Appreciative inquiry in education

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Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an approach that believes improvement is more engaging when the focus is made on the strengths rather than the weaknesses. People tend to respond to positive statements but react to negative statements that concern them. Children are more sensitive to their self-worth and thrive on what makes them feel good, what makes them feel accepted, included and recognized. AI is a powerful tool that can be used in the field of Education to enable children discover what is good about them and dream of what they can do with this realization. Children of today[ when? ] are very sensitive and make decisions in haste which sometimes costs them their lives. In such a situation, AI plays a very vital role.

Contents

Overview

Appreciative Inquiry is the cooperative search for the best in people their organizations, and the world around them. It involves systematic discovery of what gives a system 'life' when it is most effective and capable in economic, ecological, and human terms. AI involves the art and practice of asking questions that strengthen a system's capacity to heighten positive potential. It mobilizes inquiry through crafting an "unconditional positive question' often involving hundreds or sometimes thousands of people." [1]

Application

Applied in the education sector, AI is a cooperative search for the best in children, their school, their teachers, their classmates, their parents and this discovery influences and helps shape their image of the future. It all begins with a story which the appreciative inquirer tells about him/herself and this story is only about where the child has experienced the best of what he could e.g. in reading, writing, passing tests and exams. With this flow of energy from past experience, the child is poised for a similar experience in the future and so nurtures all that give energy and brings joy of performance, acceptance and readiness to move ahead. AI starts with a statement of purpose or object of inquiry and which then takes the inquirer through the five steps (known as the 5Ds of AI) and graphically illustrated as follows: [2]

Refer the picture in [3]

Appreciative Inquiry in the education sector can amplify the motivation of the students and help them become most alive and effective. AI brings about social change in the pupil as the emphasis is on what is good and the belief that people nurture what they appreciate, than what they are not happy about. The system of education can be based on the five principles of AI that will enable the child discover through her/his own story, what is good about him/her and dream of how he/she can capitalize on this story of goodness to do more of such things that he/she appreciates about himself, about his environment, about his world.

Principles

A quick look at the principles will enable the understanding of why AI is suitable for our education system: [4] i. Constructionist Principle – argues that the language and metaphors we use don't just describe reality (the world), they actually create 'our 'reality (the world). It means that great care is taken in the choice of words that we use as it will influence the kind of future we create. The language of the teacher influences what the child considers as his/her reality and this influences his self-perception and hence his self-worth which is very important for what he/she becomes in future. ii. Principle of Simultaneity – change begins from the moment we ask a question about a thing. The heart of AI is an unconditional positive question. For example, – what was the best thing that has happened to you in the last week? iii. The Poetic Principle - as the topic of inquiry is on what is good about the individual or the environment, this helps open a new chapter in the life of the child. Stories reveal qualities which had not been previously realized and appreciated. iv. The Anticipatory Principle – we grow into the images we create, hence, when the child is made to see himself as good, his imagination about his future will always be good enough and as magnet this imagined future will always pull the child towards this goal. v. The Positive Principle – feelings of hope, inspiration, caring, sense of purpose, joy and creating something meaningful or being part of something good are among what we define as positive. It is therefore, important that the questions asked to the child are affirmative and positive.

It allows a student to be potentially free from any kind of bondage or control. AI gives an opportunity for the students to showcase their innovative side rather than just rote memory. This in turn makes them autonomous learners. The students are able to understand their strengths every time their potentials are amplified. Use of this in the educational sector would bring about a sea of difference as there would be more room for amplifying the existing positive energy. Even the basic assumptions of AI which includes the assumption that 'in every human situation, there is something that works" is a clear indication that no child is incapable of producing a result that would even surprise the child him/herself. All that the child needs are such questions that would enable him/her tap into the core of his/her being. [5]

The system of education which relies on an average test or examination grades label children who do not meet the marks as 'failed'. AI in education enables the child to identify the subjects where he/she is very satisfied with the performance, and through story, the child discovers what he/she did differently and how to tap this aspect for more satisfaction. This is why AI is also referred as 'locating the energy for change'. [6] It is a search for what is good through stories and what needs to be done through dreams. AI brings a dream to reality because, motivation for the future depends on the images of success of the past.

Educational reform movement

One of the strands of educational reform movements in the last two decades has been the call for greater collaborative efforts, both among educators as well as with parents, students and the surrounding community. [7] Educational researcher Hargreaves (1994) referred to collaboration as an 'articulating and integrating principle' (p. 245) for school improvement, providing a way for teachers to learn from each other, gain moral support, coordinate action, and reflect on their classroom practices, their values, and the meaning of their work .

These concerns point to the need for a change process that has a positive focus, is essentially self-organizing, encourages deep reflection, and avoids the pitfalls of manipulation by school administrators. This analysis points to a consideration of appreciative inquiry, a strengths-based process that builds on 'the best of what is' in an organization. [8]

Related Research Articles

The philosophy of education is the branch of applied philosophy that investigates the nature of education as well as its aims and problems. It includes the examination of educational theories, the presuppositions present in them, and the arguments for and against them. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws inspiration from various disciplines both within and outside philosophy, like ethics, political philosophy, psychology, and sociology. These connections are also reflected in the significant and wide-ranging influence the philosophy of education has had on other disciplines. Many of its theories focus specifically on education in schools but it also encompasses other forms of education. Its theories are often divided into descriptive and normative theories. Descriptive theories provide a value-neutral account of what education is and how to understand its fundamental concepts, in contrast to normative theories, which investigate how education should be practiced or what is the right form of education.

Appreciative inquiry (AI) is a model that seeks to engage stakeholders in self-determined change. According to Gervase Bushe, professor of leadership and organization development at the Beedie School of Business and a researcher on the topic, "AI revolutionized the field of organization development and was a precursor to the rise of positive organization studies and the strengths based movement in American management." It was developed at Case Western Reserve University's department of organizational behavior, starting with a 1987 article by David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva. They felt that the overuse of problem solving hampered any kind of social improvement, and what was needed were new methods of inquiry that would help generate new ideas and models for how to organize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Cooperrider</span>

David Cooperrider, is the Fairmount Minerals Chair and Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, and Faculty Director at the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at Case.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Discipline</span> Action or inaction that is regulated to be by a particular system of governance

Discipline refers to rule following behavior, to regulate, order, control and authority. It may also refer to punishment. Discipline is used to create habits, routines, and automatic mechanisms such as blind obedience. It may be inflicted on others or on oneself. Self discipline refers to the practice of self restraint, controlling one's emotions, and ignoring impulses.

"My Pedagogic Creed" is an article written by John Dewey and published in School Journal in 1897. The article is broken into 5 sections, with each paragraph beginning "I believe." It has been referenced over 4100 times and continues to be referenced in recent publications as a testament to the lasting impact of the article's ideas.

A lie-to-children is a simplified explanation of technical or complex subjects as a teaching method for children and laypeople. The technique has been incorporated by academics within the fields of biology, evolution, bioinformatics and the social sciences. It is closely related to the philosophical concept known as Wittgenstein's ladder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narrative inquiry</span>

Narrative inquiry or narrative analysis emerged as a discipline from within the broader field of qualitative research in the early 20th century,as evidence exists that this method was used in psychology and sociology. Narrative inquiry uses field texts, such as stories, autobiography, journals, field notes, letters, conversations, interviews, family stories, photos, and life experience, as the units of analysis to research and understand the way people create meaning in their lives as narratives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classroom management</span>

Classroom management is the process teachers use to ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly without disruptive behavior from students compromising the delivery of instruction. It includes the prevention of disruptive behavior preemptively, as well as effectively responding to it after it happens. Such disruptions may range from normal peer conflict to more severe disturbances of the social class dynamics, such as bullying among students, which make it impossible for the affected students to concentrate on their schoolwork and result in a significant deterioration of their school performance.

Constructivist teaching is based on constructivist learning theory. Constructivist teaching is based on the belief that learning occurs as learners are actively involved in a process of meaning and knowledge construction as opposed to passively receiving information.

Social learning is learning that takes place at a wider scale than individual or group learning, up to a societal scale, through social interaction between peers. It may or may not lead to a change in attitudes and behaviour.

Inquiry-based learning is a form of active learning that starts by posing questions, problems or scenarios. It contrasts with traditional education, which generally relies on the teacher presenting facts and their own knowledge about the subject. Inquiry-based learning is often assisted by a facilitator rather than a lecturer. Inquirers will identify and research issues and questions to develop knowledge or solutions. Inquiry-based learning includes problem-based learning, and is generally used in small scale investigations and projects, as well as research. The inquiry-based instruction is principally very closely related to the development and practice of thinking and problem solving skills.

A professional learning community (PLC) is a method to foster collaborative learning among colleagues within a particular work environment or field. It is often used in schools as a way to organize teachers into working groups of practice-based professional learning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dialogic learning</span>

Dialogic learning is learning that takes place through dialogue. It is typically the result of egalitarian dialogue; in other words, the consequence of a dialogue in which different people provide arguments based on validity claims and not on power claims.

Augmented learning is an on-demand learning technique where the environment adapts to the learner. By providing remediation on-demand, learners can gain greater understanding of a topic while stimulating discovery and learning.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) is the educational quality assurance and regulatory authority of the Government of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It oversees the private education sector in Dubai, including early childhood education centres, schools, higher education providers, and training institutes. KHDA is responsible for the growth and quality of private education in Dubai.

Diana Whitney is an American author, award-winning consultant and educator whose writings – 15 books and dozens of chapters and articles – have advanced the positive principles and practices of appreciative inquiry and social constructionist theory worldwide. Her work as a scholar practitioner has furthered both research and practice in the fields of appreciative leadership and positive organization development. She was awarded Vallarta Institute’s Annual 2X2 Recreate the World Award.

Appreciative advising (AA) is an academic advising philosophy that provides a framework for optimizing student-advisor interactions both in 1:1 and group settings. Appreciative advising is based on David Cooperrider's organizational development theory of appreciative inquiry. Appreciative advising also draws from positive psychology, social constructivist theory, and choice theory.

<i>A Dominies Log</i>

A.S. Neill's A Dominie's Log is a diary of his first year as headteacher at Gretna Green Village School, during 1914-15. It is an autobiographical novel. He changed a hard working, academic school controlled by corporal punishment and the fear of the authority of the teacher into one of happiness, play and children controlling their learning. He was a reflective teacher, sitting on his desk thinking out why he and the children were at the school. He also, most importantly, thought the children were human beings, and engaged with them as such, joining in their games, sliding with them on an ice slide in the street, sharing their sweets, laughing with them, and appreciating and respecting their individuality, and creativity.

The Cognitive Theory of Inquiry Teaching, also referred to as the Cognitive Theory of Interactive Teaching, was developed by Allan Collins and Albert L. Stevens. Allan Collins was a chief scientist at Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., a research firm in Cambridge Massachusetts. He is also a specialist in the field of cognitive science and human semantic processing. Albert L. Stevens was a senior scientist at Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. He was also director of the company's Artificial Intelligence, Education Technology and Training Systems Division. He is also a specialist in cognitive science. The Cognitive Theory of Inquiry Teaching according to Collins and Stevens (1981) requires the learner to construct theories and principles through dialogue, the teaching of self-questioning techniques and the teaching of metacognitive or self-monitoring skills, all with the intent of clarifying misconceptions so the theory or principle is well articulated and developed. The essence of the cognitive theory of Inquiry teaching is that of developing students' metacognitive skills. Inquiry teaching deliberately attempts to develop these stills through instruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbarian process modeling</span>

Harbarian process modeling (HPM) is a method for obtaining internal process information from an organization and then documenting that information in a visually effective, simple manner.

References

  1. Cooperrider, David (2005). Appreciative Inquiry: A positive revolution in change. In P. Holman & T. Devane (eds.), The Change Handbook, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. pp. 245–263.
  2. Bernard J, Mohr (2002). The Essentials of Appreciative Inquiry; A Roadmap to Creating Positive Futures. Pegasus Communications, Inc. p. 5.
  3. Bernard J, Mohr. "The Essentials of Appreciative Inquiry; A Roadmap to Creating Positive Futures". Generic Processes of Appreciative Inquiry.
  4. "5 Principles of Appreciative Inquiry". www.appreciativeinquiry.net.au. Archived from the original on 2015-09-30. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  5. Hammond, Sue Annis (1996). The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry. Texas: CSS publishing co.
  6. Elliott, Charles (1999). An Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry Charles Elliott Dean of Trinity Hall University of Cambridge INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (IISD). Canada: Published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development. ISBN   1-895536-15-4.
  7. A, Hargreaves (1991). Contrived collegiality: The micropolitics of teacher collaboration. In J. Blase (Ed.), The politics of life in schools. New York. pp. 46–72.
  8. A, Hargreaves (1994). Changing teachers, changing times: Teachers' work and culture in the post-modern age. New York: New York: Teachers College Press.