Amplify Positive Framing in Your Classroom

As teachers, we constantly strive for positive outcomes in our classrooms. We meticulously plan lessons, set objectives, and envision success for our students. But what if we could amplify that inherent drive for positive outcomes, not just in our planning, but in our lessons as well? The following article explores how positive framing can transform the way you plan and experience the lessons you teach.

Why Positive Framing?

Positive framing steers your focus and actions toward desired outcomes. For teachers, this practice is particularly powerful because it mirrors the very core of lesson planning: creating objectives. Objectives are essentially the envisioned results for each lesson. As Stavros and Torres articulate, positive framing is about “intentionally shaping a conversation that invites engagement and produces positive outcomes.” The desire for positive outcomes is inherent in every teacher's work.

You can leverage your existing lesson objectives as a springboard for positive framing. The familiar "Students will…" stem, which precedes the desired outcome, already plants the seed for this positive approach within your lesson plans. From there, it's just a matter of extending that intentionality!

Broaden Your Positive Framing in a Lesson

Since your objectives are naturally framed as positive outcomes of your lessons, you just have to extend your objective a little further. You can do this by asking generative questions: 

• What will success look like? (Specifically, think about individual students, especially students who may struggle.)
•  How will my students experience this lesson?
•  What parts of this lesson will be inspiring?
•  How can my students employ their natural creativity and curiosity during this lesson?

The goal of positive framing in planning is that you are opening your eyes to the success your students will have. Objectives are a measure of success, but positive framing opens you to the greater possibilities in the lesson.

For example, let’s use this general objective: students will summarize the text. Whenever students read in class, they must be able to comprehend the text and being able to summarize the text is one way to engage them with their comprehension. Summarizing also produces an assessable outcome. However, we know that not every student is a strong writer–or even enjoys writing. This provides an opportunity to use positive framing as a way of extending the objective. A few additional questions you might want to ask yourself:

• How do I want my students to feel and look as they are reading and summarizing the text?
• What could they do that would allow them to experience the lesson?
• Are there other ways students might summarize and even contextualize their reading? (E.g., maybe the summaries are not merely written, but pairs or small groups also act out, sing, narrate, draw, diagram, or something else creative their understanding and the meaning it has for them.)

As you can see, using positive framing allows you to see more inspiring possibilities for the lesson.

Invite Your Students to Broaden the Lesson Frame

If we regularly share our objectives with students, inviting them to develop the positive frame further can be a natural extension of our teaching. This approach empowers students to visualize success beyond a simple rephrasing of the objective. By posing generative questions like:

• What will success look like for you?
• How might this lesson inspire you or contribute to your life in meaningful ways?
• What do you bring to this lesson?

These questions allow students to be active participants in framing their learning journey in a positive way. This shifts the focus from merely understanding a task, such as summarizing text, to envisioning diverse and creative avenues for demonstrating that understanding and applying it to their lives. Furthermore, this kind of student engagement can contribute to transforming potential difficulties into opportunities for growth, fostering a more inclusive and imaginative learning environment.

The Flipping Technique

Positive framing can also be used for difficult points in our teaching. The flipping technique helps with that: Name it, Flip it, Frame it. Instead of identifying where students struggle and trying to fix it, you can name it: specific students struggle with this topic. Then flip it to the positive opposite: specific students succeed with this topic.

To support you in framing it, you might get curious about where the struggling students succeed more easily.  You can ask: "You seem to thrive in this other area of learning. Can you tell me about what contributes to your success here?" 

Then explore:

• How does this area relate to their interests and strengths?
• What conditions support their success?
• What do they value about themselves in that area?
• Are there ways to leverage their strengths and interests for topics they struggle with?
• How might I create conditions for success by changing the way I'm teaching this topic?

The answer to these questions can help you create a positive frame for a conversation: I understand the conditions that help each student succeed, and they use their strengths to support success.

Imagine Each Lesson Is Your Best Lesson

Positive framing can be a pedagogical technique and a mindset that reorients your focus from potential pitfalls to boundless possibilities within the classroom. By leveraging the inherent positive orientation of your lesson objectives and extending them through generative questions, you invite a richer, more vibrant learning experience for everyone. This shift encourages students to move beyond rote learning to engage deeply with the material in ways that resonate with their individual strengths and preferences.

Imagine a classroom where every student feels empowered to demonstrate their learning through their unique talents—be it acting, drawing, or composing. Imagine a classroom where each lesson is your best lesson.

As you plan your next lesson, don't just state your objectives. Frame them positively and invite your students to envision meaningful lessons and extraordinary success.

Shared by Andy Gavalis, EdD and a certified CWH Trainer. I envision classrooms where every teacher and student can illuminate their learning potential. I believe Appreciative Inquiry is a powerful tool to transform classrooms into caring, curious, and creative communities of learners. 

Want to learn more?

To learn more about positive framing, you can read Conversations Worth Having or take the 30-minute CWH Foundations Course. In honor of Andy's contribution, we're offering a 25% discount on the course through August 31. Use coupon code ANDY at check out.