Review of "The Appreciative Advising Revolution" by Jennifer L. Bloom, Bryant L. Hutson, and Ye He

I work as an academic advisor at a state college. Part of my recent training has been to read the book, "The Appreciative Advising Revolution" by Jennifer L. Bloom, Bryant L. Hutson, and Ye He. There was also a short online course that I took that provided a discussion platform with other academic advisors. There were several other assignments which helped support learning about the concepts. The premise of the book is a six-phase-model that can be used in one-on-one student appointments or with groups of students. The Appreciative Advising theory is based on the following phases when working with college students: 1) Disarm 2) Discover 3) Dream 4) Design 5) Deliver 6) Don't Settle.

Appreciative Advising has significantly helped me provide a better framework, or backbone, for my one-on-one sessions with students. Even in brief meetings, during busy registration seasons, the six phases of Appreciative Advising can be readily incorporated in my work. For example, some students come in and they are upset because of not being able to get into certain classes that may have filled up. For these students, I may spend more time in the disarming phase because it works toward calming the student down and reducing their negative thinking about their situation. Whether I meet with a student for five minutes, or for a forty-five-minute academic planning meeting, I can use the six phases with each student.

With students who are first generation students, I may spend a more time focusing on the dream phase with them as they may have not had parents or family members that encouraged them to dream big for their future careers or educational goals. Many first-generation students may not know what options are even out there for possible careers that they could pursue. I think that the discovery phase is also especially important for first generation students as they need time to capitalize on their past experiences that have shaped them into who are as individuals.

At Pasco-Hernando State College advisors take turns hosting on-campus group advising sessions. After learning about the six phases in the Appreciative Advising theory course, I developed a simple questionnaire with two questions for each phase to give to the students in group advising sessions. The goal is to use this questionnaire as an ice breaking tool for students at the beginning of the session to introduce the basic concepts of the Appreciative Advising to students. The goal is for the students to start answering the questions in group advising but then to bring back the questionnaire to discuss it more in-depth in one-in-one meetings with advisors.

The Appreciative Advising model helps encourage student success because it focuses on positive psychology and development. The whole premise is to be the advisor who can put spotlights on student’s strengths. When I point out student’s strengths, it helps them feel more confident about themselves. After confidence is developed for students, it feeds their growing passion to set and pursue their goals for their education and long-term career goals. Unfortunately, many young adults are constantly discouraged and talked down to by other people. As an academic advisor, it is an opportunity to be a voice of encouragement and empowerment.

In the design phase is the most detail oriented as it is where we help students transition their dreams into a living reality. Many students come in and they have no clue where to start with designing or breaking down their ambitious career goals. I have found that pathway degree sheets and individualized planning are the most tangible tools for students to use. When students see a customized plan for their degree plan, their eyes light up because they see the steps to making their education work. I have discovered that nursing and medical pathway students tend to appreciate the long-term planning especially. Sometimes, I have students who get overwhelmed when they see too much long-term information. For the students who need smaller amounts of information to process, I acknowledge this, reduce the steps, and give them more opportunities for checking-in with me.

I work with an amazing team of diverse people who have tremendous skills, who possess a positive outlook, and who have plenty of professional grit to get the job done. I have had several conversations with some of my colleagues about how Appreciative Advising is effective in helping students. The other advisors I work with have also used Appreciative Advising with students. I hear the method being used especially when I hear my coworker’s thanking students for coming on-campus. As simple as it is, we should thank students for making a trip to come see us because without them, our jobs and profession would not exist!

Recently, I met with a student and his parent, and we spent most of our time delineating the design phase. I helped type up a two-year plan for him to finish his associate degree with a pathway for engineering. There was minimal need to get too involved with the first three phases as he was in a good frame of mind, he seemed aware of what he was naturally good at, and he’d already had the dream to become an engineer. Therefore, I spent most of the time with him in the design phase and he went away with a clear vision for his future.

Another specific interaction, that I recently experienced with a student, is that she had taken classes for several semesters but unfortunately her GPA was not high enough for a limited access radiography program. Of course she was disappointed with the situation, however, it gave me an opportunity to help her consider some other colleges that may have different admission requirements. In the meeting with her, I realized that most of the time we were delving into the deliver and not settling phases. She was upset with her lack of adequate academic delivery, but I was pleased to still encourage her to pursue her goal, but just to consider other options outside of the college that I advise at. I went the extra mile for her and even reached out to another college to see about their admission process on behalf of the student. In taking this extra action, on behalf of the student, it showed that I sincerely cared about her future success and development.

In conclusion, the Appreciative Advising course furthered my understanding of how to empower college students and set them up for life-long learning experiences. I have adapted the six phases into my everyday work, with one-on-one meetings, conversations with colleagues and my personal life too! Lastly, I plan on using the questionnaire that I developed, with the Appreciative Advising model, in the coming group advising sessions in the future. If you are an academic advisor, then I highly recommend that you consider taking this course and/or reading the book that teaches about the Appreciative Advising approach to helping college students. It was a highly enriching experience for me.