That's What I'm Looking For!

We’ve discussed Positive Psychology and Positive Behavior Support in prior postings. Both programs share a common element of placing focus on desired behaviors in our students. I don’t think that means you can let little Jimmy disrupt class for 15 minutes with his not-so-desired behaviors, but you can make a concerted effort to praise good behaviors.
Appropriate praise varies from situation to situation and student to student. If you have a brand new group of students this semester, it may take you awhile to determine what each responds well to. Here are a few options of varying degrees to get you started (Click on the table to increase its size):

The last suggestion, positive note home, reminds me of a random progress report and note my freshman English teacher mailed to my parents sharing how impressed he was with my first poetry analysis. He was hard to snag a compliment from, and it meant a lot to my mom and me.
Commit to focusing on the positive in your classes this next week or so. It can really make a difference. Besides, it’s much more fun to be the bearer of good news than bad!

Leadership Development Tip for January 15, 2009

Celebrate the Year

We’re quickly approaching the time of year when resolutions are set and we put what we want to do better at the top of our list. How often, though, do we invest as much thought in celebrating all of the things we’ve done well over the past year? In these few days before the Holiday break, help your students celebrate their growth and achievements in the past year (or semester!). Think of the good deeds you’ve witnessed, the improvement in grades, all of the effort that went into that “ah-ha!”, the positive outlook… Follow this link to a template you can print off and jot a quick note to individual students.

Leadership Development Tip for December 22, 2008

The Strengths Philosophy – What’s Right with You?

DO NOT TRY TO BE SOMEONE ELSE. STRIVE TO BE THE PERSON YOU REALLY ARE – FULLY AND COMPLETELY. THIS IS YOUR BEST AVENUE TO ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE. – Chip Anderson

What would happen if the world focused on what’s right with everyone instead of trying to fix each others’ weaknesses? Can you imagine all the great things that would happen? Dr. Don Clifton started a movement in psychology about 50 years ago called Strengths Psychology. The whole premise of the movement centers on research that proves “we have several times more potential for growth when we invest energy in developing our strengths instead of correcting our deficiencies.”

A great tool that Clifton developed in his quest to help people understand their talents and strengths is an assessment called StrengthsFinder®. Not only is it an interesting experience to learn about what our top talents are (since most of us struggle to identify what we do well!), but there is real application provided so that we learn to recognize what we do well and repeat personal success more often. Instead of being good at what we do, let’s use our talents purposefully to be great!

The assessment can be purchased (yes, it is worth every penny) and taken here.

Once you learn about and embrace the strengths philosophy, you may want the rest of the world to learn about it, too. If you’d like to help others see what’s right with them, check out the StrengthsQuest® website under the “Educator Resources” tab. There’s a ton of information (including research and case studies on why this psychology works) for you to learn more, incorporate the concepts into your classroom or sports team and reform your high school.

Other helpful resources for the education world that incorporate the strengths philosophy:
Teach with your Strengths
How Full is Your Bucket?
Vital Friends

References:
Rath, Tom. StrengthsFinder 2.0. Gallup Press. 2007.

Professional Development Tip for October 20, 2008