flourish presentation for csea 2012

7/31/2019 Flourish Presentation for CSEA 2012

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An Arts-Based Investigation

of Creativity and Happiness in

Teaching

CSEA Fear No Art! Conference, Edmonton, AB. October, 2012. 1

Dr. Willow Brown, UNBC Charity Brown, M.Ed. (U of A)

~F

lourish~


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~Hello and WelcomeWillow [email protected] Educator

- Researcher in School Improvement &

Instructional Leadership, UNBC

- Aspiring a/r/tographer

Charity Brown [email protected]

(guest appearance, Lukas Fianta-Brown, aged 3 weeks)

-Artist, Grade 6 teacher at McKee (on leave)

- recent M.Ed. gradVisual Art Education, U of A


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~What does it mean to flourish?

~People who are flourishing havethings they love to do and things they

know they are good at (engagement,accomplishment). They have fulfilling

relationships. Their lives have purpose

and meaning. Those who flourish feel

happy frequently (positive emotion) andthey will tell you that they are, overall,

pleased with themselves, with others, and

with life.


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~Create a Vision

If we, as teachers,

were truly

flourishing, whatwould be different?

~For ourselves?

~For our students?~For our families?


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~Positive Psychology Asks

~How many teachers are

flourishing? How many aremerely surviving?

~Under what conditionsdoes flourishing increase?

.


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~Would we flourish or would we behappier if we had more money, better

administrators, more supportivespouses, students who are well-cared

for and well-prepared for what we

need to teach them?


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~Positive psychology findings tellus probably notbut even if the

answer were yes, what should we dountil we then? Why not take control

instead of waiting for the white knight

of happiness to charge into our lives?


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~ Our Purpose for Inquiry

~Learn to take chargeof our own well-being;

learn about happiness and

how we can create more of

it in our own lives. Thenshare that knowledge with

teachers and students.


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~Catalyst Literature

~Martin Seligmans book, Flourish: A Visionary newUnderstanding of Happiness and Well-being

~sane, sage, groundbreaking advice to help you plan

your way to a joyful and fulfilling life

~PERMAframework - Components of human well-

being includepositive emotion, engagement,

relationships, meaning, andaccomplishment.


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~Catalyst Literature

~ 100 of the worlds leading positivepsychologists from 50 countries share what their

research has taught them about happiness.

Summarized in a few words:

~Thinkpositivelyandbeproactive.


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Keys~Think less about sad things, and more

about happy things; spend more time doing

things you enjoy. Seek beauty. Allow

yourself to feel.

~Cherish the people who are important to

you.~Engage your skills; happiness begins with

your own unique history and abilities.


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More Keys

~Believe in your own efforts; trust that you candetermine outcomes. (Conquer the fear!)

~Enjoy what you have; reframe perceived failures

in terms of successes.~Become a happiness detective, always observing

your own feeling tone and nurturing the good

times.

~Seek and anticipate support. Make

contributions. Build community.


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Method: Arts-Based Research

~Process1. review content texts (literature)

2. make sense of them through visual

expression and journaling

3. Analyze your images and insights

4. Share findings

(Barone & Eisner, 1997)


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Rationale for Choice of Method:

~happiness is a subjective construct, suited

to personal exploration

~creating images contributes, in itself, to 3of 5 components of happiness

engagement, meaning, accomplishment

~artistic expression, shared in community,may enhance abilities to create happiness


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~Invitation to Join Us

~Express happiness using your

own unique strengths, talents,

and ideas.

~Listen to and look for intuitive

understandings

~ Review and reflect to find newmeaning.

~Share!

.


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Our Skills, Talents, Ideas

Willow~line

~calligraphy

~Goal: create

flourishing

figures (an

alternative to

STICK DEATH)

Charity~form

~sculpture

~Goal: to explore

how teachers find

comfort in

personal and

shared experiences


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~What Weve Learned...

Charity: Flourishing, like the

making of art , is an ongoing

process. It doesnt just happenbut requires effort. Its a daily

discipline of appreciating the

small joys.

See more thoughts

@JoyfulTiny on Twitter


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FEAR NO ART


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Y I i i J i hi I i P H I h i i i h d l ? (Ch h d d di ) 2 LiY I i i J i hi I i P H I h i i i h d l ? (Ch h d d di ) 2 Li


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~What Weve Learned...

Willow: Well-being comes with

Choice and Voice:

1. In discipline, there is freedom.

(Without accomplishment,choices are limited.)

2. Learn to be your authentic

self! (Self-knowledge and self-

expression are keys to life

satisfaction.)

.

Your Invitation to Join this Inquiry Process: How can I express happiness using my own unique strengths and talents? (Choose a method and a medium.) 2. ListeYour Invitation to Join this Inquiry Process: How can I express happiness using my own unique strengths and talents? (Choose a method and a medium.) 2. Liste


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~Final Thought

Creativity contributes to positive

relationships with self and others, with

nature, and with the world. Thinkingabout and expressing beauty and

goodness in our own way increases

optimism, the feeling that the world is

a good place and we will flourish in it.

.


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~But Please, No Phony Sunshine...

Undeniably, life isbrimming with negatives: acute and

chronic disease, disability, sorrow, death, disaster, bleakfamily, social, economic and political conditionsan

uninterrupted flow of demands, from bearable to devastating.

Sometimes we languish there. However, we are resilient

beings: we are able to bounce back returning to where we

were beforebut also to bounce forward going beyond

where we were at first. The very overcoming of inordinate

demands is often a source of growth and new strength for

future hardships. Our strengths help us to bear up, to

overcome, and eventually to flourish again. DJWStrumpfer, South Africa


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~Thank-you!

flourish presentation for csea 2012

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