Strengths Now!

Discover student strengths to amplify project based learning

Using an online tool and a series of reflective activities, students identify their strengths, their innate positive energies. One identified, students are paired on teams to use their strengths to solve real world problems. Everyone has a contribution to make both to their team and to the success of the project. Using this, we point kids toward their most significant area of contribution.

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Shortlisted

Overview

HundrED shortlisted this innovation

HundrED has shortlisted this innovation to one of its innovation collections. The information on this page has been checked by HundrED.

Web presence

2016

Established

-

Children

1

Countries

Updated

January 2018

"When students identify strengths, they are able to make more meaningful contributions to project based learning. They understand how to work in a specific role on a team and find where they are most energized in the project cycle."

About the innovation

Discover Strengths to Amplify Project Based Learning

At the Delta School, we implement a curriculum that is entirely based on students working on authentic problems and creating projects using Human Centered Design. We do not have any traditional subject offerings. Instead, we integrate all learning into authentic projects, even in high school. We found that sometimes the role students play in the project cycle is fuzzy, so we developed tools to bring clarity to where they will best be able to contribute. These tools help them discover their strengths--the innate qualities that produce positive energy when doing them. We identify relationship strengths, so they can know how to contribute to teams and activity strengths so they know where to plug into projects. This tool aids in the planning of a project as well as the student discovering the unique contribution they can make to the success of the project and the team.

Media

Students sewed the bee suits, built bee boxes and honey frames themselves when a swarm of bees came to campus and we wanted them to stay.

Nation's #1 Strengths School

Pairing developing student strengths with project based learning for greater engagement.

Implementation steps

Pilot The Strengths Illuminator

The Strengths Illuminator is an online tool that offers 36 profiles and selects reports for a students top relationship strengths and top activity strength. It then issues a report about how to contribute to project work using these strengths. This allows for better projects, more focus and more powerful learning. This tool is available for schools to pilot beginning in Feb. 2018. Pilot schools will receive access to a teachers guide to using the Strengths Illuminator in Project Development.