Reclaiming a Civil Society through a Positive Teaching Model
Social Work Education has evolved to a significant level of importance and much of what has been considered as the school of hard knocks seldom meets the need of the learning environment. Changes in academia have been on how to effectively teach and how to get students to learn.
The traditional deficit teaching-model brings a student’s attention to what they have done wrong. This paper challenges the Traditional Deficit Teaching Model with an innovated model based on Positive Teaching and the importance of bringing a student’s attention to what they are doing correctly.
This may appear simplistic and a spin on the strengths perspective, however this innovation in teaching is much more than just saying or doing positive things in the classroom. A positive teaching-model challenges each and every aspect of teaching that contributes to the deficit model of teaching. As one thinks of the educational system a complete socialization occurs in such a manner that deficit thinking is a natural outcome and directly impacts any effort to reclaim a civil society.
In an effort to challenge deficit thinking one must make a concerted effort to not only present information positively but also provide feedback from a positive perspective. Students will challenge this grading system wanting to know what they did not know which resulted in a low grade.
In many ways it is easier to look for what is not mentioned or what is wrong rather than on what the student did responsibly and in a competent manner.
There is no current literature that specifically addresses a positive teaching-model. As a new teaching approach the strategy and techniques for creating a learning environment that focuses only on positive aspects of education requires a mental conceptual schema that guides students to build on what they know verses trying to learn what they do not know. This eventually leads to self discovery which is retained long-term. The deficit teaching-model has served social work education well but maybe not society.
Shifting to a positive teaching-model will take social work education to a critically important area of learning in a positive environment and serve in the efforts in reclaiming a civil society.