An article in Forbes online came out a year after the 2020 pandemic had upended everyone’s lives. It explained how the technique of appreciative inquiry could be used to help people cope with extraordinary challenge: “After what has seemed like a never-ending free-fall of challenge, complexity and ambiguity, appreciative inquiry may be the most valuable strategy to help your team orient toward a positive view…secure improvement through insights, and maximize what you’re doing right — providing a much needed sense of hope and control.”

Today the need for appreciative inquiry remains strong. Ellen Drolette wrote an article, “Appreciative Inquiry for a More Positive Professional Life,” that explains how this helpful technique can be used in the early childhood field. Her article has been made into an Exchange Reflections that has been discussed and enjoyed by ECE staffs, professional organizations and in college classrooms. She begins her article this way:

“What if every morning, you took a few minutes to think about what will bring you joy in the day ahead? I do this first thing in the morning with my cup of coffee. (I am human though, and sometimes it just does not happen!) In the quiet of my living room, I think about what I hope for from the day. Often, it is the same thing I hoped for the day before: to have laughter, joy, dancing, and imagination filling my classroom, and to be my best self—asking open-ended questions, and having the utmost patience when children become frustrated.

“This morning ritual is an example of appreciative inquiry, and it is one of my favorite subjects to talk and write about in the early years. Appreciative inquiry might sound a bit technical, but it is not—it is quite simple, and life-giving when applied well. Put simply, it is a way of tweaking your default, every day mindset, so that you pay more attention to the brightest moments.”