Appreciative Work in Schools: Generating future communities
The school is at the heart of the future of the community. It is in the schools where children grow in knowledge, morality and their abilities to relate to others. Their concepts of community and the ability to live life to the full are fostered and cultivated through the experience of being at school. It is in the schools that the future of our societies gains formation and direction. To be part of this cradling of the future is something of a treasure. Teachers and the school community are enormously influential in children's lives. We have joined with them, and together have created the opportunity for huge amounts of imaginative and inspired activities, as well as very useful psychological health work. In the context of an increasingly complex world, children's growth in knowledge, learning, fun, exploration, morality, relationships and life and the way it is formed is greatly influenced by the school context - teachers, other staff and other pupils. Their relational responsibility (MacNamee & Gergen 1999) is way beyond the imparting of knowledge or facts. Rather, we might say that perhaps most crucially their task can be described as creating a joy and curiosity in curricular learning as well as learning how to live life with others appreciatively. What we will present in this book is a way of living, a way of behaving, a way of relating and being in relationship with others in everyday life. Having a frame for creating positive meaning and reframing negativity, (Cronen & Lang 1994) where even difficult things can be appreciated and viewed differently, creates positive energy and enthusiasm (see Focus book by Stavros & Torres 2005). This way of being tends to open up spaces for people's abilities and skills to be seen and valued. This valuing and appreciating generates more energy and possibilities for the future. It opens new worlds for the children and others. It builds relationships of collaboration and respect. It gives dignity and pride to everyone. We have worked with people in schools, in many different places in the world, whether it be with a single class or with all the schools in a district and the surrounding community. The principles are similar. We ask lots of questions; not just any sort of question, but questions that inquire into what people are proud of, what has created energy, joy and life in the school and then asking what skills and abilities have been used in achieving this. This sort of conversation generates trusting, hope-full and energised relationships, which create possibilities and opportunities for joint shared futures. What has emerged has been exciting and innovative but totally unpredictable and different in each context. It has emerged from positive conversations and new positive energy, and different sorts of relationships where trust and collaboration naturally occur. This has created a very different atmosphere in the school with an appreciative, enthusiastic quality about it. New and different futures are created for the children, teachers and school through questioning in these ways. Any comments or statements, which in the past might have been negative, have been reframed and the positive qualities in the behaviours stated instead. In this way all the relationships between people are nurtured affirmatively, creating more possibilities for the future. For children, being appreciated and valued is grounding for their future. Within the relational space trust, empathy, care, joy, understanding, and so much more emerge. Learning grows through their curiosity and opportunities for the future increase. Yet more ... as we share our experiences, we will talk about different things that we have done in a variety of situations and how we have learned through these events. This is a book about skills and abilities that we have found have given us, as workers with children and their networks, possibilities to co-create multiple realities, to open up different ways of acting and also develop new forms of resilience and the ability to bounce back with new coping strategies. We will be presenting and highlighting ways of working with whole school environments, teachers, children, parents and mental health professionals, which we hope you will find attractive for use in your own work with similar situations. We will share with the readers ways that we have learnt of how to work with individuals, networks of families and professionals, and all sizes of groups, large and small, through the examples we will provide. As you discover the practices that we have found useful, we believe that you will grow in taking leaps in the dark, exploring and co-creating different possibilities for children in relationship with others. We have found, again and again, that every situation that we engage with involves a leap in the dark as we recognise a sense of the uniqueness of every situation and feel our way together, children, others and ourselves, to form things anew. As the poet Auden has hinted, 'Leap before you look'(Auden 1945). There will be some of the exercises, which you can try for yourself and lots of skills you can use in this work. This book has been written particularly for teachers, senior teachers, head teachers and their teams who have, in our experience, run with the ideas and developed many of their own inspirational projects. However, we have had so many enthusiastic requests, from others in a child's network who have joined us in this exploration, to put ideas on paper, that we hope there is a much wider readership - all who have an investment in our children. This book is above all for people who are prepared to take risks, to be experimental, to use their creativity and to look for the best in everyone. It is for those connected to the whole school and community context, where the focus is on learning, growing and developing ways of being and acting with each other in relationship. As such the book is for teachers, senior teachers, head teachers, parents, pupils, administrators, school board members, dinner ladies, school nurses, social workers, school psychologists, mental health teams, politicians and anyone else interested in the future of our schools and communities.
1117501162
Appreciative Work in Schools: Generating future communities
The school is at the heart of the future of the community. It is in the schools where children grow in knowledge, morality and their abilities to relate to others. Their concepts of community and the ability to live life to the full are fostered and cultivated through the experience of being at school. It is in the schools that the future of our societies gains formation and direction. To be part of this cradling of the future is something of a treasure. Teachers and the school community are enormously influential in children's lives. We have joined with them, and together have created the opportunity for huge amounts of imaginative and inspired activities, as well as very useful psychological health work. In the context of an increasingly complex world, children's growth in knowledge, learning, fun, exploration, morality, relationships and life and the way it is formed is greatly influenced by the school context - teachers, other staff and other pupils. Their relational responsibility (MacNamee & Gergen 1999) is way beyond the imparting of knowledge or facts. Rather, we might say that perhaps most crucially their task can be described as creating a joy and curiosity in curricular learning as well as learning how to live life with others appreciatively. What we will present in this book is a way of living, a way of behaving, a way of relating and being in relationship with others in everyday life. Having a frame for creating positive meaning and reframing negativity, (Cronen & Lang 1994) where even difficult things can be appreciated and viewed differently, creates positive energy and enthusiasm (see Focus book by Stavros & Torres 2005). This way of being tends to open up spaces for people's abilities and skills to be seen and valued. This valuing and appreciating generates more energy and possibilities for the future. It opens new worlds for the children and others. It builds relationships of collaboration and respect. It gives dignity and pride to everyone. We have worked with people in schools, in many different places in the world, whether it be with a single class or with all the schools in a district and the surrounding community. The principles are similar. We ask lots of questions; not just any sort of question, but questions that inquire into what people are proud of, what has created energy, joy and life in the school and then asking what skills and abilities have been used in achieving this. This sort of conversation generates trusting, hope-full and energised relationships, which create possibilities and opportunities for joint shared futures. What has emerged has been exciting and innovative but totally unpredictable and different in each context. It has emerged from positive conversations and new positive energy, and different sorts of relationships where trust and collaboration naturally occur. This has created a very different atmosphere in the school with an appreciative, enthusiastic quality about it. New and different futures are created for the children, teachers and school through questioning in these ways. Any comments or statements, which in the past might have been negative, have been reframed and the positive qualities in the behaviours stated instead. In this way all the relationships between people are nurtured affirmatively, creating more possibilities for the future. For children, being appreciated and valued is grounding for their future. Within the relational space trust, empathy, care, joy, understanding, and so much more emerge. Learning grows through their curiosity and opportunities for the future increase. Yet more ... as we share our experiences, we will talk about different things that we have done in a variety of situations and how we have learned through these events. This is a book about skills and abilities that we have found have given us, as workers with children and their networks, possibilities to co-create multiple realities, to open up different ways of acting and also develop new forms of resilience and the ability to bounce back with new coping strategies. We will be presenting and highlighting ways of working with whole school environments, teachers, children, parents and mental health professionals, which we hope you will find attractive for use in your own work with similar situations. We will share with the readers ways that we have learnt of how to work with individuals, networks of families and professionals, and all sizes of groups, large and small, through the examples we will provide. As you discover the practices that we have found useful, we believe that you will grow in taking leaps in the dark, exploring and co-creating different possibilities for children in relationship with others. We have found, again and again, that every situation that we engage with involves a leap in the dark as we recognise a sense of the uniqueness of every situation and feel our way together, children, others and ourselves, to form things anew. As the poet Auden has hinted, 'Leap before you look'(Auden 1945). There will be some of the exercises, which you can try for yourself and lots of skills you can use in this work. This book has been written particularly for teachers, senior teachers, head teachers and their teams who have, in our experience, run with the ideas and developed many of their own inspirational projects. However, we have had so many enthusiastic requests, from others in a child's network who have joined us in this exploration, to put ideas on paper, that we hope there is a much wider readership - all who have an investment in our children. This book is above all for people who are prepared to take risks, to be experimental, to use their creativity and to look for the best in everyone. It is for those connected to the whole school and community context, where the focus is on learning, growing and developing ways of being and acting with each other in relationship. As such the book is for teachers, senior teachers, head teachers, parents, pupils, administrators, school board members, dinner ladies, school nurses, social workers, school psychologists, mental health teams, politicians and anyone else interested in the future of our schools and communities.
10.0
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Appreciative Work in Schools: Generating future communities
Appreciative Work in Schools: Generating future communities
10.0
In Stock
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781904235798 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Kingsham Press |
| Publication date: | 04/02/2009 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 756 KB |
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