Kansas Council for Workforce Education

2012 Spring Drive-In Workshop

Increasing Learning and Strengthening Teaching Through

Strengths-Based Education

Diana Allison, PhD, ASIDDarla Green, LEED AP

Associate Professors – Interior DesignJohnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS

Introductions

Who are you? Where are you from? What do you hope to come away

with?

So What’s the Big Idea?

“People that understand their most effective behaviors and talents are best able to develop strategies to meet and exceed the demands of their daily lives, their careers, and their families.” Clifton, 2006

The Dilema

Wanting to connect with unique student process to form knowledge

Our perspective

What Is Known

Self-knowledge empowers students

Background Strengths-based Education

Return to basic educational principles Alfred Binet- Enhancing skills & addressing deficits

not just remediating problems (Binet & Simon, 1916) Hurlock (1925) – Praise of student work is more

powerful than criticism Chickering (1969) – College student development

theory: Development of student’s broad-based talents

Background Strengths-based Education Positive Psychology

Bowers (2008) - Examining and promoting strengths and managing deficits

Csikszentmihalyi (1990) – Optimal experience called ‘flow’

BackgroundStrengths-based Education StrengthsQuest: Discover Your Strengths

in Academics, Career, and Beyond (Clifton, Anderson, & Schreiner, 2006) Donald Clifton – Father of Strengths

Psychology; Grandfather of Positive Psychology▪ Acquired Gallup in 1988

Principles of Strengths-Based Education(Lopez & Louis, 2009)

1) identification of students’ strengths

2) personalizing the students’ learning experience based upon their strengths

Principles of Strengths-Based Education(Lopez & Louis, 2009)

3) networking and communication of students’ strengths with those who will support and acknowledge strength-based success

Principles of Strengths-Based Education

Lopez & Louis, 2009

4) deliberately applying strengths inside and outside of the classroom

5) intentional development of the students’ strengths

“What would happen if we studied

what is right with people?”

Now, Discover Your Strengths (Buckingham & Clifton, 2001)

StrengthsQuest: Discover Your Strengths in Academics, Career, and Beyond (Clifton, Anderson, & Schreiner, 2006)

StrengthsFinder 2.0 (Rath, 2007)

StrengthsFinder 2.0

StrengthsFinder 2.0 (Rath 2007)Conducted over 2 million interviews

34 themes developed▪ Talent (innate) x Investment (skills &

knowledge)= Strength

(ability to consistently provide near perfect performance)(Rath, 2007)

StrengthsFinder 2.0

Top 5 of 34talent themes

Personalized explanation and suggestions based on each individual’s combination

Diana Allison1. Achiever2. Positivity3. Individualization4. Strategic5. Learner

Darla Green1. Learner2. Developer3. Connectedness4. Restorative5. Relator

Exercise #1 What is your first reaction to these terms?

What do they mean to you at this point?

Does anything in the report surprise you?

How well do you feel your Signature Themes describe the ways in which you most naturally thing, feel, and behave as a unique individual?

With whom will you share your results?

Exercise #2

Signature theme and definition of this theme in your own words

Exercise #3

Sign your name 5 times

Switch hands, sign your name again 5 times with your non-dominant hand

What I Want Most

What I Do Best What I Want Most in a Place I Work

1. 1.2. 2.3. 3.4. 4.5. 5.

10 Minute Break

 The Four Domains of Leadership Strength

Executing Influencing Relationship Building

Strategic Thinking

AchieverArrangerBeliefConsistencyDeliberativeDisciplineFocusResponsibilityRestorative

ActivatorCommandCommunicationCompetitionMaximizerSelf-AssuranceSignificanceWoo

AdaptabilityDeveloperConnectednessEmpathyHarmonyIncluderIndividualizationPositivityRelator

AnalyticalContextFuturisticIdeationInputIntellectionLearnerStrategic

Strengths Mapping

Application in the Classroom From group projects to team projects

Implemented Spring 2011 – 2 Capstone classes: total of 17

unique students Fall 2011 – 1 Capstone class, 1 Residential

Design class, 1 Space Planning class: total of 29 unique students

Spring 2012 – 1 Capstone class, 1 Residential Design class, 1 Space Planning class, 1 Introduction to Interior Design: total of 35 unique students

Approach

Homework Assignment

Classroom Discussion & Activity

Weekly Exercises

Team Projects

FrequenciesStrengths Frequencies

  Executing Influencing Relationship Building Strategic Thinking

Achiever

Arranger

Belief

Consistency

Deliberative

Discipline

Focus

Responsibility

Restorative

Activator

Command

Communication

Competition

Maximizer

Self-Assurance

Significance

WOO

Adaptability

Developer

Connectedness

Empathy

Harmony

Includer

Individualization

Positivity

Relator

Analytical

Context

Futuristic

Ideation

Input

Intellection

Learner

Strategic

2011 2 Classes: 2 CapstoneSpring; N= 17 8 1 1 1 2 2 2 6 1 1 - 3 1 2 1 - 3 3 2 6 2 2 3 1 2 5 1 - 2 2 6 4 5 6  Total: 24 Total: 11 Total: 26 Total: 26 

  3 Classes: 1Capstone; 1 Residential Design; 1 Space Planning Fall; N=29

8 1 2 1 5 3 1 10

2 5 3 4 1 2 1 2 5 6 6 7 12

1 1 4 6 8 1 1 2 5 7 6 11 10

  Total: 33 Total: 23 Total: 53 Total: 43 

  Totals for 2011: 5 classesTotal 2011; N=46

16 2 3 2 7 5 3 16 3 6 3 7 2 4 2 2 8 9 8 1

314 5 4 5 8 1

3 2 1 4 7 13

10 16 16

  Total: 57 Total: 34 Total: 79 Total: 69

2012 4 Classes: 1 Capstone; 1 Residential Design; 1 Space Planning; 1 Introduction to Interior DesignSpring; N= 35

9 4 4 2 2 2 1 7 5 2 2 4 2 2 1 2 4 6 5 7 7 5 3 5 5 3 9 8 9 8 12 7 12 11

  Total: 36 Total: 19 Total: 46 Total: 76 Faculty  N=4 1             2 1                   1 1       2 1 1       1 2 1 3 3  Faculty Total: 4 Total: 0 Faculty Total: 6 Faculty Total: 10

Student Comments

“I wish we had done this in our first class in the program”

“I wish all our instructors knew what our strengths were before they put us on teams”

“Now I understand why they [team members] are approaching parts of the project as they are and it makes it easier to work with them”

StrengthsQuest Activity Workbook www.strengthsquest.com

Lunch

“Doing what we do best leads to high levels of engagement

and productivity”.

(Lopez & Louis, 2009, p. 1.)

Reflection from Morning

Gregorc Learning Style Delineator

Perception Concrete Abstract

Ordering Sequential Random

Gregorc Learning Style Delineator

CONCRETE: “It is what it is”, you deal with the here and now and process information based on what you see, hear, and think.

ABSTRACT: “Things aren’t always what they appear”, you look for patterns using your intuition and imagination.

Gregorc Learning Style Delineator

Gregorc Learning Style Delineator

RANDOM: You hop around from thought to thought and process information in chunks

SEQUENTIAL: You plan a very linear way of solving problems. You are an step 1 to step 2 person.

Four Learning Styles

CS = Concrete Sequential

CR = Concrete Random

AS = Abstract Sequential

AR = Abstract Random

Concrete Sequential Abilities

Remember details Separate facts Apply literal meaning to verbal statements Plan time and Activities Well

Dislikes Sharing Disorderly conditions Discussing philosophically or emotionally Too many options to choose from

CS – They want teachers to… Provide concrete examples Present information sequentially –

linear Maintain teacher-learner roles Offer respect, support, and

protection

Concrete Random Abilities

Use insight and intuition to see big picture Create new ideas, approaches, & products Function well in unstructured, open-ended

activities

Dislikes Step-by-step instruction Details or routine procedures Communal teamwork

CR – They want teachers to …

Provide concrete examples and abstract ideas

Guide their work Promote and reward natural curiosity Be ethical, genuine, and flexible Provide stimulus rich environments

Abstract Sequential Abilities

See forest and the trees Transcend details to see patterns and the “big

picture” Analyze, compare, contrast, evaluate & judge with

ease

Dislikes Step-by-step, touchy-feely & brainstorming activities Considering ideas and claims they don’t feel are valid Having to state how the feel rather than what they

think

AS – They want teachers to …

Encourage solitary work and personal effort

Provide abstractions via ideas, models, theories, & concepts

Use sequential, substantive, logical, rational, and structured techniques

Be subject matter-oriented, masters of content

Be strong classroom disciplinarians

Abstract Random Abilities

Read body language and assess emotional states View and relate parts and their relations with the

whole Accept criticism if it is kindly expressed See beauty in the darkest of events

Dislikes Dogmatic & strictly logical people & materials Conservative, restrictive, and antiseptic

environments Receiving continual criticism, unkind remarks &

sarcasm

AR – They want teachers to …

Provide activities that promote the subjective, affective, & abstract

Be a facilitator providing opportunities for students to talk, work, and learn with each other

Vary ways of learning instead of 1 or 2 Provide colorful, stimulus-rich

environments Be accessible before and after class

www.gregorc.com

5 Minute Break

Reflection

Peanut Butter Meets Chocolate HOW we learn: Gregorc Learning

Style Delineator Cognitive Instrument

WHY we learn: StrengthsFinder 2.0 Strengths-based instrument

Advantages for Student

Communication Self-discovery Awareness and acceptance Empathy for others

Advantages for Instructor Communication Approach to lessons/pedagogy Ability to see the roadblocks to

learning

Sample of two classes Spring 201226/39 students sampled

Students 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Learning Style CS CS CS AS AS AR AR CR CR CR CS CS CR CR AR AR AR CR CS AS CR CR CS CS CR CS

Leadership Domains S E S E R S I I S E S S S R I S R R E R S S S S R S

Learning Styles: CS: Concrete Sequential = 9, AS: Abstract Sequential = 3

CR: Concrete Random = 9 , AR: Abstract Random = 5

Leadership Domains: E: Executing = 4, I: Influencing = 3 R: Relationship Building, S: Strategic = 13

What we found out

Quotes

“It helps me when it comes to team projects – I now understand the difference in peoples approach…It also helps me outside the classroom understand people’s motivation.”

Quotes

“I now understand my thought process and it’s a little easier to understand why I think the way that I think and the order that I think in.”

Where do you go from here?