Appreciative Pedagogy: Constructing Positive Models for Learning

Abstract

This article describes appreciative pedagogy in the management classroom. Appreciative pedagogy rests on the values of appreciative inquiry, an organizational development framework. At its core, appreciative pedagogy focuses on peak performances and successful experiences of students and professors. It believes that inquiring into these types of experiences allows both students and professors to create positive images that energize and generate positive action. In applying this approach, our students exhibited heightened energy in the classroom and an increased sense of relevance of content to personal and professional life.