Argument Statement
In the article “Shifting the Paradigm from Deficit Oriented Schools to Asset Based Models: Why Leaders Need to Promote as Asset Orientation in our Schools”, written by Shannon Renkly and Katherine Bertolini, the authors argue that it would be beneficial for students to learn in an environment that focuses on an asset-based model rather than using the deficit model. The deficit model is a more reactive method that focuses on the risky behaviors of students and limitations, whereas the asset model encourages students to discover and apply the “jewels (skills, talents, and interests)” they possess.
Talking Points
In the beginning of this research article, Renkly and Berolini state: “When working from a deficit perspective, the practices and assumptions that emerge tend to cover up the abilities of students and teachers”. Our world typically functions using primarily a deficit model, identifying what is broken and then fixing it. While this may work well for businesses, Renkly and Bertolini have identified that this model is not successful within our school systems. They feel that using an asset model, a system where the strengths and skill of students, would be more beneficial. The quote above acknowledges that if we continue to use the deficit model, we will be missing the great things students have to offer. When we consider building confidence in kids, being told that you’re wrong all the time is not a way to build them up for their future. For a shift to occur from deficit to asset models, school should encourage educators to assess current practice and adopt ways that focus on positive development.
In the middle of the article, Renkly and Berolini state: “Through multiple studies of over one million students in grades 6-12 performed by Search Institute, they have proven repeatedly that the more assets a student possesses, the more thriving behaviors the student showcases and the less likely that student will exhibit risky behaviors”. This portion of article focuses on the importance of families, communities and schools coming together to encourage student to explore their assets and the importance of positive adult relationships. The article then discusses the decline in assets student list possess as they get old with the biggest decline in middle school. This is related to decline in support as students get older. The success in the earlier years has a large impact on high school success.
Toward the end of the article, Renkly and Berolini state: “These include having high expectations for your students, convincing them that these expectations are attainable, helping them remove their fear of failure by encouraging them to fail forward, setting small and attainable goals, and celebrating success when those goals are met before moving forward further.” This refers to the impact teachers have on students in the classroom and strategies that can be useful when helping a student identifying their assets. The phrase “fail forward” really stood out to me. I think it is important to learn how to handle our failures or criticism early on and pivot into something positive.
This article made me think through my own process and how to better incorporate the asset model at school, in the hospital and at home. While doing more research on this topic, the Social Emotional Learning classes that are offered to the middle school students in our district came to mind. While the structure of the school system is heavily based on the deficit model that Renkly and Berolini discuss, I think this is a way to introduce the asset model. SEL courses provide students with support and skills to identify the “jewels” and apply them. Below are links to CASEL Framework and RIDE information related to SEL curriculum.
Hi Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI was really struck by your comment about 'failing forward'. You mentioned that this is an opportunity for students to learn about how to handle criticism and failure and turn them into an opportunity for growth. While this is something that I do in my classroom all the time, I realized that it wasn't a lesson that I was really taught when I was in school. I did have one teacher who purposefully gave everyone a low grade on their first paper (I got my first C-) to try to encourage students to work harder on their writing and idea development, but I don't think that he was actually teaching the lesson that he was aiming for. For me, that made me panic without actually showing me how I could tangibly improve my work. For a few of my classmates, I suspect it meant punishment at home. I think that I learned more about growing through my failures through a textile arts class that I took a few years later, where you could always take apart the piece you were working on and try to improve it into something that you wanted to use or wear.
I noticed how you also thought about what kind of model your district's schools follow and how that might be beginning to change. Incorporating more SEL in the school and the classroom can be a great first step in the growing process, but it's even more important that the staff of the building, especially the leadership, buy into the idea that supporting the strengths of others is more powerful than trying to eliminate weaknesses. I am curious to know if you have any ideas on how to incorporate an assets model into your work as a nurse.
Hi Corinne. Thanks for your question about incorporating an assets model into nursing. So many aspects of teaching and nursing are similar as a large part of being a nurse includes educating our patients. Recently the nurses on my unit were asked to present their experiences regarding moral fatigue in their practice for something call Schwartz Rounds. This platform is a chance for healthcare providers to share experiences and support each other. During this discussion a case manager discussed her feelings of defeat when discharging a patient to the street. The lesson she took from this was adjusting her expectation of what goals look like for different patients. While reading this article, this case manager’s story came to mind. I think that nurses, along with other healthcare providers, must use an assets model when trying to connect with patients. Building on a patient’s strengths and providing more assets will hopefully encourage them to implement the education provided.
DeleteSo interesting!!! Yes!
DeleteHi Amanda, I really enjoyed this post and how you mentioned similarities between teaching and nursing. We're different but the same....Teachers teach students, nurses teach patients and now as school nurses, we continue to teach patients who happen to be students! Your connection to the case manager story was a great example of using an assets model causing me to reflect on my past experiences. When I was a visiting nurse, there were some patients that I too had to put aside and alter my own expectations (of what I thought their goals should be) and instead build upon their strengths to not only create new goals but also ensure their success. Looking back, I realize that I was actually using an asset based model without even knowing what it was!
DeleteHey Amanda, I just wanted to say thank you for providing the resource from RIDE on Social Emotional Learning. I have a SEL block with my first graders every morning for the first 20 minutes, but as a new teacher I have gotten 0 training on how to conduct this instructional block. Sometimes, I use it as an opportunity to ask my kids how their weekend was or how they are feeling this morning. I think though that this could be a powerful use of time to really instruct the students on life skills that they can use in and out of the classroom, building upon the strengths they already have like their eagerness to learn and their empathy. I also loved how the resource pointed to a correlation between students who have SEL also perform 11 percentile points higher on achievement tests. I wonder if these blocks are mandatory by RIDE or optional, but regardless I feel like they should have a larger weight in our schools because they fall in line with an asset based approach.
ReplyDeleteYour connection with the asset model and SEL reminded me a lot of growth mindset and the importance of teaching students and having students practice having a growth mindset. A growth mindset is the idea that a deficit does not have to remain a deficit, a lot of people like to align the idea of a growth mindset with a phrase, "the power of yet", where when someone says that they cannot do something, you introduce the rephrase of "you cannot do it yet", this immediately reframes what the narrator thinks they can and can't do.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amanda for sharing your reflections and insights! I really resonate with your reflections! I appreciate how you talked a lot on the benefit of teaching students strategies when helping a student to identify their assets. It is important to have students self-reflect and have positive self talk. I also appreciate how you connected this to social emotional learning as well and how students should have lessons on what to do when we get something incorrect, or how we can grow and learn from mistakes and "fail forward."
ReplyDeleteYour post (and these comments) really show how you are working to see how this Asset Model fits in your brain and your world! The SEL block and CASEL standards are a way to approach this explicitly but then there is so much implicit work that we have to do to convince kids that their assets represent them too!
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda, I really enjoyed reading your reflections on this piece. I agree that it is up to educators to set the standard and normalize the idea that failure is inevitable. More importantly, we have a responsibility to teach students how to overcome setbacks and transform failure into a learning experience they can grow from. While that can be challenging—especially when it is not a schoolwide initiative—I admire that you are taking it upon yourself to implement asset-based practices in your own classroom. Consistency in that approach will not only benefit your students but will also make you a memorable educator in the eyes of both your students and their families.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your response to this article. The whole idea of shifting from a deficit model to an asset based model just makes so much sense. Like you mentioned from Shannon Renkly and Katherine Bertolini’s article, when schools focus too much on what students are doing wrong, it can totally overshadow the things they are actually good at. That quote about deficit thinking covering up the abilities of students and teachers really hits. It makes you think about how often strengths get overlooked because we are busy fixing problems.
ReplyDeleteThe research from the Search Institute is pretty eye opening too. Studying over a million students and finding that the more assets kids have, the more they thrive, says a lot. It also makes the drop in assets during middle school feel even more important. That stage is already tough, and if support is decreasing at the same time, it is no surprise we see changes in behavior and confidence.
I also loved that you pointed out the phrase “fail forward.” That mindset can change everything in a classroom. If students learn early on that messing up is part of growing, they are way more likely to take risks and try again instead of shutting down. Pairing high expectations with real encouragement and small achievable goals just feels like a healthier approach overall.