STRATEGIES TO THRIVE
Continued from page 21
motivation , and confidence , and are more likely to hold a mastery goal orientation ( e . g ., improving skills through effort and strategies ) as opposed to a performance goal orientation ( e . g ., striving to out-perform others or avoid underperforming relative to others ) ( Iskender ; Leary , et al ; Neff , Neff et al ., “ Self- Compassion , Achievement Goals ”; Neff et al ., “ Self-Compassion and Adaptive ”).
So how do we instill a self-compassionate perspective or orientation early on in teaching ? Evidence from experimental studies of brief self-compassion induction exercises indicates that even short experiences with self-compassion can produce meaningful effects . For instance , in a series of experimental studies , undergraduates and adults were asked to identify and describe a personal weakness or a moral transgression that could hypothetically be changed ( Breines and Chen ). After writing about these personal
“... having teachers get in the practice of offering advice to themselves in the same manner they would offer it to a close friend , could help them to foster more of a selfcompassionate orientation when challenging situations arise in teaching .” weaknesses or transgressions , those in the self-compassion condition were asked to write a paragraph to themselves from a selfcompassionate perspective — incorporating the three components of self-compassion in their writing . Compared to participants in the other conditions , those in the self-compassion condition showed higher self-improvement motivation as indicated by being more likely to see their personal weakness as changeable ( a growth mindset ), being more motivated to make amends after their transgression , reporting a greater desire to avoid repeating the transgression , and being more likely to seek feedback from a partner who had successfully processed a similar weakness .
Moving forward , teacher education and induction programs , along with schools and teacher mentors , would do well to consider using these types of brief approaches to instill adaptive perspectives and orientations toward teaching ( e . g ., a self-compassionate orientation ) early on . For instance , having teachers reflect on and write about a challenging situation in teaching from a selfcompassionate perspective could serve as a brief , yet effective practice for cultivating this perspective . Additionally , having teachers get in the practice of offering advice to themselves in the same manner they would offer it to a close friend , could help them to foster more of a self-compassionate orientation when challenging situations arise in teaching .
Finally , there are several practices , books , and programs that provide a range of experience
Page 22 Fall 2022 CSEE Connections