Human beings are wired to scan for what is missing or what is wrong. A feature of the brain intended to keep us safe. It’s called the “negativity bias,” but it means that many adults are prone to having “velcro for the bad, teflon for the good.” Dr. Rick Hanson coined this phrase to illustrate the overuse of the negativity bias.
The result in classrooms? Teachers may comment upon/react to children’s challenging behavior far more often than their positive behavior. Sometimes they even miss the positive behavior. The adults are scanning for what is wrong to manage the classroom, but might miss opportunities to develop the child. For teachers, it’s imperative to take in and notice both the negative/dangerous AND the positive/beneficial for their mental health and well-being!
In this training series, Laura helps participants understand the negativity bias, how it can impact their observation skills, and the important ways to overcome this tendency so children and adults alike can feel safe, satisfied, and connected.
Drawing from the work of Dr. Rick Hanson, these articles uncover some facts about our ability to observe the children in our classrooms given this negativity bias. Laura offers some mindfulness practices to help us “use our minds to change our brains” to balance out this bias, alleviate some teacher stress, and help teachers balance their powers of observation.