tranter provided educators with practical tools, such as mindfulness techniques, cooperative learning strategies, and ways to nurture self-regulation, that can be applied in various educational settings. Many strategies are things that are already done by most educators, but the day’s learning helped school staff gain greater awareness of how they could be integrated into daily practice.

Staff participated in six group sessions centred on 6 of the 8 conditions from The Third Path framework: Emotional Safety, Emotional Regulation, Belonging, Positivity, Engagement and identity. By applying these lessons, educators can foster environments where students’ emotional and academic needs are met, improving both engagement and success in school.

Our school leaders spent some time with Dr. Tranter who guided discussion on implementation of the framework.

The day ended with a closing keynote address by Dr. Tranter who highlighted 16 ways for staff to boost their own well-being.

Thank you to Dr. Tranter for the presentation!