Now, Discover Your Strengths introduced millions of Americans to the unique, personal strengths that they could use to succeed in life. Teach with Your Strengths expands upon the best-selling Now, Discover Your Strengths and shows how anyone who teaches — from classroom instructors to coaches to business executives — can get the most from their students. Focusing on the central insight that all great teachers make the most of their natural talents, Teach with Your Strengths shows teachers how to avoid the pitfalls that lead to mediocrity and work best with what they have. The book is written by two teachers with a combined 70 years of classroom and consulting experience, and it includes real-life examples of how great teachers use their strengths to solve problems, battle bureaucracy, and reach all of their students. For anyone who has ever wanted to be a better teacher, Teach with Your Strengths offers proven techniques to help readers get the results they want.
Don't buy this book USED because ... While the first part of this book speaks generally about teaching, the second half addresses your individual strengths as found through the website Strengthsfinder.com and how they apply to teaching. In order to access this information you go to their website and type in the access code on the inside of the dust jacket. The access code can only be used ONE time, and evidently the person I bought the used book from had used the access code, so I was not able to find out my personal strengths. Consequently the book was of little use. This book is one of a series of books which use the Gallup Strengthsfinder website and happily I had purchased Strengths Finder 2.0 (by Tom Rath) new and the access code was sealed inside the book so I finally had access to the website. Once enrolled I took a preference test (about 20 minutes) and received information on my 5 strengths. These correspond for the most part with those listed in Teach With Your Strengths. This information on my strengths is not earth-shaking but it does support Gallup's contention that we shouldn't waste time or energy trying to "fix" our lesser talents but instead develop what we do naturally (172). As with anything it is not a magic wand, but instead an interesting way of thinking about maximizing our individual potential.
The first two chapters or so were good I was really happy with the book through the first two or three chapters. The book said a lot of things that I already feel about teaching. Essentially, it says, "Teachers are good because of who they are, and they're better when they teach with their strengths."
That's a great sentiment.
However, the middle chapters quickly devolved into a promotion for a particular personality trait test. I felt like bit like I was being lured into a Dianetics room. I felt slightly hesitant while moving on past the initial chapters, because the authors kept talking about one particular personality test.
I checked this book out from the library, and I had just finished telling my wife how I was going to be purchasing the book to have at school. Then came the Clifton test advertisements.
If you don't mind reading books that are intended to advertise a product, then by all means, please read this book. If that sort of thing offends you, then don't get it. If you don't care either way, only read the first few chapters. You won't know the difference.
This book just makes sense I was at first apprehensive about buying this book. After all, what would the Gallup Poll know about teaching? Well, it turns out that they know a lot. Being a "highly qualified teacher", i.e. having a license to teach a subject is not enough these days. Good teachers must also be able to "connect" to students. The authors are realistic and their findings are extremely helpful. For example, working on ones weaknesses won't work. If you are an introvert, taking classes in public speaking won't help that much; it certainly won't make you an extrovert. This book is an excellent read for anyone who works with or is interested in working with students.
leaves out my own groundbreaking research This book is awesome with a capital "E", and I have nothing bad to say about it. It is however, woefully inadequate, as it leaves out my own follow up research on "great" teachers. While they do indeed possess the common characteristics noted in the book (saluting when addressed directly; refering to themselves in the third person plural; loathing humanity; subscribing to Newsweek; and being unusually "voluminous" in their personal lives - I still don't get that one) I have discovered that they have a few other important traits in common as well. Below is an exhaustive list:
1. They sweat easily and profusely
2. They sometimes spit on students when emphasizing something they think is important. They never do this intentionally. It usually comes out during a hard "K" sound. More often than not, it simply lands on the student's picture of their boyfriend on their notebook - the student's boyfriend, not the teacher's. A great teacher would never spit on a picture of their own boyfriend (see appendix 4, section A.b.12.A IV)
3. They think Sweden should be a permanent member off the UN Security Council.
Before you "educators" out there run off and douse yourself in someone's sweat in the hopes your principal will be fooled into nominating your for teacher of the year, remember that, while all great teachers sweat, spit and have a thing for Sweden being a permanent member of the security council, not all people who sweat and spit and want Sweden to be able to veto UN resolutions are good teachers. In fact, many of them are simply Swedish.
I'm looking forward to reading this book some day.
Teach with your strengths Teach with your strengths is focused on a strategy of self-discovery first, teaching methodologies second. This may disappoint many who are looking for easy answers to becoming better teachers. However, I found it quite revealing and useful as an adult who teaches innovation and creativity in my professional life, and as an adult who teaches Christianity to adults in my personal life. The Gallup folks are trying to start a positive revolution in many people's lives by focusing on our strengths. Teachers are the prime movers and shakers in that revolution. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to even further materials from Gallup and these authors.
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