Updates coming for high school Strengths Academy

On June 28th, the CliftonStrengths for Students website will merge with Gallup Access.

This will become the new point of entry for Strengths Generation students. The new student reports will look a bit different, but the themes and core principles remain the same. We'll be updating our Strengths Generation lessons to reflect the changes, but if your summer school students have already taken the survey, we recommend that they print their reports or save them digitally before June 28th. This assures that their reports will reflect the language in their existing digital classrooms. Please contact us at info@learningtogether.com if you have questions.

DENTON ISD wins the 2022 Don Clifton Strengths for Students Award!

What an honor for the district and its Strengths Coordinator, Scott Spaulding, to be selected for this amazing award. Denton ISD uses Learning Together’s Strengths Academy programs in grades four through high school. By making strengths a way of life, Denton's amazing faculty helps students turn their talents into strengths and fosters greater academic achievement, engagement and wellbeing -- setting them up to succeed far beyond the classroom.

Click here for the Gallup announcement: Strengths for Students Award










Get a head start with strengths spotting!

NEW THIS SUMMER: Strengths-based schools can start in kindergarten identifying students' super powers to help them build their strengths at home, school and with their friends. Our new Strengths Spotting PD is available as a workshop and/or a self-paced digital course. Learn more at info@learningtogether.com.

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"Speedy Seminars" Teach Rhetorical Listening Tools for Tough Conversations

How many difficult conversations with boards, staff and students end with participants retreating to their corners with no progress made? Learning Together has partnered with Arizona State University to create a series of "Speedy Seminars" to teach the tools of Rhetorical Listening, a listening and rhetorical analysis skills technique that administrators and teachers can use to support more productive conversations around conflict or controversy.

You'll learn from Krista Ratcliffe, head of the ASU English Department, who wrote the seminal text on Rhetorical Listening. This series of 15-30 minute professional development videos is available when you are! Learn more at info@learningtogether.com.

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Adapting Strengths Academy for hybrid and distance learning

With students, families and districts under more stress than ever, Strengths Academy has been reimagined to help teachers and students navigate constantly changing educational situations. In 2020-21, all Strengths Academy implementations for grades PK-12 will be available for use either as traditional in-classroom modules or as specifically adapted and expanded on-line units for distance learning.  We also will be providing additional free on-line professional development throughout the school year to help teachers adapt to transitions between in-classroom, distance learning, and hybrid learning implementations as they occur. Contact us at info@learningtogether.com to see how we can help.

Talents Give Students the Tools to Cope

Each of your Strengths Academy students is having a unique response to these challenging times. Free bonus lessons give them a framework to process their emotions and use their talents to persevere during this and other difficult situations. Email us at info@learningtogether for an age-appropriate copy of “Using Your Talents to Overcome Challenges.”

Empower Parents

Ask about our new family workshops -- schools can extend their Strengths Academy programs by giving parents the tools to understand and encourage their children's superpowers!  

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Missed our Palm Springs Strengths Conference?

You can still bring advanced Strengths Pathways to your school or district. Topics at the conference included creating strengths schools, building better team dynamics, using strengths across content areas and STEM, spotting strengths in grades 1-3, and much more. Contact us if you want to schedule your own leadership retreat or staff development.

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Harness the Wind

Strengths Academy students with access to Netflix can learn more about William Kamkwamba's life and the events that inspired him in the new movie, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind." Students predict his talents and strengths in Strengths Foundation/Advanced (Lesson 14) and Strengths Direction/Advanced (Lesson 15).

Alternatively, students may extend these lessons at https://movingwindmills.org/, an organization Kamkwamba founded to bring innovation to poor villages like his in Africa.

Let us know what strengths your students see in William Kamkwamba!

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Connecting strengths to careers

Check out this blog written by Ryan High student Lexie Moore. As part of a research project, Lexie connected her strengths to her career aspirations. Here she is with Jackye Morrisey, our Strengths Academy coach in Denton, TX. Many thanks to Reina Johnson, Lexie's English IV teacher and Ryan's amazing "Strengths Champion." Can you tell Reina has Maximizer in her top five? 

https://lexiemoorea4.blogspot.com/

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Capture the voice of your students

The Gallup Student Poll, a web-based survey, empowers schools to add the voice of their students to measures of school success. The survey helps educators provide a more positive school culture -- one that builds engagement, creates hope for the future, fosters talent and prepares students to meaningfully participate in the economy. Register now for  no-cost administration between Sept. 25th and Oct. 27.

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Texas Strong

Our hearts go out to our many partner schools in and around Houston, where thousands of students, teachers and their families have been affected by Hurricane Irma. Check our Facebook page for links to district sites where you can contribute. Fingers crossed that Harvey turns out to sea.   

Our new look for fall 2017!

 

Gallup® is changing the name of StrengthsFinder to CliftonStrengths for Students® -- and that’s not all! Next fall, students will be able to print their reports in 10 languages, not just English, and will be able to email reports directly from the Strengthsquest website. Theme descriptions will stay the same, but there will be updated action items. Details to come!

Sharing their strengths

Redondo Shores high school students recently presented to the RBUSD Board, describing how their Gallup strengths are positively impacting their post-secondary plans.  Check out the Strengths bulletin board outside the meeting room!