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CREATING A POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

CREATING A POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. An Empirically-Validated Approach to Learning and Thriving. THRIVING: NATURAL EXPERIENCE OF GENERALLY POSITIVE MOOD, MEANING, AND OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE. OVERVIEW. Law students and lawyers do not thrive as expected

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CREATING A POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

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  1. CREATING A POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT An Empirically-Validated Approach to Learning and Thriving

  2. THRIVING: NATURAL EXPERIENCE OF GENERALLY POSITIVE MOOD, MEANING, AND OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE

  3. OVERVIEW • Law students and lawyers do not thrive as expected • Sources of thriving well understood • Loss of thriving in Law School • The thriving classroom and school • Impact of one teacher, and a few ..

  4. Depression Among Law Students(Benjamin et.al., 1986 Am. Bar Found. Research, 225)

  5. Lawyer Distress Source: Beck, Sales, and Benjamin, Journal of Law and Health, Volume 10:1 (1996) Subscale (norm = 2.3%) • Obsessive-Compulsive 19.0% • Interpersonal Sensitivity 35.3% • Depression 23.4% • Anxiety 30.4% • Phobic Anxiety 10.3% • Paranoid Ideation 12.5% • Social Alienation and Isolation 26.6%

  6. SOURCES OF THRIVING

  7. UNIVERSAL NEEDS (DEFINITION: Produce sense of well-being, thriving) • Autonomy /Authenticity (can makepreferredchoices, choices based on true values/interests, express true self; . . . Integrity!) • Relatedness (feel well-connected to others generally, closeness, intimacy with important others • Competence (feel very capable, mastering hard challenges, successful at difficult tasks) • Self-Esteem(sense of self-respect, have positive qualities, satisfied with one's self)

  8. ADAPTIVE MOTIVATION AND VALUES Internal Motivation Action itself is satisfying or enjoyable Action supports personal value/goal Intrinsic Values/Goals Self-Understanding & Growth Intimacy Helping others Community

  9. Well-Being, Integrity, High Performance Distress, Addictions, Low Performance/Ethics Needs Satisfied Autonomy, Relatedness, Compet’ce, Self-Esteem Needs Not Satisfied Adaptive Behaviors Distracting Behaviors Intr. Values/Mot. Growth, Intimacy, Helping, Community Extr. Values/Mot. Money, Power, Status, Competitive Advantage

  10. DISTRACTIONS

  11. Extrinsic Motivation, Values, Goals(produce frustration, irritation, stress) • Money/luxuries • Popularity/influence • Competitive/external outcomes (Grades, Ranking, Rewards . . .) • Pleasing or impressing others • Relieving anxiety or guilt : Displace Critical Need Satisfaction

  12. Well-Being, Integrity, High Performance Distress, Addictions, Low Performance/Ethics Needs Satisfied Autonomy, Self Esteem, Competence, Relations Needs Not Satisfied Adaptive Behaviors Distracting Behaviors Intr. Values/Mot. Growth, Intimacy, Helping, Community Extr. Values/Mot. Money, Power, Status, Competitive Advantage

  13. KEEP THEIR EYE ON THE BALL SELF/INTEGRITY GPA MEANING COMMUNITY HELPING JUSTICE RESPECT ENJOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS COMPETENCE LEARN/IMPROVE EXPRESS FULLY Prestigious Job Ranking Competition Moot Court KINDNESS Law Review Outcomes Appearances FACULTY INPUT INFORMATION MENTORING MODELING AUTONOMY SUPPORT School Debt Relief High Salary

  14. 1. Do sources of thriving apply to your own life and work, or people you know? (Consider list of needs, values, motivations)

  15. 2. Write two ways you can promote sources of thriving in your students? (review list of needs, values, motivations)

  16. Autonomy Support Authority Provides Respect (rather than Control)

  17. AUTONOMY SUPPORT AND THRIVING Well-BeingPerformanceIntr. Career (GPA & Bar) Motivation * Self Esteem * Relatedness * Autonomy * Competence (Student Thriving Factors) Autonomy Support (Faculty/Administration)

  18. AUTONOMY SUPPORT Authority (teacher, parent . .): Helpful information (Other’s perception) Appreciates other’s preferences, perspectives (Listen with interest . . ) Provides meaningful choices (when possible) Explains if control required

  19. AUTONOMY SUPPORT, LEARNING AND TESTING • Aut. Support predicted better grades • Strongly predicted passage of bar exam • Bar exam: 4th tier outperformed 2d tier school • Aut. Supportive school: MBE Low range, 22% . . . vs 47%, High range 24% . . . vs 14%

  20. 3. Write 1-2 ways you can provide autonomy support to your students. (convey respect, understanding, choices . .)

  21. LOSS OF THRIVING IN LAW SCHOOL (and How to Fix It)

  22. LAW SCHOOL UNDERMINES THRIVING(Behav. Sciences & Law, 2004; Pers. Soc. Psy. Bull., ’07) • Aggregate Well-being () (p<.001) Positive Affect () (p<.001) Beck Depression () (p<.001) • 1L Intrinsic Valuing () (p<.001) • 2L/3L All Valuing () (p<.001) • Internal Motivations () (p<.001) • Need Satisfactions (Aut./Relat.) ()

  23. WHY DOES LAW SCHOOL UNDERMINE THRIVING?

  24. UNDERMINING FACTORS • Pervasive Extrinsic Values • Competition over Cooperation • Basic training reduces Autonomy/Authenticity • Marginalizes Morality and Caring

  25. Results of 1L Analytical Training(MERTZ-ABA STUDY) “Unmoors the self” Changes values Sets aside morality, conscience, caring “Combat dialogue” replaces moral reasoning Winning argument as only goal “Erases bases for ethical judgment”

  26. THE POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

  27. THE EFFECTIVE TEACHER • Provides information • Generates awareness • Encourages self-monitoring • Encourages intrinsic motivation • Encourages constructive social support • Encourages proactive learning • Students will generalize benefits. ongoing need sat.+ autonomy support

  28. THE EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM • Everyone feels respect/support • Everyone can succeed • Everyone is expected to succeed • Competition moderated (focus,enjoyment) • Zero-sum factors minimized • Regular connections to self and reality

  29. 4. Write 2-3 things you can do for positive learning environment: • Provides information • Generates awareness • Encourages regular self-monitoring • Encourages regular internal referencing • Encourages constructive social support • Encourages proactive learning

  30. 5. Write 2-3 things you can do to create an effective classroom. • Everyone feels respect/support • Everyone can succeed • Everyone is expected to succeed • Competition moderated (focus,enjoyment) • Zero-sum factors minimized • Regular connections to self and reality

  31. EXAM PREPARATIONHIERARCHY OF MOTIVATION Negative Well-BeingPositive Well-Being & Performance & Performance External IntrojectedIdentifiedIntrinsic force/fear, guilt, obligation meaning/purpose enjoyment, reward expectation (values) interest (external) PERCEIVED LOCUS OF CONTROL (internal)

  32. EXTEND BENEFITS: FACULTY TRAINING • Decrease emphasis on competition • 1L courses: support student self- reference, conscience . . • Model and promote intrinsic values and basic need satisfaction • Pervasive autonomy support small % of faculty transform effects

  33. LAW SCHOOL ORIENTATION: PROVIDE OVERVIEW, PROMOTE THRIVING lkrieger@law.fsu.edu

  34. BEST WISHES, and THANK YOU! lkrieger@law.fsu.edu

  35. SUPPLEMENTARY SLIDES

  36. SUGGESTED OVERVIEW(ORIENTATION and/or CLASS)1. MANY PROF. SKILLS TO ACQUIRE • Legal Analysis and Argument • Practice Skills • Professional Judgment • Professional Identity

  37. 2. NATURAL GROWTH INCREASES THRIVING (includes progressive law school) Increase with growth/progressive training: • Self-awareness • Autonomy/Internal reference (conscience, morality) • Relatedness to others • Socialization/Caring/Helping Complexity, personal integration

  38. 3. TRADITIONAL CLASSES • Legal Analysis/Argument only (facts and law) Irrelevant/marginalized: • Autonomy -- conscience, fairness, morals • Caring/empathy • Relatedness to others simplicity, personal deconstruction

  39. INPUT POINTS • Before Orientation, mailing • Orientation (reservations . . .) • Early Class(es) • Extracurricular meeting, if necessary

  40. IMPLICATIONS OF INTRINSIC VALUES (Self knowledge/growth; Intimacy; Helping; Community) Activity (and Competition) enjoyable: To express abilities and values; Improve self/help others Low stress: goals attainable, not dependent on limited rewards

  41. CARNEGIE and BEST PRACTICES Balance Programs and Methods • Produce Thriving via needs satisfaction and values clarification

  42. THRIVING = “SUCCESS” • High performance and positive mood • Not zero-sum/competitive Everyone can thrive in “Top 10%.”

  43. AUTONOMY SUPPORT, NEEDS, AND OUTCOMES Greater Autonomy NeedSat (Y1->Y3) More Auton. Career Motiv’n (Y3) .33 .39 .41 Faculty Autonomy Support (end of Y1) Greater Relatedness NeedSat (Y1->Y3) Social Context (i.e. Law School 1 vs. Law School ) Greater Well-Being .20 .20 .13 .40 .32 Greater Competence NeedSat (Y1->Y3) Higher Performance (LS Gpa & Bar) .23

  44. AUTONOMY SUPPORT OPTIMIZES OUTCOMES (Sheldon/Krieger, 2007) All sources of thriving increase All outcomes improve: (Well-being, motivation, grades, & bar passage)

  45. 1L Training: Loss of Thriving(MERTZ-ABA STUDY) Authentic Self (Autonomy), & Others/community Competition, Anxiety (Interpersonal Sensitivity)

  46. SOME AVAILABLE TOOLS • LSSSE and DALSO: Inform institution • Best Practices for Legal Ed. • “Hidden Sources of L.S. Stress”: Booklet on tensions, sources of thriving, lawyer applications • Humanizing L.Ed., Washburn L.R., Vol. 47 • Hess, Seven Principles, 49 JLE 367 • Schwartz tips and Forthcoming Textbooks

  47. GRADING SYSTEM: MANDATORY CURVE • Major control experience • Limited success opportunities • Zero-sum system creates anxiety • Extrinsic focus crowds out desire to learn • Promotes competition and comparison • Undermines peer relatedness

  48. IMPACT OF PRESET GRADE RANGE Low (perceived) range or median: • Critical Control experience • Limited success opportunities  Anxiety, increased competitiveness • Conveys low faculty expectations • Low autonomy support (respect) • Diminished well-being and learning

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