Helping students improve doesn't have to mean remediating their deficits. In this important book, Steven Baron shows the benefits of a strength-based approach that instead emphasizes students' assets and capabilities, making them feel more connected to teachers and peers and more engaged in learning.
You’ll learn practical, research-backed ways to help students of all grade levels identify and celebrate their strengths, develop self-confidence and a growth mindset, build intrinsic motivation, overcome a fear of making mistakes, manage their feelings, focus on gratitude, and more. You’ll also discover ways to create a more strength-based Individual Education Plan (IEP), increase your own resilience as a teacher, and build a strength-based culture throughout your school and district.
The appendix provides a variety of exercises you can use to help students focus on their strengths, foster kindness, and understand the impact of bullying. Students spend approximately 1300 hours during the year with teachers; this resource will help you make this time as affirming as possible so students are ready to learn and grow.
Author(s): Steven Baron
Publisher: Routledge/Eye on Education
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 210
City: New York
Cover
Half Title
Series Information
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
About the Author
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 What Unique Problems Do Teachers Face?
Lack of Control Over What You Do
Budget Concerns
Increasing Administrative Responsibilities
Increased Competition for Student Attention
School Violence
Poverty
Increased Rates of Childhood Psychopathology
How Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Profession Affect Their Performance
References
2 What Is the Impact of Teacher-Student Relationships On School Life?
Attending to the Social/Emotional Life of the Student Is Not an Imposition
Feeling a Sense of Partnership With the Teacher and Sharing Responsibility for Classroom...
Showing Appreciation of a Student’s Signature Strengths Is Key
References
3 What Is the Strength-Based Model?
References
4 How to Apply the Strength-Based Model in the Classroom
Mindsets
Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Motivation
Fear of Making Mistakes
Gratitude In the Classroom
Three Good Things
Gratitude Letter
Gratitude Journals
Gratitude Scavenger Hunt
Gratitude Jar
Gratitude Flower
Neuroplasticity
Flow
Emotional Intelligence
Applying the Strength-Based Model to Students With Disabilities
Strength-Based Individual Education Plan (IEPs)
References
5 Additional Strength-Based Interventions for the Classroom
Mindfulness to Reduce Student Stress
Breathing Buddies
Color Breathing
Rain Breathing
Circle Breathing
Rectangle (Box) Breathing
Stretching
Stretching # 2
Stretching # 3
Stretching # 4
A Mindful Minute
Exercise
Let’s Get Physical
Embrace Nature
Display Your Passion
Promoting Self-Compassion in Students
Accentuate the Positive
Share Your Growth
Classroom Exercises to Help Your Students Discover Their Strengths
References
6 How To Become a Strength-Based Teacher
Connect With Your Story of Origin
Personal Control (Wriggle Room)
Creativity
Developing a Growth Mindset for Yourself
Handling Negative Feedback and Criticism
The Importance of Self Care
Foster Relationships at Work
References
7 Implications for the Future: Where Do We Go From Here?
The Need for a Strength-Based Culture in Schools
Forming a Strength-Based Culture in Schools
Teacher Level Approaches
Classroom Level Approaches
School-Based Methods
References
A Final Thought
References
Appendix 1 Class Bullying Exercise
Appendix 2: First Day Exercise
Appendix 3 How to Be a Good Friend Exercise
Appendix 4 A Strength-Based Questionnaire
Appendix 5 Show and Tell of Strengths
Appendix 6 Strength-Based Letter Writing
Appendix 7 Kindness Activity
Appendix 8 The Talk Show
