Morgan has developed and teaches a full credit senior course, “Positive Psychology & Wellbeing” under Ontario’s Interdisciplinary Studies curriculum. This course is the first of its kind in her board and has been received favorably by students. In it's pilot year (2020), 18 students took the course and the following year, 105 students signed up to take the course. The course continues to grow in popularity. Morgan is teaching her seventh cohort of students. She has developed concrete and practical ways to apply positive psychology principles and interventions for students, with numerous tips and tricks for teachers and coaches to use when developing their own programs.
Morgan uses the inquiry model as a foundation for her course, teaching students the essential skills of effective research methods and strength of curiosity to guide their investigations. Students reflect on published positive psychology research and use the inquiry method as they make connections to their own lives.
Morgan has developed creative, fun and engaging ways to share the PERMA-V model with her students. Meaningful discussions and learning activities happen daily. Students implement and collect data on various interventions and make suggestions on ways to tailor the intervention to appeal to other teens. Students generate and create new ideas to measure on themselves and their peers. They also organize school-wide activities and create awareness campaigns for both staff and students, such as a World Gratitude Day event.
Students boast of a sense of belonging in class and often comment on the safe space that is created to explore and share their experiences with the material. The course uses universal design to ensure all students regardless of academic stream can access the content and participate in a meaningful way.
By the end of the course, students report having a stronger sense of emotional intelligence, increased resilience skills, an improved sense of self, and new tools to navigate relationships and life in healthier ways.