{"id":738,"date":"2018-02-19T23:45:50","date_gmt":"2018-02-20T04:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/edt431-531\/?p=738"},"modified":"2018-02-19T23:46:02","modified_gmt":"2018-02-20T04:46:02","slug":"what-does-it-mean-to-be-strong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2018\/02\/what-does-it-mean-to-be-strong\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does It Mean to Be Strong?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For most people the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word &#8220;strong&#8221; is raw strength, such as muscles.\u00a0 But when we hear the phrase &#8220;Play to your strengths&#8221;, most people don&#8217;t mean play to your raw strength, but rather what you are good at.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cash4impact.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Developing-strengths-quote.png?resize=533%2C533\" width=\"533\" height=\"533\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As a future teachers, I want my students to feel empowered, that they have a say in how they learn, and that their strengths can shine in a classroom.\u00a0 This is an incredibly hard process because every students is unique, and has their own strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How do we build on their strengths as teachers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There are lots of ways to help our students discover their strengths.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Doing student info cards is one great way to learn about our students\n<ul>\n<li>Asking them interesting and unique questions (and the obvious general ones) lets you learn a lot about them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Have them take a StrengthFinders style of test\n<ul>\n<li>This let&#8217;s you learn how to play to your student&#8217;s strengths since you know them<\/li>\n<li>Can help you learn who to give more focus on if they are struggling (they might be able to effectively learn the way you are teaching them)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Identify where your students are struggling on an individual basis\n<ul>\n<li>Did they do well on this assessment when you used this method for teaching?\n<ul>\n<li>If not, they may be struggling to learn that way, especially if it repeats<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Ask students if they learn better in certain ways, they may surprise you with good answers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/chellemcquaid\/status\/909777155143475201\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/chellemcquaid\/status\/909777155143475201<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>My Strengths<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>I was able to take a StrengthFinders assessment to discover what my strengths were.\u00a0 While this exact test wouldn&#8217;t be feasible in my classroom because it is almost $20 for a one time test, it&#8217;s great for a teacher to discover their strengths.\u00a0 Knowing my strengths makes me a better teacher as it will show me what I am strong at, and what I need to improve to be a more effective teacher.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Includer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Includers are very accepting of others and know when someone is left out, and work to get them involved.<\/p>\n<p>Being an includer gives me the benefit of being able to identify students that are feeling unimportant, left out, and even rejected by their classmates.\u00a0 I can empathize with their situation and work to keep them included.\u00a0 Bringing diversity in everything for my students and having people find commonalities among each other are strong characteristics.\u00a0 Cooperative learning will be an incredibly effective tool in my classroom as it is one oft he best ways for me to get students working together and getting to know each other beforehand.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.strengthsschool.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/Imported_Blog_Media\/StrengthsFinder%2BSingapore%2BStrengths%2BSchool%2BIncluder.jpeg?resize=565%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"565\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Developer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Developers are constantly trying to improve\u00a0 the people around them.\u00a0 They see the potential in them and derive satisfaction from helping them improve their strengths and seeing an evidence of progress.<\/p>\n<p>Developer seems to be a common trait for teachers.\u00a0 They seek to find the best in their students and work them towards improving themselves.\u00a0 As teachers we are always excited to see the &#8220;lightbulb&#8221; over a student&#8217;s head.\u00a0 That feeling is the satisfaction that they can and will improve with hard work and time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Positivity<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Positivity, as the name suggests, means this person has an upbeat personality and a contagious enthusiasm.\u00a0 They are talented at getting people excited at what they are going to do.<\/p>\n<p>This one would have been a shock to me a few years ago.\u00a0 I was a much more pessimistic person back then.\u00a0 While I still have some pessimism (I&#8217;m realistic), I&#8217;m also more positive on everything in life.\u00a0 I want others to be happy and excited about what is going on rather than feeling doom and gloom.\u00a0 I want people to each feel individually recognized as a person, not just another cog on the machine of life.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thedoctorweighsin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Why-Positivity-is-the-Best-Medicine.jpg?resize=1024%2C639&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"639\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Arranger<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Arrangers have the ability to organize well, but they are also flexible and willing to take time on figuring out how everything works together.\u00a0 This is all in an effort to maximize productivity.<\/p>\n<p>I tend to see myself as a fairly organized person.\u00a0 I struggle at times at keeping myself completely organized, but most people aren&#8217;t able to.\u00a0 I&#8217;ve always felt that no matter how much I plan and arrange everything perfectly, I&#8217;m also willing to go with the flow to make everything work out.\u00a0 This gives me an insight into having an organized day, but I&#8217;m also prepared to improv my way through a day if necessary.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Maximizer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Maximizers are straightforward.\u00a0 They want to produce excellence in everything they do.\u00a0 They are successful at doing so with others, but also themselves.<\/p>\n<p>This strength shocked me.\u00a0 While I was always oriented at doing the best I could, I never thought I was very successful at it.\u00a0 I know how to bring out the excellence in others much better than I do in myself.\u00a0 I can push students to thrive and improve themselves constantly, and encourage them to do the best work that they can to learn and be excellent learners<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.strengthsschool.com\/hubfs\/Imported_Blog_Media\/Maximizer%2BStrengthsfinder%2BSingapore%2BStrengths%2BSchool.jpgmaximizer%2Bstrengthsfinder%2Bsingapore%2Bstrengths%2Bschool.jpeg?resize=565%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"565\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Big Take Away<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Every individuals strengths are important, but being strong doesn&#8217;t mean that you need to be able to lift 300 lbs of weights.\u00a0 But rather, you are willing to identify what you are good at and then play to those strengths.\u00a0 Weaknesses are important too, often times they are more important than knowing what you are good at.\u00a0 Once you know what you aren&#8217;t going to be as successful at doing, then you can improve yourself and work around those weaknesses.\u00a0 It&#8217;s never too late to maximize your strengths, but include your weaknesses.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Michele L. Sullivan: Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.ted.com\/talks\/michele_l_sullivan_asking_for_help_is_a_strength_not_a_weakness\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Michele L. Sullivan reminds us the importance of seeking help, and working together.\u00a0 That your strengths and your weaknesses don&#8217;t weigh you down, but rather give you more ways to work with others that complement you.\u00a0 Walking in another person&#8217;s shoes and getting to know them are the ways that we thrive as individuals in the classroom and in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>For most people the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word &#8220;strong&#8221; is raw strength, such as muscles.\u00a0 But when we <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2018\/02\/what-does-it-mean-to-be-strong\/\" title=\"What Does It Mean to Be Strong?\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2134,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[93],"tags":[114,126,128,106,129,127,125,124,12,121],"class_list":["post-738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-strengths-in-science-classrooms","tag-strengths","tag-arranger","tag-developer","tag-edt432","tag-includer","tag-maximizer","tag-positivity","tag-stengthsfinders","tag-teaching","tag-weaknesses"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2134"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=738"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":757,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738\/revisions\/757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}