EDUCATIONAL & CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
Strengths-based education is evolving in various educational contexts (Schreiner, 2010; Shushok & Hulme, 2006; Stebleton, et al, 2012) as more research and literature are validating that the approach supports student development in career decision-making, values clarification and character development. Grounded in the ideals of Anderson's (2004) work, a strengths-based approach is one that "involves a process of assessing, teaching, and designing experiential learning activities to help students identify, develop, and apply their strengths and talents" (p.1). Specialized research (Stebleton et al, 2012; Proyer et al, 2012) in this area has demonstrated the effectiveness of strengths education on curriculum development, most applicable to high school and first-year college and university student learning. In particular, infusing strengths practices into learning experiences and curriculum design offers benefits that include:
Based on our own experiences developing strengths educational practices and curricula, we will work with you to review, design and/or (re)develop an educational or leadership program that uses a strengths approach to teaching, learning and assessment. Our meetings and workshops help you understand how strengths education fits within the broader high school and post-secondary landscapes and discuss manageable ways for educators to integrate strengths into their daily work. Using a theory-based learning and assessment framework, we will work with you to begin considering how strengths education can be built into learning goals, outcomes, strategies, and assessment practices inside and outside of the classroom, whether it be within classes you teach, conversations you have with students, or workshops you offer. To us, strengths education is as much about helping educators infuse strengths approaches into their work as it is about helping students learn how to be the best version of themselves. In our experience, you really can't have one without the other.
- Increased student confidence in identifying their own strengths
- Accurately assessing a student's own abilities
- Decision-making regarding what a student values most in a major or career choice
- Applying a student's strengths academically to improve their learning experiences
- Understanding how strengths can help a student be more realistic about their expectations of the future
- Increased self-regulation in adolescents and young adults
- Enhanced satisfaction with life, particularly related to hope, gratitude, humor and zest
Based on our own experiences developing strengths educational practices and curricula, we will work with you to review, design and/or (re)develop an educational or leadership program that uses a strengths approach to teaching, learning and assessment. Our meetings and workshops help you understand how strengths education fits within the broader high school and post-secondary landscapes and discuss manageable ways for educators to integrate strengths into their daily work. Using a theory-based learning and assessment framework, we will work with you to begin considering how strengths education can be built into learning goals, outcomes, strategies, and assessment practices inside and outside of the classroom, whether it be within classes you teach, conversations you have with students, or workshops you offer. To us, strengths education is as much about helping educators infuse strengths approaches into their work as it is about helping students learn how to be the best version of themselves. In our experience, you really can't have one without the other.
