Our Strategies and Practices
Learn more about our mission, vision, and how we plan to bring meaningful change to our education system.
Our Strategies
Our strategies are the 3 primary avenues for implementing The Character Effect™ into your classroom – Teacher Support, Student Learning and Family Engagement.
Teacher Support
Student Learning
Family Engagement
Teacher Support
Overview Summary:
Teacher Support focuses on promoting educators’ social and emotional well-being, in addition to assisting in the implementation of the program. A designated specialist is available to help teachers create positive change in ways that work for them.
Ways That We Offer Support:
- Professional development sessions, group coaching sessions, program guides, videos and monthly newsletters
- Individual coaching sessions and weekly self-care texts
Student Learning
Overview Summary:
Ways That We Offer Support:
- Online activities for students of all ages are organized by the Strength of the Week or thematic learning modules. With multiple activities available, they are designed for quick and easy implementation.
- Classroom resources bolster social-emotional skills throughout the day and are easily integrated into your classroom routines. They include strength posters announcements, tips and Strengths Discussion Cards, “Ready to Learn” plans and mindful videos and scripts.
Family Engagement
Overview Summary:
Ways That We Offer Support:
- Through weekly social media tips, interactive crafts, engaging conversations, and meaningful fun, our Family Engagement support spreads awareness of positive psychology to parents and caregivers.
- Weekly family tips are sent directly to families through your school’s communication platform.
What Are Your Top Strengths?
Want to find out what your top Character Strengths are? Take our Character Strengths quiz.
Our Classroom Practices
Learn how we support teachers, students, and families through intentional, strength-based, and mindful practices.
Intentional
Strength-Based
Mindfullness
Intentional
Overview Summary:
Intentional is defined as: “I am thoughtful in working to improve myself and the world.”
Being Intentional is about being purposeful in life. Creating a vision of what we want in life helps us connect emotionally to the future and empowers us to achieve that vision. Daily Intentional actions create the roadmap that gets us to where we want to go.
Intentional practices within The Character Effect™ are the foundation for positive change. They support teacher self-care and readiness to teach social-emotional learning skills as well as student’s readiness to learn and to create positive change within themselves.
Research shows that among other things, an International life is associated with psychological well-being, higher self-esteem, better health, greater job satisfaction and increased academic success.
Strength-Based
Overview Summary:
Character Strengths are defined as: “I use my natural gifts to be the best I can be”.
The Character Effect™ uses Character Strengths as a tool to empower students and teachers in reaching academic and social-emotional learning goals.
Focusing on “what is strong” rather than “what is wrong” helps build healthy relationships, increase motivation, and contribute to a positive school culture.
Research finds there are 24 Character Strengths found universally around the world. Using Character Strengths is associated with greater happiness, decreased stress, positive relationships (among adults and students), improvements in academic performance, and increased physical health.
Mindfullness
Overview Summary:
Mindfulness is defined as: “I am present and fully engaged in the moment.”
Mindfulness is about being focused in the present, noticing thoughts and feelings, and accepting them in a curious and nonjudgemental way. Mindfulness practices can be formal (like meditation or yoga) or informal (like taking a few breaths to self-regulate in a stressful situation.)
The Character Effect(TM) uses Mindfulness to boost strengths of Self-Control and Perspective, ultimately increasing focus, participation, respect, and empathy in students, teachers, and caregivers.
Research shows regular Mindfulness practices change the brain, with many positive impacts including increased productivity, improved health, decreased stress and improved concentration.
Additional benefits for students include improvements in academics, behavior, and peer relationships.
