Diana Allison, PhD, ASID
Darla Green, LEED AP
Associate Professors – Interior Design
Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, KS
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Who are you?
Where are you from?
What do you hope to come away with?
“People
that understand their
most effective behaviors and
talents are best able to develop
strategies to meet and exceed
the demands of their daily
lives, their careers, and their
families.” Clifton, 2006
Wanting to connect with unique student process
to form knowledge
Our perspective

Self-knowledge empowers students

Return to basic educational principles
 Alfred Binet- Enhancing skills & addressing deficits
not just remediating problems (Binet & Simon, 1916)
 Hurlock (1925) – Praise of student work is more
powerful than criticism
 Chickering (1969) – College student development
theory: Development of student’s broad-based
talents

Positive Psychology
 Bowers (2008) - Examining and promoting
strengths and managing deficits
 Csikszentmihalyi (1990) – Optimal experience
called ‘flow’

StrengthsQuest: Discover Your Strengths in
Academics, Career, and Beyond (Clifton, Anderson, &
Schreiner, 2006)
 Donald Clifton – Father of Strengths Psychology;
Grandfather of Positive Psychology
▪ Acquired Gallup in 1988

1) identification of students’ strengths
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2) personalizing the students’ learning
experience based upon their strengths
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3) networking and communication of
students’ strengths with those who will
support and acknowledge strength-based
success

4) deliberately applying strengths inside and
outside of the classroom

5) intentional development of the students’
strengths

Now, Discover Your Strengths (Buckingham & Clifton, 2001)

StrengthsQuest: Discover Your Strengths in
Academics, Career, and Beyond (Clifton, Anderson, &
Schreiner, 2006)

StrengthsFinder 2.0 (Rath, 2007)

StrengthsFinder 2.0 (Rath 2007)
Conducted over 2 million interviews
34 themes developed
▪ Talent (innate) x Investment (skills & knowledge)
= Strength
(ability to consistently provide near perfect performance)
(Rath, 2007)
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Top 5 of 34talent themes

Personalized explanation and suggestions
based on each individual’s combination
Diana Allison
1. Achiever
2. Positivity
3. Individualization
4. Strategic
5. Learner
Darla Green
1. Learner
2. Developer
3. Connectedness
4. Restorative
5. Relator

What is your first reaction to these terms?
 What do they mean to you at this point?

Does anything in the report surprise you?

How well do you feel your Signature Themes
describe the ways in which you most naturally
thing, feel, and behave as a unique individual?
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With whom will you share your results?

Signature theme and definition of this theme
in your own words

Sign your name 5 times

Switch hands, sign your name again 5 times
with your non-dominant hand
What I Do Best
What I Want Most in a Place I Work
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
5.
5.
10 Minute Break
The Four Domains of Leadership Strength
Executing
Influencing
Achiever
Arranger
Belief
Consistency
Deliberative
Discipline
Focus
Responsibility
Restorative
Activator
Command
Communication
Competition
Maximizer
Self-Assurance
Significance
Woo
Relationship
Building
Adaptability
Developer
Connectedness
Empathy
Harmony
Includer
Individualization
Positivity
Relator
Strategic
Thinking
Analytical
Context
Futuristic
Ideation
Input
Intellection
Learner
Strategic
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From group projects to team projects
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Implemented
 Spring 2011 – 2 Capstone classes: total of 17 unique
students
 Fall 2011 – 1 Capstone class, 1 Residential Design
class, 1 Space Planning class: total of 29 unique
students
 Spring 2012 – 1 Capstone class, 1 Residential Design
class, 1 Space Planning class, 1 Introduction to Interior
Design: total of 35 unique students
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Homework Assignment
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Classroom Discussion & Activity
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Weekly Exercises
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Team Projects
Strengths Frequencies
Restorative
Activator
Command
Communication
Competition
Maximizer
Self-Assurance
Significance
WOO
Adaptability
Developer
Connectedness
Empathy
Harmony
Includer
Individualization
Positivity
Relator
Analytical
Context
Futuristic
Ideation
Input
Intellection
Learner
Strategic
Strategic Thinking
Responsibility
Deliberative
Consistency
Belief
Relationship Building
Focus
Spring; N= 17
Influencing
Discipline
2011
Arranger
Achiever
Executing
2
2
6
1
1
-
3
1
2
1
-
3
3
2
6
2
2
3
1
2
5
1
-
2
2
6
4
5
6
2 Classes: 2 Capstone
8
1
1
1
2
Total: 24
Total: 11
Total: 26
Total: 26
3 Classes: 1Capstone; 1 Residential Design; 1 Space Planning
Fall; N=29
8
1
2
1
5
3
1
1
0
2
5
3
4
Total: 33
1
2
1
2
5
6
6
1
2
7
Total: 23
1
1
4
6
8
1
1
2
Total: 53
5
7
6
11
10
1
0
16
16
7
12
11
1
3
3
Total: 43
Totals for 2011: 5 classes
Total 2011; N=46
16
2
3
2
7
5
3
1
6
3
6
3
7
Total: 57
2012
Spring; N= 35
2
4
2
2
8
9
8
1
3
1
4
Total: 34
5
4
5
8
1
3
2
1
4
Total: 79
7
1
3
Total: 69
4 Classes: 1 Capstone; 1 Residential Design; 1 Space Planning; 1 Introduction to Interior Design
9
4
4
2
2
2
1
7
5
Total: 36
2
2
4
2
2
1
2
4
6
5
7
Total: 19
7
5
3
5
5
3
Total: 46
9
8
9
8
1
2
Total: 76
Faculty
N=4
1
2
Faculty Total: 4
1
1
Total: 0
1
2
Faculty Total: 6
1
1
1
2
Faculty Total: 10
“I wish we had done this in our first
class in the program”
“I wish all our instructors knew what
our strengths were before they put
us on teams”
“Now I understand why they [team
members] are approaching parts of
the project as they are and it makes
it easier to work with them”

www.strengthsquest.com
Lunch
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Perception
 Concrete
 Abstract

Ordering
 Sequential
 Random
CONCRETE: “It is what it is”, you deal with the
here and now and process information based
on what you see, hear, and think.
ABSTRACT: “Things aren’t always what they
appear”, you look for patterns using your
intuition and imagination.
RANDOM: You hop around from thought to
thought and process information in chunks
SEQUENTIAL: You plan a very linear way of
solving problems. You are an step 1 to step 2
person.
CS = Concrete Sequential
CR = Concrete Random
AS = Abstract Sequential
AR = Abstract Random
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Abilities
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Remember details
Separate facts
Apply literal meaning to verbal statements
Plan time and Activities Well
Dislikes
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Sharing
Disorderly conditions
Discussing philosophically or emotionally
Too many options to choose from
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Provide concrete examples
Present information sequentially – linear
Maintain teacher-learner roles
Offer respect, support, and protection
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Abilities
 Use insight and intuition to see big picture
 Create new ideas, approaches, & products
 Function well in unstructured, open-ended activities
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Dislikes
 Step-by-step instruction
 Details or routine procedures
 Communal teamwork
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Provide concrete examples and abstract ideas
Guide their work
Promote and reward natural curiosity
Be ethical, genuine, and flexible
Provide stimulus rich environments
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Abilities
 See forest and the trees
 Transcend details to see patterns and the “big picture”
 Analyze, compare, contrast, evaluate & judge with ease
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Dislikes
 Step-by-step, touchy-feely & brainstorming activities
 Considering ideas and claims they don’t feel are valid
 Having to state how the feel rather than what they think
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Encourage solitary work and personal effort
Provide abstractions via ideas, models,
theories, & concepts
Use sequential, substantive, logical, rational,
and structured techniques
Be subject matter-oriented, masters of content
Be strong classroom disciplinarians
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Abilities
 Read body language and assess emotional states
 View and relate parts and their relations with the whole
 Accept criticism if it is kindly expressed
 See beauty in the darkest of events
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Dislikes
 Dogmatic & strictly logical people & materials
 Conservative, restrictive, and antiseptic environments
 Receiving continual criticism, unkind remarks &
sarcasm
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Provide activities that promote the subjective,
affective, & abstract
Be a facilitator providing opportunities for
students to talk, work, and learn with each other
Vary ways of learning instead of 1 or 2
Provide colorful, stimulus-rich environments
Be accessible before and after class
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www.gregorc.com
5 Minute Break

HOW we learn: Gregorc Learning Style
Delineator
 Cognitive Instrument
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WHY we learn: StrengthsFinder 2.0
 Strengths-based instrument
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Communication
Self-discovery
Awareness and acceptance
Empathy for others
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Communication
Approach to lessons/pedagogy
Ability to see the roadblocks to learning
Students 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Learning Style CS CS CS AS AS AR AR CR CR CR CS CS CR CR AR AR AR CR CS AS CR CR CS CS CR CS
Leadership
Domains S
E
Learning Styles:
S
E
R
S
I
I
S
E
S
S
S
R
I
S
R R
E
R
S
S
CS: Concrete Sequential = 9, AS: Abstract Sequential = 3
CR: Concrete Random = 9 , AR: Abstract Random = 5
Leadership Domains: E: Executing = 4,
I: Influencing = 3
R: Relationship Building, S: Strategic = 13
S
S
R
S
“It helps me when it comes to team
projects – I now understand the
difference in peoples
approach…It also helps me
outside the classroom
understand people’s motivation.”
“I now understand my thought
process and it’s a little easier
to understand why I think the
way that I think and the order
that I think in.”