Spotting and Managing Strengths for Gritty Self-Regulation...

transcript

Spotting and Managing Strengths for

Gritty Self-Regulation,

Resilience, and Achievement

Canadian Positive Psychology Conference

18 July 2014

Sherri Fisher, MEd, MAPP

sherri@learnandflourish.com

www.learnandflourish.com 1

• Incorporates research-

based 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.

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.

Reduce or prevent depression and anxiety

Increase enjoyment and engagement in school

Improve curiosity and love of learning

Enhance social skills

Increase academic achievement

Why Positive Education Practices?

The Short List of Research Findings

From this… To this…

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:

http://www.viacharacter.org/www/The-Survey

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”.

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.

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.

Strengths: Talents for Meeting Challenges

Context Matters!

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.

“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?

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)

Resilience: Shake it off.

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

Thinking

makes a fine

servant but a

terrible

master.

The thinker or the ruminator?

Rumination is correlated with

depression.

TAKE ACTION.

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)

Resilience = Building

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

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

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.

Learned Helplessness Playlist

“(I’ll Never)

Measure Up”

T-E-A: Managing the Negativity Bias

Thought

Emotion

Action

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

In University: Resilience is Messy.

THOUGHTS

EMOTION ACTION

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

Change a Thought… Resilience in Real-time

Facts versus interpretation:

I finished last.

x I am the stupidest girl in 4th grade.

The girls are laughing.

x I will never be friends with them.

Managing Thinking Biases:

Negativity (Bad is stronger than good.)

Confirmation (We see what we are looking for.)

Biases in History: Actions Have Consequences

The Shot Heard ‘Round the World

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

Interpretations (Thoughts) Emotions (Re)Actions

Situation: The British Redcoats March on Lexington and Concord

Accuracy: What target are

you hitting? 60 Second Activity:

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.

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.

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.

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!

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)

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”.

How Teachers Think:

Goals, Objectives, Organization

Big Picture--Curriculum

Goals Daily Schedule

Time Sensitive—Weekly Planning Action Oriented

How Students Think:

One day at a time

Week of…. 4/25-4/29/2011

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

English/Language Arts

Test Friday: Practice problems

Test Friday Ex Help

Test Friday Make

practice test

Test Friday Take Practice

Lab Lab Due Science

Review Notes/Compare

to book

Quiz Thu

Quiz tomorrow

Social Studies

Quiz Wed LangLab aft

Quiz Wed Practice w/Joe

Oral Quiz

Foreign Language

Bring Batteries

for tomorrow

Art/Music/Specials

After School Activities

Llab, Game Ex Help Game

Saturday

Soccer 4:30

Sunday

SS test: 83

(Pract test)

Sci quiz: 3/5

(pop quiz—did not

study)

1. Work

Backwards:

What is the

goal? What

steps are

needed to

accomplish

2. Assign study

time and

3. Record

performanc

e and what

got you

there: in

Notes and in

• What

happened?

• What was

good about

• Why did it

happen?

4. Use

technology

reminders.

5. Synchronize.

Embedding Tools for Resilience and Achievement

WWW: 1. 2. 3.

1. 2. 3.

½ Day

Reading and Resources

• Positive Psychology News

Daily: Over 50 articles

applying PP research to a

variety of topics, including

education-- http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/sherri-fisher

• UPenn Capstone: Building a

Foundation for Positive

Psychology in Schools--http://repository.upenn.edu

/mapp_capstone/18

• SMART Strengths – Book:

• Bloghttp://www.learnandflo

urish.com/blog

• New Book: The Effort Myth,

coming in 2015

Contact Information

www.learnandflourish.com

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