Hope Thinking—research demonstrates improved:
▪ Attendance—students are more likely to go to school, and employees are more involved and enthusiastic at work.
▪ Sustained effort—(Willpower) sustained effort on academic and work tasks
▪ Productivity---workers are more likely to be engaged, satisfied, and creative.
▪ Health---hopeful people tolerate more pain and demonstrate healthy lifestyle practices
▪ Well-being—satisfaction with life, positive emotions, find meaning and purpose in life, and have strong support networks.
▪ Longevity—people live longer and live better
At school Hope education helps students set goals and develop strategies (waypower) while supporting the students motivation (willpower). Hope thinking creates active engagement with learning. Learning becomes real, powerful and useful. Students need opportunity for the application of memorized information.
Goal Setting: Teacher role
▪ Encourage goals that excite students.
▪ Calibrate goals to the student’s age and specific circumstances.
▪ Discuss and encourage various goal options and help students to rank them by importance.
▪ Help students select several goals and establish alternate goals that may be needed
▪ Encourage students to think about their goals (e.g., what will you need to do to attain your goal?)
▪ Encourage goals that excite students.
▪ Calibrate goals to the student’s age and specific circumstances.
▪ Discuss and encourage various goal options and help students to rank them by importance.
▪ Help students select several goals and establish alternate goals that may be needed
▪ Encourage students to think about their goals (e.g., what will you need to do to attain your goal?)
Waypower strategies
▪ Help students develop pathways thinking tactics (strategies planning)
▪ Teach students how to set clear goal markers—waypower behaviors to reach goals
▪ Help students to break down large goals into smaller subgoals (step-by-step sequence).
▪ Encourage establishment of approach goals.
▪ Support students to team thinking—“we” goals in addition to their own “me” goals.
▪ Identify several routes to a desired goal (e.g., what would you do if you encounter a blockage?).
▪ Emphasize the importance of preparation and planning.
Willpower support
▪ Support “keep-going thinking”—without self-judgment and criticism
▪ Investigate alternate routes without negative judgment.
▪ Encourage students to learn a blockage is an opportunity to investigate another route
▪ Help students recognize that if a new skill is needed they can learn it.
▪ Remind students they can always ask for help.
Teachers and parents can encourage Hope thinking by creating environments and relationships that are ordered, consistent, and predictable. To encourage hope, the adult’s approach needs to be firm, fair, and consistent. Students should be responsible for their choices and behaviors.
Progress, positive effort and goals should be recognized and rewarded. Rewards should show appreciation for “a job well done” and need not be physical or monetary. Adults should focus students on developing a work ethic and learning, not the award, or status outcome (e.g., gold medal, or number one status).
Children and adolescents with learning problems may display behaviors that are a sign of hopelessness. Behaviors that indicate feelings of hopelessness include: anger, frustration, disruptive behavior, disrespect, lack of mental focus, gives up easily, inability to organize, day dreaming, isolation, and depression.
Under the large umbrella of “developing hope” we need to support our children’s growth. Parents can help children cultivate supportive relationships, challenge negative thinking, get regular exercise, eat a healthy, mood-boosting diet, and encourage them to ask for help when needed. These activities support Willpower and Waypower thinking and build a long-term healthy lifestyle.
▪ Help students develop pathways thinking tactics (strategies planning)
▪ Teach students how to set clear goal markers—waypower behaviors to reach goals
▪ Help students to break down large goals into smaller subgoals (step-by-step sequence).
▪ Encourage establishment of approach goals.
▪ Support students to team thinking—“we” goals in addition to their own “me” goals.
▪ Identify several routes to a desired goal (e.g., what would you do if you encounter a blockage?).
▪ Emphasize the importance of preparation and planning.
Willpower support
▪ Support “keep-going thinking”—without self-judgment and criticism
▪ Investigate alternate routes without negative judgment.
▪ Encourage students to learn a blockage is an opportunity to investigate another route
▪ Help students recognize that if a new skill is needed they can learn it.
▪ Remind students they can always ask for help.
Teachers and parents can encourage Hope thinking by creating environments and relationships that are ordered, consistent, and predictable. To encourage hope, the adult’s approach needs to be firm, fair, and consistent. Students should be responsible for their choices and behaviors.
Progress, positive effort and goals should be recognized and rewarded. Rewards should show appreciation for “a job well done” and need not be physical or monetary. Adults should focus students on developing a work ethic and learning, not the award, or status outcome (e.g., gold medal, or number one status).
Children and adolescents with learning problems may display behaviors that are a sign of hopelessness. Behaviors that indicate feelings of hopelessness include: anger, frustration, disruptive behavior, disrespect, lack of mental focus, gives up easily, inability to organize, day dreaming, isolation, and depression.
Under the large umbrella of “developing hope” we need to support our children’s growth. Parents can help children cultivate supportive relationships, challenge negative thinking, get regular exercise, eat a healthy, mood-boosting diet, and encourage them to ask for help when needed. These activities support Willpower and Waypower thinking and build a long-term healthy lifestyle.
Research-based guidelines:
- Students need to identify, list and prioritize goals from large to small and in order of importance. Students create a “big picture” list, such as their academics, friends, family, sports, or career. Goals should reflect the child’s desire not the parent or school’s goals.
- Students quickly lose interest and/or motivation (especially as they come up against obstacles) for goals that are not their own.
- Teach students how to create specific, positive goals. (Goals should focus on accomplishing something in the future not in avoiding something now)
- Research reveals for students with little hope, it is vital to list goals in order of importance to their focus and energy.
- Long-term goals should be broken down in to steps. Low hope individuals often believe goals must be accomplished immediately and all-at-once. By celebrating step-by-step successes along the way, students learn to value perseverance and motivation is supported.
- To help students face frustration and learn to move past obstacles encourage them to visualize different paths to their goals.
- Teach students that barriers and obstacles are not due to a lack of talent but represent an opportunity to develop new skills.
- Share stories of success (students should read books about peers who have overcome challenges).
- Students need to learn to enjoy working toward goals, use positive self-talk, rather than criticizing self for mistakes. Teachers should keep the process light and positive.
Hope thinking is more than a set of teaching strategies, or problem solving tactics. Hope thinking opens up the mind to the joy of being and learning. Hope and joy remove the fear of failure. When the mind is calm and at ease we learn quickly and easily because Mind, Body and Spirit are engaged.
Have you noticed how quickly adolescents learn and remember the lyrics to a song? They are engaged in the song—the body responds to the rhythms of the music; the mind says these lyrics speak to me, the singer understands me; the Spirit senses shared meaning in the moment—there is unconditional acceptance.
Have you noticed how quickly adolescents learn and remember the lyrics to a song? They are engaged in the song—the body responds to the rhythms of the music; the mind says these lyrics speak to me, the singer understands me; the Spirit senses shared meaning in the moment—there is unconditional acceptance.
Hope thinking is a core building block of wellness and a positive future. Life is always about making choices. When Hope thinking is consciously used, the application of hope helps in many practical ways. For example, choosing a career, saving money, making tough medical decisions, or leading a problem-solving group.
A person who demonstrates Hope thinking demonstrates true leadership qualities.
http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/40/3/building-hope.aspx
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_help_students_develop_hope#
Lopez, S. J. (2013). Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others. Atria Books.
Snyder, C. R. (2000). Handbook of Hope : Theory, Measures, and Applications. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
A person who demonstrates Hope thinking demonstrates true leadership qualities.
http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq/40/3/building-hope.aspx
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_help_students_develop_hope#
Lopez, S. J. (2013). Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others. Atria Books.
Snyder, C. R. (2000). Handbook of Hope : Theory, Measures, and Applications. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
This is a terrific article!!
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