SLO: Optimism

Each month, we will focus on one Schoolwide Learner Outcome, or SLOgan of the month, which will help everyone at iLEAD work on an area for growth and success together! For LP 6, our SLOgan is Optimism.

Optimism is an important trait to develop for learner success. Although pessimism is not totally off limits, cultivating an optimistic outlook can change the way your learner experiences and processes setbacks and victories. The optimistic person believes that setbacks are temporary, not permanent, allowing them to “shake off” a failure or bump in the road and look forward to another attempt. The optimistic person also believes that setbacks are local, not pervasive, meaning that a failure is related to specific circumstances or experiences and doesn’t necessarily indicate that failure will follow them into the future. Finally, the optimistic person believes that setbacks are often external, and therefore changeable, rather than a personal failing that is unchangeable. While the optimistic person takes responsibility for failures, they do not internalize external forces in a way that limits them in the future.

Here are some resources and ideas to explore optimism:

• Talk about the “I can…” statement for gratitude with your learners: “I believe hard work will improve my future; I stay motivated even when things don’t go well; I think of ways to overcome challenges.”
• This article from School Rubric provides some basic evidence-based context for the pursuit of optimism as a habitual outlook, as well as establishing a link between pessimism and learned helplessness. It also links to several other resources for encouraging and/or teaching optimism to you learners.
• Check out these free resources from Teachers Pay Teachers for teaching optimism. You can download these for free using your own TpT account, and you do not need to order them through your EF.
• Cut out and decorate your SLO badge for LP 6.