Appreciative Inquiry

On Friday, about a dozen of the David Cameron staff got together with Dan Doherty, an Appreciative Inquiry facilitator, to examine in greater detail the idea of Appreciative Inquiry (AI).  Wow!  What an incredible opportunity to learn about such a powerful way to look at things and to connect on a deeper level with colleagues.  We spent the day together engaged in meaningful conversation about our school and learning.  We looked for examples of greatness and how we can build upon those for future successes.

During the day, Dan led us through the process which focused on the question, "How are we effectively fostering constructive inquiry, and how can we enhance the spirit of inquiry within our students beyond what we are currently doing?"  What a powerful question for us to engage in for the day.  Dan further explained that AI is "asking questions that add value" (this one clearly did).   One of the basic principles of AI is that what you focus on expands.  If we focus on the negative (destructive), we get more of that, but if we focus on being constructive that is where we grow.

As we explored, inquired, and asked deeper questions we began to collectively see great things in our school and ways to build upon them to extend the quality of experience for adults and students.  Themes began to emerge about trust, risk taking, and the continued development of our school culture.

The day was a great example of what professional development can and should be.  Staff were engaged, energized, and it made us think about how we can be better for our students.  We now have a core group of staff keen to explore ways that we encourage risk taking and trust already, and how we can get more of it.