Using strengths in secondary schools

[Christy Khan]

What is your vision for spreading the word about strengths in secondary schools? How do you see teachers using strengths to teach kids about using strengths? What would this look like in practical ways that teachers and kids can use everyday?

[Shane Lopez]

Don Clifton and colleagues learned tons about how identify and develop the strengths of students...but we need to hear more about how great teachers naturally focus on strengths. Please share your practical tips for providing daily strengths-based feedback, helping students pursue goals, conducting parent-teacher conferences, etc.

I believe it is easier for a small group of teachers to build some momentum in a school/district than for one teacher to do it. I hope we can train small cadres to be strengths-based teachers and then learn from them over time as their strategies catch on in the schools.

[Christy Khan]

Check out the article "StrengthsQuest in Application: The Experience of Four Educators" starting on p. 202 of this Educational Horizons issue http://www.pilambda.org/horizons/v83-3/v83-3.pdf.

The article is written from four perspectives: two teachers, a principal, and a student. The first teacher maintains that knowing your own strengths as an educator is important, and then applying those strengths in a teaching style that works for you is most effective and rewarding, for you and your students.

The principal shares about his discovery of his strengths and how he applied them to managing and building up his staff. By making a concerted effort to help his teachers identify their strengths and building a strengths focus into his faculty meetings, this principal shares some concrete ways to create a positive change in school climate.

The second teacher shares step-by-step strategies for teaching students about their strengths and how to apply them to different aspects of their lives. She strongly advocates that strengths-based education can change how students think of themselves and improve student achievement.

The student featured in the article gives a personal account of how she is experiencing success and personal fulfillment by using her strengths.

I believe that if teachers and administrators work together and adopt a strengths-based approach to learning, instead of a deficit-remediation approach, the entire culture of a school can be transformed. There will be challenges to implementing such change, but I've seen it work in my own life and with my students; the growing pains are worth it, in my opinion.

[Fursey Gotuaco]

I think using strengths in teacher/student/parent communication and relationship is critical. All too often the relationship between these three components is adversarial. But by introducing a student's themes a teacher can have positive contact with a student that is meaningful. It buys you 'credit' with that kid so that when you have to correct them in their academics or behavior they know not to take it personally - because you have seen their WHOLE self and not just the infraction at that moment.

The same holds true for parents. When you can share your strengths insights with a parent - about their kid - which they hadn't even noticed - they get very excited and in some cases very greatful because the parent hadn't noticed it either. Parents see you as an ally in the educational process as opposed to the jailer of their child.

To go further, we tried a few Strengths Family Camps last year. We are still working to generate a better turnout but those who did come LOVED IT! Parent and child were most pleased with the affirmation they received.

In regards to Cadres: On our campus have actually implemented a StrengthsFinder Cadre charged with developing strengths on our campus. We have included Strengths in our Campus Improvement Plan and our principal has supported us in every way possible.

[Christy Khan]

I am so intrigued by everything your school is doing! It makes me want to come and visit to see it in action. :) What components have you included in your Strengths Family Camps? Are you encouraging teachers to use strengths as a lens through which to view students during parent-teacher conferences, in particular? How many students are in your StrengthsFinder Cadre program? And lastly, how are you paying for all of this? The StrengthsFinder codes alone for students would cost a lot.

[Fursey Gotuaco]

Encouraging teachers to use strengths as a lens is exactly what we are trying to do especially when it comes to discipline and classroom management. One of the resources that we are developing is addressing this issue. I feel that if a teacher can see a child through this lens they can better understand this student and create a plan of action that is specific to that child's needs. For example, if the child has that WOO/Comunication combo and has a tough time staying quiet in class then maybe the teacher can find a way to utilize those themes in the course of teaching the class such as having that child mentor another student who is having difficulties.

I often have my students working in groups and it has been incredibly productive to arrange them through their themes. Once, I had a group working very hard but not getting anywhere during the brainstorming stage of a project. All good kids but couldn't come up with an idea to save their lives... Upon further investigation I discovered that I had overlooked giving them an Ideation or even a Strategic. Once I remedied the situation they come up with an idea in a few minutes and moved forward.

The cost of the codes is indeed the rub. At least 1/4 to 1/3 of our students cannot afford to pay for the assessment. We try to create scholarships for our free/reduced lunch population. We certainly don't feel that any child should do without. When the kids are in an elective class like Future Teachers or Student Leadership we can make strengths mandatory but in our speech classes, which they must take to graduate, we have to be a little more creative with our motivation. We must often appeal to the parents and convince them of everything their kids have to gain by taking the assessment.

[Mustapha Kahlouch]

Can strengthfinder discover the students' predispositions for certain subjects (K12)???

[Shane Lopez]

Christy and other high school teachers,

Could this mentoring protocol (designed for mentors/advisors) be adapted for work with high schoolers?

[Christy Khan]

I think this could absolutely be adapted for use with high schoolers. Putting some of it into PowerPoint slides that would be accessible by teachers would help; plus "kid-friendly" handouts" with pictures/clip art, etc.

[Kevin Halfmann]

I concur with Christy, though avoiding being too cute with graphics is important. I'm not sure PPT is the right way to communicate this. Ideally we want the mentor to mentee ratio small, say 6 or 7 to one, which is how CK and company have the program set up at West. Perhaps a general conceptual introduction via PPT would work with a classroom, prior to breaking things down to smaller groups.Running a PPT with many small groups may be logistically difficult.

Strengths psychology has legs and is ideal for implementation in mentoring/ advisory programs which in my view suffer for alack of a solid theoretical/ research based approach and are instead a box of a given size we are asked to fill with whatever we find needs doing. Strengths/ positive psych plays well with career development, personal and interpersonal coping skills. I am very much looking forward to learning and working on our plans at West.

[Christy Khan]

I wasn't necessarily thinking of PPT with small groups, but as Kevin indicated, more of an introductory focus (3-4 slides max) for each lesson. I agree that graphics should be more sophisticated (perhaps with stock pics of real teens).

I, too, can't wait to see how it plays out in advisories.

[Lana Kamennof-Sine]

Shane think that this is a great protocol and an equally great template. I intend on adapting it to work with staff in order to support them in their learning and in ensuring job satisfaction/fit. Thank you for sharing this. (I suspect it will also be used with students but right now the staffing issue is foremost in my mind :-))

[Phil Nienhuis]

I have been using StrengthsFinder and StrengthsQuest with my clients for about a year. (I'm a therapist.) As a counselor I have found SQ/SF to be a very effective tool to help the students identify their talents and begin to develop their strengths to increase their motivation to be more engaging at school.

I remember one kid. IQ of 130 (per father's report). Failing most of his classes. Father complained that his son spent too much time on the computer. I asked the kid what he did on the computer. "My Space?" "No, I don't waste my time there." He went on to explain that he's in chat rooms discussing Quantum Mechanics. Quantum Mechanics!!!!!!!! (And this kid is failing his classes!) I asked him what he hopes to be doing when he's 25 years old. "I'll probably be a cashier in a liquor store." I asked, "Is that your goal? Or the most you think you can accomplish?" His response, "The latter." His father agreed to SQ. While SQ didn't solve all the problems, this young man became more energized and motivated, and thus finished the school year quite a bit better than expected. He's no longer talking about being a cashier in a liquor store. he's now talking about a physics major at the local university. (Better fit for Quantum mechanics!)

Last winter when I was talking to a high school guidance counselor about StrengthsQuest she looked at me and asked if I could do a workshop at the high school. My response was, "Of course!" We started planning for a four week workshop.

For logistical reasons I haven't been able to do one yet (including a new rule implemented by the Principal which the counselor didn't know about). But she has assured me that she will work closely with me this fall to make a couple workshops happen. I have also been contacting teachers and parents to promote this idea. I'm also partnering with an Academic Advisor at a local college who is working on her doctorate in SQ at Azusa.

This is my dream: establishing a beachhead in one or two local schools, begin to infiltrate these schools with the compelling and revolutionary IdeaVirus (Seth Godin!) of SQ!

Are there any members of Strengths School who have done workshops at high schools? I am asking for two things:

1. get a discussion going about what has been attempted and, more importantly, what has worked.

2. resources you have either developed and/or used. Such as,

a) how to most effectively use a four week workshop with high school students;
b) how to promote it to the teachers and the parents;
c) how I, as a "mental health professional" (though a renegade since I work from the perspective of Positive Psych) can more effectively collaborate with high school educators to "make it happen"; and
d) continue the process of developing strengths after the workshops are over.

Now, I know I have asked some loaded questions (I'm taking the same questions with me to Chicago this week end for the Educator's Seminar). LET THE DISCUSSION BEGIN!