Masters in positive psychology online

1. Why Your Online Why Your Online Facilitation Practice Needs Facilitation Practice Needs Positive Psychology Positive Psychology Teaching students is not always a matter of showing up for class, disseminating information and instructions, facilitating class discussions, and providing feedback. It is more about the instructional approach you take and its effectiveness when utilized. This is especially true for online instructors who teach in a technologically enabled environment. Your presence as the assigned instructor, or lack thereof, determines how students respond to your involvement in class and whether or not they engage with you. More importantly, your choice of an instructional strategy will influence how well your students make progress throughout the class. Their continued development depends upon you more than your instruction. There is an additional tool you can use, one that can encourage progress, which requires only a change in your focus and choice of wording - and it is called positive psychology. It is centered on the enhanced well-being of your students and helps to renew their self-motivation.

2. The Importance of Online Facilitation An online class may seem like a cold and uninviting environment; however, the involvement of an instructor can change all of that through visibility and engagement on a continual basis. It demonstrates to students that the instructor is engaged and fully invested in their class. But there is more to being present than logging into the class and checking off required duties. There must be substantive engagement and the discussion board is one of the most crucial interactive elements of an online class. This is where the instructor can work with students and provide help when needed, guide them when they are off track, and prompt their knowledge retention, critical thinking skills, and intellectual involvement. See here Positive Psychology Online Course Working with Online Students In a traditional classroom the instructor has an upper hand in how the class proceeds because they are in control. They conduct a lecture and a lead the students according to a specified plan. With an online classroom the playing field, so to speak, is leveled. Students may cooperate and work with their instructor, or they may simply ignore them, complete the required work, and believe somehow they will pass the class. In this environment instructors must gain the cooperation of their students and nurture a productive relationship. Credibility and trust are both built through one interaction at a time. It can be easy to engage some students - especially the overachievers. But if you set high expectations for students and they aren't responsive, it means they have shut you out. Positive Psychology Basics There are three phases commonly used to describe positive psychology and includes well-being, happiness, and optimism. Martin Seligman is generally credited with bringing positive psychology into practice and the purpose was to help individuals recover from depression through a positive perspective. As you learn more about this particular branch of psychology you will find that it is much more than positive thinking. It is a strengths-based approach to human development. When positive psychology is utilized in treatment programs, not only is there a focus on strengths - there is also attention placed on positive emotions. The goal for this type of program is to create hope and restore a sense of well-being within the patient. While this is a simplistic overview, it shows there is another

3. approach to bringing about change within adults. This aligns with appreciative inquiry, which is also strengths-based and the focus of my work as an online educator. Adding Positive Psychology to Instruction As an educator you will develop a routine for how you manage a class and the many responsibilities that come along with it. For example, you develop a standard approach to how you interact with and communicate with your students - and over time you may not question or examine it. As a faculty peer reviewer I have seen patterns of facilitation and found many instructors who put time and thought into their instruction. It is evident because their communication is done with purpose and their feedback is focused on a balance between guiding and correcting students. That approach to instruction is the easiest for adding in elements of positive psychology. It would be a matter of building from students' strengths and coaching them, encouraging them, and offering resources for their developmental needs. The purpose of taking this approach is to help students create positive emotions so that they are encouraged to continue making progress. ………………………………