Spotting and Managing Strengths for Gritty Self-Regulation, Resilience, and Achievement

Transcription

1 Spotting and Managing Strengths for Gritty Self-Regulation, Resilience, and Achievement Canadian Positive Psychology Conference 18 July 2014 Sherri Fisher, MEd, MAPP 1

2 Incorporates researchbased findings into positive, personalized, best-practice strategies for learning, parenting, and work. Develops the strengths of students, parents and educators by building the foundation of positivity and optimism that supports achievement. Today we are talking about P-O-S. 2

3 What Dogs Show Us About Strengths, Self-regulation and Resilience Even the same class, breed, age, and color responds differently to training, rewards, expectations, opportunities and disappointments. 3

4 Why Positive Education Practices? The Short List of Research Findings From this To this Reduce or prevent depression and anxiety Increase enjoyment and engagement in school Improve curiosity and love of learning Enhance social skills Increase academic achievement 4

5 Strengths Qualities and abilities to identify, harness for your growth and achievement. Use to overcome challenges. Learn to spot and manage the strengths that are keys to your success. Kids like the VIA: 5

6 What Are Your Strengths? How Can You Tell? They emerge during a challenge as well as a good time. They are an automatic response, and part of who you are without really thinking about them. They are your preferred way. Other people can spot these strengths in you, too, and it feels good to be recognized by them for using your strengths. You may even find that other people who do not evidence this strength seem weak or don t get it. 6

7 The SMART Strengths Model Spot: Know your own strengths. Be better observers of strengths in others. Be more attentive to spotting what is good instead of trying to find fault. Manage: Intentionally combine strengths to bring out the best in you and others. Advocate: Use shared language and behaviors effectively to convey awareness of both strengths and needs. Relate: Good relationships--using strengths while connecting with and appealing to others. Strength buttons can get pushed when other people s strengths are in conflict with your own. Train: Use your strengths individually and in relationships. Develop these skills in others. 7

8 What About Weaknesses? Don t ignore weaknesses: Use existing strengths to make improvements where there are difficulties. All strengths have shadow sides. People who know how to use and manage their character and their neurodevelopmental strengths are also more resilient, more motivated, and more engaged. 8

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10 Strengths: Talents for Meeting Challenges Context Matters! 10

11 Teamwork: Engagement-Seeking in Adolescents Some strengths are developmental. Adolescents brain wiring means that they value novel rewards over consequences. Students generally value humor, teamwork, and zest over perseverance and love of learning. Statistically speaking, teamwork, humor, zest, and fairness are stronger in children and teens than in adults. Hitch one of your star strengths to these to improve your connections to students. 11

12 Having a Moment Strengths Buttons Activity Think of an example of a time in the last week when you felt like someone else really aggravated you. Did it feel as if the other person was aggravating you on purpose? What are your shadow strengths? 12

13 Master Strengths: Self-Regulation and Persistence Self-regulation predicts many desirable behavioral and emotional outcomes. Complementary Theories of Self-regulation 1) Stable personality trait (like some strengths) 2) Like a muscle and gets stronger with use 3) Improved when people learn to believe that their will power is not limited (a skill you can learn) 4) Improves when depletion is repleted (add caffeine, glucose, rest) 13

14 Resilience: Shake it off. 14

15 Resilience Is About Thinking. Resilience in Positive Education is a learned set of skills for effectively dealing with: 1. Real-time resilience for momentary negative emotions ( Shake it off ) 2. Everyday resilience for accumulated difficulties during a day that included undesirable events ( What Went Well ) 3. Resilience for bigger setbacks 15

16 Thinking makes a fine servant but a terrible master. The thinker or the ruminator? Rumination is correlated with depression. TAKE ACTION. 16

17 It s easier to shake it off when?? General Factors Leading to Resilience A study of at-risk American newborns followed as part of a 50-year longitudinal study found these factors to be predictive of resilience: have a caring adult in their lives develop and value personal competence and determination show a strong capacity to work, even in childhood set goals for their adult life, even when they are children believe that failures will happen, but that you can always try again active in community service withdraw from family members enmeshed in problems (More on this topic in my article Resilience as a Life Skill on PositivePsychologyNews.com) 17

18 Resilience = Building 18

19 Benefits of Optimism & Resilience: Research Findings Mental Flexibility explain failures as things that can be improved upon next time have control over important things in their lives believe they have positive attributes Health less stressed ~~~~~ healthier behavior, e.g. better sleep, eating, and exercise stronger resistance to illnesses like the common cold, more positive response to medical care higher mental health less likely to be diagnosed with depression Positivity make more appropriate choices more likely to be able to delay gratification more effective coping skills manage stressful behaviors more effectively ~~~~~ Goal-driven Success more motivated to do what is necessary to achieve goals work harder and persist at challenging tasks predicts positive school performance out-predicts the SAT at predicting college success achieve greater success, and $$, over time 19

20 Social Comparison Starts Young How we measure up to people we admire, or who have something we think we want Reinforces the I ll never measure up track on the personal playlist 20

21 When is Pessimism (sort of) Good? + Low expectations with high preparation: Feel good or even pleasantly surprised and relieved if things go well Protects against a poor outcome But --Can lead to burnout over time, trapped in a performance anxiety loop. This happens to teachers, too. 21

22 Learned Helplessness Playlist (I ll Never) Measure Up 22

23 T-E-A: Managing the Negativity Bias TEA= Thought Emotion Action 23

24 FAB Thoughts: Flexible, Accurate Alternatives Broaden & Build What is the evidence for the claim? Is this entirely accurate? How can you change even a small item in the claim that will self-talk the person into believing an alternative and TRUE thought? Audrey story 24

25 In University: Resilience is Messy. THOUGHTS EMOTION ACTION 25

26 Interpreting Thoughts Leads to Action The T-E-A Cycle Thought: They hate me. I ll never be friends with them. Emotion: Sadness Action: Withdraw 26

27 Change a Thought Resilience in Real-time Managing Thinking Biases: Negativity (Bad is stronger than good.) Confirmation (We see what we are looking for.) Facts versus interpretation: I finished last. x I am the stupidest girl in 4 th grade. The girls are laughing. x I will never be friends with them. 27

28 Biases in History: Actions Have Consequences The Shot Heard Round the World Interpretations (Thoughts) Emotions (Re)Actions Situation: The British Redcoats March on Lexington and Concord British T: The colonists have no right to resist me (King George III). We need to defend Britain and punish them. E: Anger A: Send soldiers to attack munitions center Colonists T: We should be free to govern ourselves. There are too many taxes and we have no representation in Parliament. E: Anger A: Train spies and militia to warn colonists and resist the soldiers 28

29 Accuracy: What target are 60 Second Activity: you hitting? 1) Think of a recent time when you did not complete a task. Write down the reasons why this happened. 2) Tell the person next to you. Can they come up with alternatives to challenge your negative thinking? Swap. 29

30 Self-efficacy Meets Gratitude: What Went Well? What happened? What was good about it? Why did it happen? If consistently random, suspect the fixed mindset. 30

31 Mindset Thoughts That Lead to Inaction x Fixed Mindset: Success is random. Intelligence is a quantity or an entity and I only have so much. What I do will not make me smarter. At some point my potential will be reached, maybe today. Yikes!! Better to fail NOT trying. 31

32 Mindset Thoughts That Lead to Action Growth Mindset: I help drive my own success. What I do makes me smarter. Intelligence is something that I can develop, and smarter is what I can become. My potential is unknowable until I try, get feedback, and try again. I can make good things happen. Better get started! 32

33 CARS: Strengths on the Journey + Competence: Efficacy Skills match needs Optimism, Resilience, Resourcefulness Support Effort + Autonomy: Sense of Control Over Life Voice and Choice + Relatedness: Loving and Respectful Social Connections Social Thriving *Self-determination: Growth Opportunities Choices Consistent with Student Interests and Values (*Adapted From Ryan and Deci) 33

34 What Can You DO About the Fixed Mindset Student? Focus on Competence and Mastery. Provide opportunities for Voice and Choice that use learned skills. Give Process Praise and Specific Feedback. Ask the student what they did and how it affected the outcome. Coach for incremental adjustments. Support the student team. Help prepare the path for a future performance. 34

35 How Teachers Think: Goals, Objectives, Organization Big Picture--Curriculum Goals Daily Schedule Time Sensitive Weekly Planning Action Oriented 35

36 How Students Think: One day at a time 36

37 Embedding Tools for Resilience and Achievement ½ Day Week of. 4/25-4/29/2011 English/Language Arts Math Science Social Studies Foreign Language Art/Music/Specials After School Activities WWW: Monday 4/25 Test Friday: Practice problems Review Notes/Compare to book Quiz Wed LangLab aft sch Tuesday 4/26 Test Friday Ex Help Lab Quiz Thu Quiz Wed Practice w/joe Bring Batteries for tomorrow Wednesday 4/27 Test Friday Make practice test Quiz tomorrow Oral Quiz Thursday 4/28 Test Friday Take Practice Test Quiz Llab, Game Ex Help Game Friday 4/29 Test Lab Due Saturday Soccer 4:30 Sunday Notes SS test: 83 (Pract test) Sci quiz: 3/5 (pop quiz did not study) Work Backwards: What is the goal? What steps are needed to accomplish it? 2. Assign study time and kind 3. Record performanc e and what got you there: in Notes and in WWW. What happened? What was good about it? Why did it happen? 4. Use technology reminders Synchronize.

38 Reading and Resources Positive Psychology News Daily: Over 50 articles applying PP research to a variety of topics, including education-- ws.com/news/sherri-fisher UPenn Capstone: Building a Foundation for Positive Psychology in Schools-- /mapp_capstone/18 SMART Strengths Book: Bloghttp:// urish.com/blog New Book: The Effort Myth, coming in

39 Q A & 39

40 Contact Information 40