COMPOSE is a series of faculty development workshops with a goal of establishing a personal practice framed around the concepts of learned optimism, resilience and meaning-making. COMPOSE’s ultimate goal is generating well-being pedagogies for classroom and studio teaching and contributing to a radical improvement of student flourishing across the Pratt campus.

COMPOSE is a collaboration between Pratt’s CTL and Student Affairs, and it’s part of a larger, campus-wide Flourishing Studio project.  It is based on best practices established by the Pratt Meditation Incubator and research based on UPenn’s Positive Psychology Center. 

COMPOSE Overview

• Overview of Flourishing
  • Theory, research, interventions – based on Flourish by Martin Seligman
  • The role of mindfulness and quiet breath meditation
• Emotional Intelligence
  •  Positive and negative emotions – based on selected chapters in A Primer in Positive Psychology by Ch. Peterson
  • Contemplative practice: perceiving thoughts and emotions, short body-scan
• Cultivating Positive Emotions
  •  Savoring, Broaden and Build theory – based on Positivity by Barbara Fredrickson
  •  Contemplative practice: awareness of breath
• Character Strengths
  • Character signature strength and virtues – based on Character Strengths and Virtues by M. Seligman and Ch. Peterson 
  • Contemplative practice:  full body scan
• Resilience
  • Learned optimism and explanatory styles – based on The Resilience Factor by K. Reivich and A. Shatte
  • Contemplative practice:  loving kindness
• Stress Reduction
  • Catastrophizing, STOP and RAIN practices – based on Radical Compassion by Tara Brach
  • Contemplative practice: choiceless awareness
• Relationships
  • Positivity, Savoring and Character Strengths in relationships – based on Happy Together by S. and J. Pawelski 
  • Contemplative practice: walking meditation
• Flourishing for life
  • Goals, Grit and Intentions  – based on Grit by A. Duckworth
  • Contemplative practice:  

COMPOSE Data

We have been implementing this 8-week COMPOSE series since Fall 2019, both in person through fully online formats.

Over these three semesters, we have collected Pre and Post surveys from participants, using 1. the Diener’s Flourishing Scale  2. the PERMA Profiler  and 3. the PANAS – positive/negative affect schedule questionnaire.

Overall the data shows that COMPOSE participants as a group are flourishing more and have a higher sense wellbeing at the conclusion of the series compared to the start of the series.

Please review our data below.

Compose Spring 2023

Compose Fall 2022

Compose Spring 2022

Compose Spring 2021

Compose Fall 2021

Wellbeing Resources