Becoming an\nAppreciative Inquiry (AI) Facilitator has been the most impactful professional\ndevelopment training I have ever done, well; I thought it was about\nprofessional development but really it has impacted me in all aspects of my\nlife. As a doctoral student it caused me to reconsider the problem based\napproach to research and to consider a more generative focus of inquiry. As an\neducator and educational developer I believe that learning supports us to\nbecome our best selves and to grow continually throughout our lives. Despite\nthis philosophically being aligned for many educators, we often act from a\nplace of deficit thinking, problem solving and gap analysis. As a result, we\nmodel this to our students and infuse our culture with resistance, negativity\nand problems. Appreciative Inquiry has increased my awareness of what is\nworking and areas of success to build on as opposed to the gaps that are so\noften our cue to take action. As an educator it reminds me to focus on the\nstrengths and development opportunities of students and my role to support\ntheir growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what is Appreciative Inquiry… initially a framework for organizational development it is a model that focuses on what works well in groups and organizations to facilitate change. It has been adapted from being only a change management approach to also being used for strategic planning, academic advising, personal development, research and more. AI is a mindset; a paradigm shift that helps to reverse our natural tendency to focus on the negative. It is about more than being positive and appreciative, it is about being intentional with words and questions so that we manifest what we wish to see. Where we place our attention is where our energy, actions and thinking tend to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have come\nto realize that even though I believed myself to be a positive person, there\nwas more I could do to be intentional and appreciative and to help others do\nthe same. This is the anticipatory principle, the more positive the image we\ncreate for what we wish to see in the world the more likely it is that we will\ncreate that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I believe we\nstart within and work out to influencing those around us and those we serve; AI\nhas helped me to do this. I hope to inspire others to explore this fabulous\ntool to create their best life as we move forward to a new decade. Happy 2020!<\/p>\n\n\n\n