Background

Imagine that you are in a classroom session and your teacher asks you, "What are your character strengths?". Now, before you formulate your response to this question, consider these questions: Could you go back to a time before you had ever heard of character strengths or the VIA Survey? Could you approach the VIA strengths using the mind of a "strengths beginner"? And, as a strengths beginner, what might you need to know to better understand the VIA and the information it provides to you?

The presenter of this Apply presentation has taught Positive Psychology using the VIA Character Strengths for over 15 years at colleges in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Hawaii. College students are highly interested in learning about their strengths and eager to know more about the VIA. At the same time, some students struggle with understanding what the VIA strengths actually mean and how they can be applied to their everyday lives and academic and career aspirations. The presenter has found that adopting a strengths beginner approach can help in effectively exploring the meaning and application of the VIA to a college student's experiences and goals. 

Aims

The primary aims of this Apply presentation is to develop awareness of how college students initially respond to the VIA Character Strengths concept and to identify approaches for beginning teaching and applying the VIA Character Strengths in a college course.

Method

Attendees will briefly role play a "strengths beginner" interaction and collaborate with other attendees to identify approaches for introducing the VIA Character Strengths to college students. 

Conclusion

After attending this presentation, attendees will have more awareness of how to introduce the VIA Character Strengths to their students and will be more effective in exploring and applying the VIA in their classes.