Monday, October 19, 2015

Chapter 2: Find the Bright Spots

Here are my thoughts on Chapter 2:
     Look from within an organization for solutions, the change is then considered internal  and not from an external force.  It lends validity to the change  because it is already happening and by a known source.    Instead of focusing on what's going wrong, focus on what's going right.  Change is initiated  from a strength based position instead of a weakness based one.  Use effective questioning as a technique for pulling solutions from someone. Many times the solutions are already within ourselves, we just have to reason through them and be able to articulate it.
     The only thing that I didn't think was addressed was the environment in which all these things will occur.  There has to be trust and an understanding amongst all stake holders that the purpose of  using this lens is not to call people out but to pull from the expertise within.  It's not a process that  should be viewed from a personal perspective.   Instead it should be viewed from the following:   this is what works with our kids.  Let's share, reflect and make it our own. 
    

13 comments:

  1. After reading this chapter, I am trying to focus on the positive to try to make change. For example, I have a student that scored 131 on the SRI. This was freshman year. When the test was administered again at the end of the year, the same student scored a 253. I am now looking into what was done freshman year to see what I can do to help improve her score more.
    I do not fully know how I can apply the school example given in this chapter. Bobby was given work that he can do. I do try to differentiate the work in the classroom to help students learn and get through the material; however, I cannot differentiate/change the test.
    Page 46 states that we tend to focus on the negative. I believe this is true. I believe our society focuses on the negative because people want to eliminate the negative. Positive things do not really need fixing, so it is not a main focus. Why do movies and books with "drama" or bad stuff succeed? I think as a society we are drawn to the negative.
    I am a little scattered today, so I hope this makes sense. Looking forward to hearing what others have to say.

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    1. I was also drawn to the page depicting how research supports that people are drawn to the negative over the positive. I think this is reflected in what news channels decide to report on. It’s the terrible stories that draw the viewers in!

      When trying to fix a problem, it seems the author’s recommended approach is to build on the strengths, or the positives. Your student demonstrated growth in their freshman year, so it sounds like you are taking the strength-based approach by trying to build on that growth!

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  2. I found this chapter interesting. My husband was telling me that his math department was discussing the problem areas in math, and he (or someone) suggested that they look at similar schools with higher math scores and borrow ideas from those schools....looking for what already works and borrowing those ideas. This was right after I read this chapter about looking for the bright spots. I liked the idea of the solution based counseling which is similar to the bright spots because it doesn't belabor the idea of everything that is wrong, but it does try to find valid approaches to improve the current situation. However, in the end those other issues still need to be improved for long term purposes (plumbing, food, health improvement, etc. in Vietnam). I did not necessarily agree with the solution that was offered for Bobby, the difficult student. I agree that drudging up his past was not going to help him in school now....but giving him easier work and making his day conflict free is not realistic. How is that getting a person college and career ready? How is that doing what is truly best for the student? Some of it felt like a band aid approach. I also am trying to apply this to my current teaching situation. Most of the things I would like to change I have no control over, therefore, I am feeling powerless and unsupported in making some changes. There was a "bright spot" in my CT experience when I worked with Jen Cropo for ~12 years. It was an inclusive class with a true co-teaching model. It worked. Instead of using that co-teaching model as a bright spot, it was removed instead and completely out of my control. I definitely see both sides. I see the value of looking for bright spots and the solution-based approach, but I am still feeling like there are many obstacles that are beyond my capabilities.

    Any thoughts?

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  3. I agree with so much that was said here. I agree with Dawn, I too thought, "Let's look for the bright spot." I am on our building Strategic Planning Team, and we are looking for ways to improve literacy (with a focus on writing) in our building. I thought that perhaps our subcommittee could use this bright spot approach to tackle this problem....somewhat like the math department at Oliver is trying to do. But, as Maria said, is it almost too easy? I am hoping to bring this to the table at our next meeting. It will be interesting to see what others think...and maybe we don't need to go our of our building for bright spots!? I am anxious to hear how Dawn makes out with her student! I hope she keeps us posted.

    Maria and Dawn both brought up the fact that we still have to be cognoscente of the goal...passing the test, and graduating students that are college and career ready. Where does this leave us?

    I was also intrigued by the solution based counseling idea. I love the idea of not dwelling on the archaeology. And, as the authors stated, "After five years and $50,000, you discover it's all your mom's fault" (35). I agree, Let's just find a solution. I wish it were that simple.

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  4. While reading this chapter I also found myself with that internal struggle between seeing the “bright spot method” as an optimistic key to solving some problems and the frustration of having many problems that are out of my control. After thinking about what was done in Vietnam, I think we have to look at the idea that they did not take on all of the problems at once. They found a bright spot that would significantly improve life for these villages, but they did not fix everything. I think as educators, we want to fix many problems and we balance a mind boggling amount of responsibilities throughout a day. By finding these bright spots and keeping our focus on a manageable scale I think we can chip away at the needs of our students. Hopefully with small bits getting better, those little pieces can gain momentum and cause the larger avalanche of change that we all wish we could achieve.

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  5. My favorite quote in this chapter was, "Even in failure there is success." This goes right along with our Growth Mindset book study from last year as well as Mindfulness. I like the idea of the "bright spot method" and asking, "what's working, and how can we do more of it?" It would be a much more positive way of working with students if we focus on the solution rather than the problem.

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  6. The change in the troubled student's behavior brought about by his other teachers adopting the successful teacher's strategies (greeting student at door, assigning work he can do, and making sure he understands the directions) encourages me to look for ways other teachers are more successful than I am at interacting with students. I have not visited a demonstration math classroom yet, but I am looking forward to seeing bright spots when I do.

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  7. The change in the troubled student's behavior brought about by his other teachers adopting the successful teacher's strategies (greeting student at door, assigning work he can do, and making sure he understands the directions) encourages me to look for ways other teachers are more successful than I am at interacting with students. I have not visited a demonstration math classroom yet, but I am looking forward to seeing bright spots when I do.

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  8. I really like the connection with the demonstration classrooms. That is kind of our grass-roots attempt to shine a light on the bright spots. Like the mothers in the first story, the teachers in the demonstration classrooms are not perfect. They are, however, willing to open their doors to share with others what their practice looks like and what strategies work for them. I think approaching professional development in this way allows people to experience pedagogical strategies they may not have otherwise had exposure to. It also allows adults to come to their own learning rather than simply saying "here's best practice. Go do it." I smiled and nodded to myself when the author pointed out that going to the village and saying "here is the answer to your problems" would have resulted in almost no change. I think that is a mistake we often make when trying to get others to change. We tell them how, rather than showing them and allowing them to come to their own conclusions.

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  9. I too, love the connection to the demonstration classroom, and will look forward to visiting it as well, looking for "bright spots." I agree with Justin, so much better to see good practice in action, rather than just being told what is good practice. I also am beginning to make the connection to the advantages of more vertical conversations, the work we did in October, at Superintendent's Conference Day for example, although I am seeing more vertical alignment in other areas too. What are educators in other buildings doing? How can we be consistent with our best practices. What worked well for student A in middle school, and could we try that in HS? Why do we always feel as if we need to reinvent the wheel.

    I go back to Frances's original post for this chapter: There has to be trust and an understanding among all stake holders, that the purpose of using this lens is not to call people out but to pull from the expertise within. It's not a process that should be viewed from a personal perspective. Instead it should be viewed from the following: this is what works with our kids. Let's share, reflect and make it our own.

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  10. There are so many bright spots in our schools....how do we pick just one? :) I get so angry at the news blaming schools, failing schools....when will the news start picking bright spots? When will legislatures start picking bright spots? When will society realize that it isn't the schools who are failing...it is the society who is failing...poverty, social skills, parenting skill, lack of support at home, lack or moral teaching. sometimes the students themselves who are lacking the drive? We the teachers and schools are working so hard at doing cartwheels that our shirt fly up and they students, parents and politicians are just laughing at us and blame up that we don't know what we are doing.. But our bright spots are amazing!

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    1. I completely agree! Actually, as I was reading this chapter (and your comment) it got me thinking about all the videos that go viral on the internet with cops “doing good” or some other derivative of this. It’s so silly to me how we can focus on the bright spots via the internet, but we can’t on the news or in the newspaper! Our world is so blind to the bright spots, so we don’t have any hope for the future. I can’t help but wonder what the news would be like if public service people (teachers, cops, firefighters, etc.) were portrayed just as the viral videos on the internet show.

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  11. I understand how there are multiple factors to making an idea work, not just looking for those “bright spots,” but the concept is still sticking with me. I was most struck by this quote: “When the Rider analyzes a problem, he seeks a solution that befits the scale of it” (p. 44). When they start talking about fitting pegs into holes, I got to thinking about how I solve problems, especially in the classroom. When I’m having an issue with a class/student, my initial instinct is to solve the problem in one fell swoop. I fail to pause and consider the small solutions to the problem, the little things I can change easily. Reading this book has definitely caused me to realize some of the little things I can do in my life (as a teacher and as a person) to make changes. I’m not fully immersed in MAKING these changes , but at least I’m self-aware…right?

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