Session 6 - The Person in the Process
| Site: | Wintec Learning |
| Course: | Invitational Education (eLearning Example) |
| Book: | Session 6 - The Person in the Process |
| Printed by: | Guest user |
| Date: | Wednesday, 10 June 2026, 8:47 AM |
Description
You've discovered that people (and possibly the other four Ps) can be inviting or disinviting on different levels.
This session will get you thinking about what it takes for people to develop the stamina and energy to function consistently at an intentionally inviting level.
Activity 6.1 - The Person in the Process
Think about the following questions. As you do, brainstorm some of your thoughts about the person in the invitational process.
Record your brainstorm in your blog.
(You may wish to download the picture below and use it as the centre of your brainstorm.)
- What it might mean for a teacher to be always functioning at level four. Is it possible? What might be some of the consequences for the teacher?
- Consider how much energy it takes to be constantly interacting with others. Think about yourself and your colleagues. Is it easy to over-extend yourself? Have you seen, or experienced, ‘compassion fatigue’ or ‘burn-out’ in yourself or others? What caused this?
- What does it mean to be ‘the person in the process’? Think about your own experiences as a teacher, and the experiences of your colleagues.
- What can we do as professionals to "sustain the desire and energy to function at an intentionally inviting level"? (Purkey & Novak, 1996. p. 103)
Activity 6.2 - Four Dimensions
Click this icon to download the the reading for this activity.
The first three pages describe the Four Dimensions (AKA Four Corner Press). You can choose to read the rest of the article (if you wish) that describes their research and findings on how the Four Corner Press IS an effective framework for creating an invitational environment.
Record your answer to the following question in your blog to prepare you for the next activity.
What's your opinion about the following quote?
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“Being professionally inviting cannot be maintained if it is seen as an isolated series of behaviors an educator performs when he or she comes to school. Invitational education can easily be corrupted by those who have learned its techniques but not its stance.” Purkey & Novak (1996). p. 103 |
Activity 6.3.1 - Being Personally Inviting with Oneself
Click the icon to download the next reading.
Only read page 103-106 of the reading (Purkey & Novak, 1996). Or get a hard copy from the Wintec Library.
As you read think about the following quote/questions, don't forget to record your thoughts in your blog.
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"Countless educators are dedicated, caring and hardworking, but also experience chronic discouragement, dejection, and frustration. These feelings are summed up in the single word burnout." Purkey & Novak (1996), p. 104 |
- What is burnout, and why does it happen?
- Why is it so important for teachers to be self-inviting?
- What are some of the ways in which teachers can be inviting with themselves?
- On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most self-inviting, how would you rate yourself?
- What are some of the specific things you do that are self-inviting?
- If you feel that need to be more self-inviting or you are personally concerned about burnout, what are two or three things you could do to rectify the situation?
Remember:
The most important principal is respect for yourself and your feelings… The goal is to send self-invitations that are most likely to be accepted and acted upon.
Activity 6.3.2 - Being Personally Inviting with Others
Click the icon to download and read pages 106-108 of the Purkey & Novak (1996) text book.
Or get a hard copy from the Wintec Library.
As you read think about the following quote/questions, don't forget to record your thoughts in your blog.
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“Invitational education places a high priority on personal relationships. Professional success, no matter how great, cannot make up for a lack of success in personal relationships. It is important to cultivate and treasure a circle of trusted friends and acquaintances as well as to seek out new relationships and explore fresh interests.” Purkey & Novak (1996), p. 106 |
- What are the two most important aspects of being personally inviting with others?
- What are six practical things you can do that are personally inviting for others?
- Which of the six options suggested in the reading do you practice in your interactions with others?
- Are there any other behaviours you can think of that show someone is being personally inviting of others?
- What are one or two things that you would like to do to be more personally inviting with others? Be specific. How would go about achieving this?
Activity 6.3.3 - Being Professionally Inviting with Oneself
Click the icon to download and read pages 108-109 of the Purkey & Novak (1996) text book.
Or get a hard copy from the Wintec Library.
As you read think about the following quote/questions, don't forget to record your thoughts in your blog.
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“It is difficult to overestimate the importance of being active in one’s own professional development. The educator who does not invite himself or herself to grow professionally runs the risk of becoming obsolete. Teachers should continue to be actively engaged in upgrading their skills and knowledge and working to sustain their professional enthusiasm.” Purkey & Novak (1996), p. 108 |
- Why is it important to ensure that you are growing professionally?
- What are Purkey’s suggestions for being professionally inviting with yourself?
- Which of these suggestions do you or have you used to maintain your professional enthusiasm and growth?
- What other suggestions do you have for being professionally inviting with yourself?
- If you could set one goal related to being more professionally inviting with oneself what would you it be? Make your goal achievable, be very specific as to the details and give it a timeframe. For example, "I will attend one professional conference this year".
Activity 6.3.4 - Being Professionally Inviting with Others
Click the icon to download and read pages 109-118 of the Purkey & Novak (1996) text book.
Or get a hard copy from the Wintec Library.
As you read think about the following quote/questions, don't forget to record your thoughts in your blog.
|
“The primary purpose of education is to summon people cordially to realize their potential … best accomplished by building on the three areas already considered. When these three are functioning at an optimal level, the stage is set for being professionally inviting with others.” Purkey & Novak (1996), p. 110 |
- Purkey suggests that success or failure in the education system depends on “situation-specific self-concept”. What are the four aspects identified as being the most useful for indicating the ways in which we as teachers can be more professionally inviting with others?
- What are the characteristics of successful students who score highly with the first factor?
- What are the characteristics of students who do not score highly with this factor?
- What are the things teachers can do to encourage student’s sense of relating?
- The second key factor identified by Purkey is ‘asserting’. What does this mean?
- What are the behaviours of assertive students?
- Why is ‘asserting’ so important for learning?
- What can teachers do to encourage students to be more assertive?
- What is ‘investing’?
- What are the behaviours of students who rate highly for ‘investing’?
- What are some of the things teachers can do to help students to feel as though they have more investment in their learning?
- “Coping is another name for school success.” (p. 117) What are the behaviours of students who are ‘coping’?
- “The feeling of competence gained through doing something that works … helps students discover that they can cope with life’s expectations.” (p. 117)
What are the activities that occur in your programmes that contribute towards this for your students? - Why is it important to point out student errors? How can these errors be pointed out in an inviting manner?
Activity 6.4 - Self Reflection
Ask yourself these questions and try to answer them as honestly as you can. Record your answers in your blog.
- How do you see yourself as ‘the person in the process’?
- How inviting are you personally of yourself and of others?
- What are you currently doing that is professionally inviting of yourself?
- Have you set goals for your own professional growth? Do you need help with setting these goals? If so, who could you get to help you? Think about those of your colleagues and managers who would be willing to help you plan for professional success.
- How professionally inviting are you?
- What are the specific things you and your programme do to help your students achieve success through relating, asserting, investing and coping?
- What specific things could you or your programme do to further improve on these four areas?
This is the end of Session 6. Click to go to Session 7.