Empowering teachers and students to do more of what’s working.
Why WoWW?
There are several compelling reasons to choose the WOWW (Working On What Works) approach over other classroom solutions:
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WoWW is designed to be straightforward and intuitive. It doesn't require extensive training or a complete overhaul of existing practices. Teachers can start implementing WoWW strategies immediately, integrating them into their current teaching methods. This ease of implementation makes it more likely that teachers will adopt and stick with the approach.
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Because WoWW is a flexible strategy rather than a rigid program, it can be adapted and implemented across an entire school district. This consistency can create a unified approach to teaching and classroom management, potentially leading to better outcomes across the board.
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The principles of WoWW are universal enough to be applied in various educational settings, including across ages, grades, domains, settings, and classes. Whether it's a preschool classroom or a college lecture hall, the focus on identifying what works and building on successes can be beneficial. This wide applicability makes WoWW a versatile tool for educators at all levels.
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A way to interact with each other that leads to better outcomes: This is a crucial distinction. WoWW isn't a prescribed set of actions but a mindset and approach to teaching and learning. It changes how teachers and students interact, fostering a more positive and collaborative environment. This can lead to better outcomes not just in academic performance, but also in student engagement and overall classroom atmosphere.
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The principles of WoWW can be applied beyond just classroom management. They can inform how teachers interact with parents, how administrators work with teachers, and even how students approach their own learning. This generalizability makes WoWW a powerful tool for improving the overall educational experience.
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While WoWW provides a framework, it's not one-size-fits-all. Teachers can adapt the principles to fit their teaching style, the needs of their students, and the specific challenges of their classroom or subject area. This customizability ensures that WoWW can be effective in diverse educational contexts.
These characteristics make WoWW a particularly attractive approach for educational institutions. Its flexibility, wide applicability, and focus on positive interactions address many of the challenges faced in modern education. Moreover, because it's a strategy rather than a program, it can evolve and adapt over time, making it a sustainable long-term approach to improving educational outcomes.
WoWW provides evidence-based solutions to the most pressing classroom problems today, including teacher burnout, lack of student engagement, and poor classroom relationships. It is an innovative, respectful approach that empowers teachers and students to create positive change in education.
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WoWW focuses on what's already working, encouraging positive behaviors, and collaboratively engaging students in solution-building, rather than dwelling on problems, resulting in a more positive, productive learning environment.
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By shifting focus from constant problem-solving to recognizing and amplifying successes, WoWW fosters a more positive classroom atmosphere, which reduces stress and increases job satisfaction.
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By cultivating a positive, supportive classroom environment that emphasizes students' strengths and successes, WoWW promotes self-efficacy, resilience, and a growth mindset, which can boost self-esteem and overall well-being.
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WoWW actively involves students in goal-setting and solution-finding processes, recognizing their contributions, and focusing on their strengths, which fosters intrinsic motivation and a sense of ownership in their learning experience.
What is Working on What Works (WoWW)?
The WoWW approach was developed by teachers at New River Middle School in Florida in partnership with Drs. Insoo Kim Berg and Lee Shilts to enhance the quality of education by creating a respectful and collaborative approach to classroom management. It's based on the principles of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and involves using positive reinforcement and concrete defining and tracking of goals to build student self-efficacy and positively shift how classrooms function.
This straightforward approach focuses on identifying and amplifying what's already working in classrooms, rather than fixating on problems, and assumes that teachers want to provide the best education possible, students want to learn and please adults, and parents want their children to succeed.
Training for WoWW Classrooms
The WoWW Foundation offers comprehensive training programs to help educators implement the Working on What Works classroom coaching model effectively in their schools. These include online courses, standardized manuals, and regular conferences that disseminate best practices and latest findings. These training efforts are underpinned by rigorous guidelines on evidence-based practice, ensuring that educators receive up-to-date, effective strategies for implementing the Working on What Works model in their classrooms.
Community for WoWW Educators
The WoWW approach was created in a collaboration between educators and clinicians and continues to evolve through WoWW implementers’ innovations. Accordingly, the WoWW Foundation fosters a vibrant community for the WoWW community through multiple channels, including an online member site with a worldwide directory and a free Facebook group. This community is further enriched by ongoing training opportunities, collaborative research initiatives, and conferences, all designed to support and connect WoWW educators in their professional growth.
Support for WoWW Research & Innovation
The WoWW Foundation plays a crucial role in advancing global research on the Working on What Works model by facilitating conversations between researchers and providing standardized training and publishing comprehensive manuals to ensure consistency in methodology. Additionally, the Foundation supports research efforts by offering valuable resources and research grants, thereby fostering both the study and implementation of WoWW across diverse educational contexts worldwide. If you are interested in being part of WoW W research, join our WoWW members site to explore opportunities. If you are interested in learning about WoWW research findings, click the link below.
“This sounds so simple and we have all heard this before, but it really works.”
— Amy Hermann, Teacher, as quoted in Classroom Solutions: WoWW Approach