This is the first
in a series of thinking skills for life and
learning. Those of you who follow my blog know the dramatic successes I have
had in my class since implementing these BrainSMART strategies. My goal is to provide the reasoning,
and practical implementation ideas for each strategy so that you can apply them
in your classroom or individual teaching situation.
Optimism
I consider
optimism to be the most important tool. If you only take one tool from this
series…let it be optimism. Optimism (aka positivity) opens the mind to be more
creative and find solutions that are not readily apparent (Frederickson, 2009).
This effect was clearly demonstrated in a powerful study by Seligman, which is
discussed in BrainSMART’s 60 Strategies
for Increasing Student Learning. Seligman found that when fourth graders
were presented with a challenging task, “two distinct groups emerged. One group
appeared to be optimistic in the face of the challenge. That is, they asked
questions and stayed with the task until it was completed.” In contrast, the
pessimistic group “gave up easily when the task became difficult. It was as if
they did not think they could solve the problems, so they did not continue to
try. Their cognitive ability dropped to
that of first graders” (emphasis
mine) (2011a, p. 32, 33). That is mindboggling. Clearly, these students were
under the misconception that intelligence is fixed. The creative and problem solving
centers of their brains shut down. They didn’t try because they didn’t believe
they could succeed. Therefore, it is imperative to teach all students that the
brain is changeable. The plasticity of the brain is a life-changing concept for
pessimistic students. This is where explicit teaching of strategies to rewire
the brain for optimism comes in.
Getting Started
Once students
understand that their brains are changeable, and that you are going to teach
them strategies to rewire their brains for thinking and learning, introduce
practical optimism. In the book Thinking
for Results, Wilson and Conyers define practical optimism as, “An approach
to life that focuses on taking practical positive action to increase the
probability of successful outcomes” (2011b, p. 148). Share the studies
mentioned above to drive home the importance of optimism. If you have a story
to share of a time optimism helped you or someone you know, share it. Ask
students for examples of times optimism or pessimism has impacted them. Use discussion
and questioning strategies to draw out the following: 1. Optimistic people view
success or failure as a result of the effort they put in, and 2. Pessimistic
people view success or failure as a result of ability. Since students now
understand that their brains are changeable, their ability is changeable…success
is based on effort! Once students understand optimism, you can discuss
strategies to rewire their brains for optimism.
Strategies
On
one of the BrainSMART class DVDs, Marcus Conyers lays out three essential
strategies for an optimistic mindset: Deal
with it, TNT, and Delete.
By ‘deal with it’ he is saying to take care
of the problem, issue, or assignment right away. He draws a comparison between
problems and anacondas by saying; problems are like anacondas, if you don’t
deal with them when they’re little, they’ll grow and strangle you! Students sometimes
put off assignments because they are afraid of failure, and then by the time
they start working it is too late to do a good job which then results in a poor
grade. They’ve created a self-fulfilling prophecy! Alternatively, a student who
understands their grade is a result of their effort (optimism) rather than
their ability (pessimism) will deal with
the assignment right away. The optimistic student will see greater success
because of the increased effort.
TNT stands for The Next Time. When things don’t work out well, an optimistic
person will think about what they will do differently the next time. After all,
success is based on effort! Let’s
go back to the student who didn’t start the assignment right away. At this
point he or she would not reflect on what caused the bad grade, because a
pessimist believes success is based on ability. The optimist however will look
at his or her grade and determine what could be done better the next time, how
the effort could be refocused or adjusted, and then follow through. An optimist
grows and learns from mistakes by thinking about TNT.
Finally, we want
to delete the negative. Humans have
about 4,000 thoughts pass through the mind every day. According to Fredrickson
in her book Positivity, our positive
to negative ratio should be about 3:1 (2009). So how do we change our thought
patterns? Conyers says to put the negative thoughts on the RADAR. First, Recognize a negative thought when it
occurs. That is being metacognitive. Next, Assess
the thought for accuracy. (Will I really NEVER be able to finish this
assignment, or do I need to be more optimistic?) Then Dispute the negative thought. Why is the thought inaccurate? (I can
finish the assignment by being more optimistic because optimism broadens the
mind allowing for creativity and problem solving). Then find Alternatives. What is another way you
could approach the problem or assignment? And finally, Rehearse. Practice or visualize the alternative.
Another
wonderful strategy is to prime the brain at the beginning and
end of each day. Last year my students kept an optimism journal. Every morning
they would record something good that happened the day before, and something
good they expected to happen today. It was difficult at first, but as their
minds were rewired towards optimism, the task became easier. Conyers points out
that the brain is most open just before sleep. Therefore it is a great time for
parents to participate by asking their child about positive experiences from
the day, and positive expectations for the next day. Involving parents also
makes them more metacognitive about their own optimism.
One More Step
Once
optimism has been introduced and discussed in class, refer back to it
regularly. For example, when I see a student trying hard on an assignment I’ll
comment to the class about the great example of optimism. Or when a student
makes a positive comment, I’ll remark on his optimistic attitude. I also tie
optimism into being supportive and respectful of each other, because optimistic
people want other people to do well also.
Finally
The most important
thing of all is to model optimism. Sometimes you will be the only example in a
student’s life of an optimistic attitude. Therefore, you must use optimism, and
talk optimism. Your optimistic attitude will make your class a better place,
which will result in increased student success. Let's keep our students cognitive abilities strong with optimism.
References
Conyers, M., Wilson, D. (2011a). BrainSMART 60 Strategies for Increasing Student Learning (4 ed.). Orlando: BrainSMART.
Conyers, M.,
Wilson, D. (2011b). Thinking for Results: Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement by as Much as 30 Percent. Orlando: BrainSMART.
Fredrickson, B.
L., (2009). Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the 3 to 1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life . New York:
Three Rivers Press.
