Lesson 2: Benefits of Using a Strengths-Based Approach

Benefits of Using a Strengths-Based Approach

When researching this topic, an article came up titled "Achieving STEM Education Success Against the Odds." In this study, Murphy (2020) discusses findings on the success of rural schools in Australia and what factors contributed to success. In the article, Murphy describes that rural schools were successful in their STEM education of students due to their strengths-based approach to teaching.

Due to the common barriers that rural schools face as well as the perceptions of rural schools that teachers can have, it is not uncommon for some rural schools to take a deficit-approach to teaching. In the article, Murphy (2020) describes a deficit versus strengths-based approach to teaching in the context of rural schools by stating:

"As opposed to a deficit approach where a school's focus on problems and weaknesses can lead to beliefs of inferiority and low expectations, the schools in this study delivered effective STEM education by utilizing their relative strengths and the opportunities afforded by their local context. Strengths approaches are not blind to the challenges faced, but rather aim to understand core issues and take active steps to address them" (Murphy, 2020, p. 245.)

As we discussed earlier, rural schools are often at a "disadvantage" when it comes to things like geographic location and isolation, teacher turnover, and lack of funding. STEM programs in schools that focus on these issues and settle with their circumstances are the ones who should begin to utilize a strengths-based approach to teaching.

As Murphy found in the study (2020), rural schools who are successful in their instruction of STEM are those who utilize strengths-based practices. Both in the classroom and the community at large, rural STEM teachers should focus on all of the unique opportunities, resources, and relationships that they can use to make learning meaningful and relevant for students.

Conclusion

• To conclude Unit 2, go back to our KWL to fill in any information that you've learned about deficit vs. strengths-based approaches to teaching: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QVNQkJi9XRDppeyoSB8pqZKXSV7gGjE2Zldb0bjPAOE/edit?usp=sharing

• If you want to read more on this topic, the article by Murphy can be found here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41297-020-00110-8

Now, let's talk about what strengths-based teaching actually looks like in a rural STEM classroom! Move on to Unit 3: Implementing Strengths-Based Teaching.