Shifting the Paradigm from Deficit Oriented Schools to Asset Based Models: Why Leaders Need to Promote an Asset Orientation in our Schools

 Shifting the Paradigm from Deficit Oriented Schools to Asset Based Models: Why Leaders Need to Promote an Asset Orientation in our Schools

By:Shannon Renkly and Katherine Bertolini

Reflection: 

After reading Shifting the Paradigm from Deficit Oriented Schools to Asset Based Models: Why Leaders Need to Promote an Asset Orientation in our Schools it made me realize the importance of promoting the assets in children rather than pointing out their deficits. When reading this I was thinking about how schools are known for “teaching to the test” and not having as much freedom when teaching their lessons. This not only affects the abilities for the teachers ability to teach content but it also majorly affects how students learn. As I have previously learned in other classes there are multiple intelligences where students learn differently and have strengths in different areas. One student may have very strong abilities in music whereas another student may have strong abilities in logic and mathematics. However, in school students are not allowed to use these different intelligences. They need to have a strong ability in math and reading so that they can have a high test score. As a result the students that do not have these specific intelligences typically struggle in school. This leads to schools having a deficit oriented school system. This only promotes what the students are doing wrong and how they can fix it. As a result this affects students' positive view towards school. Students who are always being told they are always doing something incorrectly put down their motivation and their want to do well in school everyday. Then specific behaviors are resulted because they do not have a positive outlook on school anymore. However, if we changed this in schools to having an asset based model and focusing on students strengths more students would like going to school everyday. I think this is a key way to work the multiple intelligences into the school systems so that every student's intelligence can be acknowledged and have more positive feedback in their learning. 

Comments/Questions/Thoughts to share: 

What are ways you would use the asset model in your classroom? What are ways you would want to promote positive learning in your classroom?