Working collaboratively towards creating positive possible selves

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Working collaboratively towards creating positive
possible selves

• Sarah Fletcher
• http//www.TeacherResearch.net

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Who is using these PPS techniques?

• Business executives
• Human resources providers
• Sports coaches and athletes
• Students in schools and universities
• Anyone who wants to improve their practice
• Anyone who wants to alleviate their stress!

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Step One Introduction

• Who am I now as a teacher?
• Who do I want to be as a teacher?
• What are my targets for improvement ?

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Step Two Drawing my PPS

• Try drawing yourself as a stick figure
• What does your face look like?
• Whats in your thought bubble?
• What are you busy doing?
• Where are your friends?
• How do you feel now?

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Step Three Drawing a map

• Start from you as you are now.
• Draw yourself on a journey to your PPS.
• What happens between now and then?
• How long will your journey take you?
• How will you feel along the way?
• Who will be alongside you?

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Step Four Overcoming problems

• What is that problem on your journey?
• How does it feel when you look at it?
• Who can you discuss problems with?
• How might you get over the problem?
• How do you feel when you do?
• How do others feel now?

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Step Five What am I good at?

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Step Six What do I need to work on?

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Step Seven What can I change in me?

• Who can help me to change for the better?

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Step Nine What am I afraid of?

• How will I overcome my fears?
• Who will help me overcome them?

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Whats my plan to reach my PPS?

• Today
• This week
• This month
• This term
• How will I record what I achieve?
• Who will I share my record with?

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Potential benefits of PPS

• Possible selves are thought to influence the
  motivation process in two ways on the one hand
  providing a clear goal to strive for - and to
  avoid if they are negative - and on the other
  hand by energising an individual to pursue the
  actions necessary for attaining a Positive
  Possible Self.
• Fletcher, S. (2006) Mentoring Adult
  Learners realising possible selves

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Potential Pitfalls of PPS

• Positive selves may not be possible
• Timescale for realising PPS is unrealistic
• There is insufficient support available
• Pursuing the PPS becomes sidetracked
• The teacher does not model PPS well
• The pupils experience failure in PPS

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How can technology enable PPS?

• KEEP toolkit templates are easy to build
  web-pages for students and teachers. They enable
  multi-media record keeping.
• Do a GOOGLE search - there are many useful sites
  on applying PPS in practice.
• Draw photos from the web to stimulate
  visualisation of PPS (choose with care!)
• Use email to keep in touch with pupils as they
  form their PPS and keep one another informed
  about their progress in attaining their goals.

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Where can I find out more?

• sjfmentor_at_yahoo.com
• http//www.TeacherResearch.net
• http//www.StudentsResearch.net