101. The Transformative Power of AI

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Folks, let’s face it. Our classrooms are going to look a little different this year. AI, specifically ChatGPT, is going to change the way we design learning experiences and assess student mastery. I’ll be honest, when I first explored the ChatGPT platform I was terrified. As I have dug deeper into the technology and its capabilities, I realized that while it does pose significant challenges — it also presents us with some pretty amazing opportunities. In this series, we will explore what AI is capable of, its implications in the classroom, and how it can benefit both teachers and students. Let’s start by examining where we have been, where we are currently, and looking forward to where we are going. Whether this is a trip you wanted to go on or not, the AI train has left the station and it is time for all of us to jump on board. From Card Catalogs to Artificial Intelligence I belong to the micro-generation called Xennial. Xennials are considered to be a “bridge” between Generation X a...
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#65: Part I: Finding Love IN Work (Love It or Loathe It?)

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This is PART I of a series on finding meaning, purpose, and love in work. The research is based on the principles of Positive Organizational Psychology (POP) which explores how positive organizations can foster growth and excellence.

I have a confession. I love to hide out in my bedroom, fold laundry, and watch HGTV. One of my favorite shows is called "Love It or List It." If you haven't seen the show, it teams a designer and realtor with a family whose home is no longer meeting their needs.

Over the course of the episode, the designer (Hillary) renovates their current home and the realtor (David) tries to help them find their ideal new home. More often than not, the owners usually choose to remain in their renovated home. It turns out they didn't need to move or build, they just needed to rediscover their love for what they already had. In this post, I will share a specific intervention that will hopefully help you fall in love with your work again - "Love It or List It" style.

An Intervention: "Love It or Loathe It?"
One way to fall back in love with your job is to identify what energizes you about your job - and do more of it! This week, I am challenging you to complete the LOVE IT/LOATHE IT Intervention (Buckingham & Goodall, 2019, p. 198).
  • Create a T-chart and label one column "LOVE" and one column "LOATHE".
  • As the week progresses add items to both columns.
  • Try and limit it to work-related items for now.
  • Don't worry about adding the "meh" items, write down items that you feel really strongly about. For example, I would add "facilitating class discussions" to my LOVE column and would add "scheduling classes and staffing" to my LOATHE column. Both are necessary to my job - but they don't both fill me up in the same way.
After completing your T-chart, reflect on your notes at the end of the week.
  1. On which items are you spending the majority of your time?
  2. Is there a way to shift and share responsibilities for those things you don't like to do?
  3. Is there someone that you can share the load with? For example, we all have different strengths. I happen to really like setting up my classes' Canvas modules (dorky, I know) so I handle this aspect for my CLT while my co-teacher contributes in other but equally important ways.
  4. How/can you structure your work to play to your strengths and manage your weaknesses?
Some Good News: The 20% "Rule"
If I am being honest, my LOATHE list was much longer than my LOVE list - which was not really what I was expecting. I mean, I love what I do. Education is my calling! However, not all hope was lost. I was SHOCKED to learn that even though there were more items on my "loathe" side than my "love" side I can still love my job (Phew)!

Research indicates that there is a personal well-being tipping point when it comes to loving our work. Spending a minimum of 20% of our time at work on the things we "love" help to reduce burnout and increase well-being. The lopsided nature of my LOVE IT/LOATHE list looked much better in this light! My biggest takeaway from this intervention was that I need to identify and build in more time for the things that I love about my job every single day. For example, I have been purposefully trying to connect more directly with my coworkers every single day because it brings me joy! Just like in "Love It or List It," it's not always necessary to rebuild or start over, sometimes you just need to rediscover what you love about what you already have!

In my next post, I am going to take a deeper dive into how our unique strengths and passions can help us create a love for work - and explore some ways that we can foster a love of work in our students, as well.

Be Well,
Cori

Next Post: Part II: Falling Love IN Work (Strength-Spotting)

Resources:

Bourg Carter, S. (2013, November 26). The tell tale signs of burnout ... do you have them ... The Tell Tale Signs of Burnout ... Do You Have Them? Retrieved January 30, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/high-octane-women/201311/the-tell-tale-signs-burnout-do-you-have-them

Buckingham, M., & Goodall, A. (2019). Nine lies about work: A freethinking leader's guide to the real world. Harvard Business Review Press.

Compton, W. C., & Hoffman, E. (2020). Positive psychology: the science of happiness and flourishing. SAGE.

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