Climbing the ladder to success
Tracy Casarez
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: News
Shane Lopez, associate professor of counseling psychology at University of Kansas and Gallup senior scientist, spoke at the Parachutes and Ladders conference held at Mt. SAC's recital hall Fri., April 11.
In his speech, "Making Hope Happen for Today's College Students," Lopez described how major developments in positive psychology research, practice, and education relate to academic success.
Lopez captured the audience's attention when he explained how he served on the editorial board of the Journal of Positive Psychology and on the advisory board for Ready, Set, Learn, the Discovery Channel's pre-school education television program. Lopez said the greatest compliment he received from a student was that his classes "made her think."
Lopez, who has taught at the University of Kansas since 1998, said he wants his teaching philosophy and techniques to set the stage for teaching critical thinking in relation to human behavior. He said that being a mentor is his most valued role because he is able to instill students' confidence in their abilities by research and practice.
"I enjoy attending every one of the positive psychology conferences because we talk distinctly about the students," Rick Stepp-Bolling, literature professor, said. "It's all about the students and I love it."
Through his current research programs, Lopez is examining the effectiveness of hope training programs in schools. Lopez said hope training is to convince educators that hope enhances life satisfaction and higher well-being.
"Every day, leadership drives higher education throughout the world," Lopez said. "Authentic leaders practice what they teach and they contribute to the personal development of their faculty and their students."
He is particularly interested in what he calls "GPA" or Growth-Positive-Agency and its application to character development. He correlates GPA with having a positive, feel-good attitude. "Enforcing GPA will naturally give human strength and positive emotion that creates a positive outcome in life," Lopez said.
In his speech, "Making Hope Happen for Today's College Students," Lopez described how major developments in positive psychology research, practice, and education relate to academic success.
Lopez captured the audience's attention when he explained how he served on the editorial board of the Journal of Positive Psychology and on the advisory board for Ready, Set, Learn, the Discovery Channel's pre-school education television program. Lopez said the greatest compliment he received from a student was that his classes "made her think."
Lopez, who has taught at the University of Kansas since 1998, said he wants his teaching philosophy and techniques to set the stage for teaching critical thinking in relation to human behavior. He said that being a mentor is his most valued role because he is able to instill students' confidence in their abilities by research and practice.
"I enjoy attending every one of the positive psychology conferences because we talk distinctly about the students," Rick Stepp-Bolling, literature professor, said. "It's all about the students and I love it."
Through his current research programs, Lopez is examining the effectiveness of hope training programs in schools. Lopez said hope training is to convince educators that hope enhances life satisfaction and higher well-being.
"Every day, leadership drives higher education throughout the world," Lopez said. "Authentic leaders practice what they teach and they contribute to the personal development of their faculty and their students."
He is particularly interested in what he calls "GPA" or Growth-Positive-Agency and its application to character development. He correlates GPA with having a positive, feel-good attitude. "Enforcing GPA will naturally give human strength and positive emotion that creates a positive outcome in life," Lopez said.
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