If you're unfamiliar with the CASEL framework, we highly recommend reading this article first, as it will greatly enhance your understanding of soft skills.
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Introduction to Adaptability & Flexibility:
Adaptability & Flexibility involve the capacity to navigate and respond to new, varied, or evolving circumstances and challenges. In everyday scenarios, children exhibit these skills by adjusting to alterations in their routines or managing unforeseen results in play and collaborative tasks. Developing adaptability and flexibility not only bolsters problem-solving abilities and creative thinking but also strengthens social connections and overall personal wellness.
Core Area of Competence:
Adaptability & Flexibility is mainly associated with the following CASEL core areas of competence:
Self-Management: Set, monitor, adapt, achieve, and evaluate goals.
Relationship Management: Cultivate constructive relationships with others.
Responsible Decision-Making: Consider ethical standards, social and community norms and safety concerns in making decisions.
Core Behaviors that require Flexibility:
Flexibility manifests in various ways across different age groups:
6-8 Years:
Self-Management:
Adjusting to Changes: Learners are beginning to understand the concept of change as a regular part of life.
Example: Learners easily adapt to new classroom rules or changes in seating arrangements.
Relationship Management:
Invest on Relationships: Learning to maintain friendships despite changes in activities or settings.
Example: When a best friend moves to another class, a child finds ways to stay connected and make new friends in their current class.
Responsible Decision-Making:
Choosing Alternatives: Learners in this age group are also learning to make simple decisions and understand that their choices have consequences.
Example: When faced with a canceled field trip, learners quickly engage in alternative activities without fuss.
9-11 Years:
Self-Management:
Embracing New Ideas: Learners begin to show a keenness for experimenting with diverse approaches and solutions, illustrating their budding adaptability and flexibility.
Example: When a traditional method for solving a math problem proves challenging, a student eagerly tries a new strategy suggested by their teacher, showing a willingness to adapt and embrace flexibility in learning.
Relationship Management:
Open To New Relationships: Developing the ability to work with new team members on class projects.
Example: A learner willingly partners with a classmate they haven’t worked with before for a science project, building a new friendship and learning from each other's strengths.
Responsible Decision-Making:
Considering Consequences: Learners ****weigh various options and choose actions that align with desired outcomes.
Example: Faced with a sudden change in the weekend family plans due to weather, a learner suggests an indoor adventure game that can be enjoyed at home.
12-14 Years:
Self-Management:
Developing Strategies: Teen learners create strategies to manage their workload, adjusting their learning strategies and schedules.
Example: Recognizing the need for better time management due to an increase in school projects, a teenager uses an online calendar to block out study times, allowing for flexibility when unexpected assignments come up. They also set aside time for breaks and hobbies, showing adaptability in maintaining balance.
Relationship Management:
Understand Dynamics: Navigating shifting social dynamics as friendships evolve.
Example: A teenager learner works to maintain friendships as interests diverge, finding new common activities to share while respecting individual interests.
Responsible Decision-Making:
Evaluating Risks: Learners weigh the pros and cons of decisions they are called to make.
Example: When interest to join both the school band and the soccer team, a learner thinks carefully about the time each commitment requires. After discussing with family and considering their academic workload, they decide to join the band where the schedule is more flexible, demonstrating their ability to adapt to their current situation while still pursuing extracurricular interests.
15-17 Years:
Self-Management:
Managing Priorities: Older teen learners balance academic responsibilities with personal interests, shifting focus as necessary.
Example: Faced with an unexpected week full of tests, a learner reevaluates their weekly schedule. They decide to reschedule all their planned activities to the weekend, ensuring they can dedicate more time to study while maintaining their commitments.
Relationship Management:
Quality Relationships: Building and maintaining supportive relationships amidst the pressures of planning for the future.
Example: As they navigate the stresses of applying to colleges, a learner ensures open communication and mutual support within their friend group, acknowledging the importance of these bonds during times of change.
Responsible Decision-Making:
Long-Term Planning: Learners consider various career paths, understanding that their choices may evolve as they gain more information and experiences.
Example: Initially interested in engineering, a student volunteers in community tech projects and participates in a science fair, which sparks a newfound interest in environmental science. Recognizing this shift, they begin to explore environmental engineering as a career path, showing flexibility in integrating new interests with existing ones to carve out a fulfilling future career.
Promoting Flexibility:
For Parents and Care Givers:
Present daily challenges or scenarios at home that require your child to think of multiple solutions.
Examples per age group:
6-8 Years: If their favorite park is closed, ask them to brainstorm alternative fun outdoor activities or locations.
9-11 Years: When a planned outdoor movie night is rained out, involve them in developing ideas for indoor movie night, like building a fort to watch the movie in.
12-14 Years: If a group project member drops out, guide them in figuring out how to redistribute the workload or find an alternative way to complete the project.
15-17 Years: Discuss strategies for managing a heavier-than-expected homework load, like breaking tasks into smaller, manageable parts or using a planner to prioritize work.
When watching a series or a movie, you can play a game of asking the children to find what alternative ending or scenario they would make on the series or movie watched.
To teach by example, demonstrate how you adapt when plans change, discussing your thought process and how you deal with your emotions.
Involve Children in Replanning: When plans change, such as a vacation destination or a weekend outing, open the discussion to the whole family. Ask your children for their ideas and solutions, making it a collaborative problem-solving session. For example, if a trip to the beach is canceled due to bad weather, have a family meeting to brainstorm alternative fun activities that everyone can enjoy indoors or locally. This not only teaches flexibility but also empowers children to contribute to family decisions, showing that their opinions are valued.
Make small changes in daily routines to build adaptability, such as trying new foods on certain days of the week, to encourage openness to new experiences.
Recognize and celebrate when your child shows adaptability, reinforcing the behavior you want to encourage.
For Tutors:
Create simulations or role-play scenarios that mimic real-life situations requiring adaptability and decision-making. Reflect on these exercises to highlight the importance of being flexible in various contexts.
Allow learners to choose from different activities or methods for completing assignments. This could be choosing between writing an essay or creating a presentation on the same topic, encouraging them to adapt their approach based on their strengths and interests.
Group work can naturally encourage flexibility as learners navigate different opinions, work styles, and solutions to achieve a common goal. Guide them in understanding and valuing diverse perspectives.
Engage in discussions about times when flexibility was necessary. Ask questions like, "What could have happened if we didn't adapt?" to encourage critical thinking about the importance of flexibility.
Feedback and Reflection:
In feedback sessions, focus on the learner's ability to understand the importance and how to become more flexible in everyday life.
Focus on learners' responses to changes and their ability to pivot strategies.
Encourage learners to keep a journal or log where they note down instances when they had to be flexible. They should describe the situation, how they adapted, and reflect on what they learned. Review these logs together periodically to discuss patterns, growth, and areas for improvement.
Regularly set small, manageable challenges that require learners to step out of their comfort zone or adapt to new situations. This could range from trying a new food or learning a new game to changing a routine. After the challenge, discuss what they learned from the experience.
Always praise efforts to be flexible, even if the outcome isn't perfect. Highlighting the effort encourages continued growth and learning.
Additional Resources:
Visit BetterUp for comprehensive insights into flexibility.
Read in VeryWell Mind, about the importance of psychological flexibility.
Watch a TedTalk about flexibility and growth mindset.
Conclusion:
Adaptability & Flexibility is a foundational skill that enables individuals to thrive in both personal and professional spheres. It enriches problem-solving capabilities, fosters creativity, and enhances the ability to cope with change, making it essential for lifelong success and satisfaction. By embedding practices that promote adaptability and flexibility from an early age, we prepare children and teens to navigate life's inevitable changes with resilience and confidence, equipping them for whatever the future holds.
References:Buttelmann, F., & Karbach, J. (2017). Development and Plasticity of Cognitive Flexibility in Early and Middle Childhood. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 1040. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01040
Kashdan, T. B., & Rottenberg, J. (2010). Psychological flexibility as a fundamental aspect of health. Clinical psychology review, 30(7), 865–878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.001
Önen, A. S., & Koçak, C. (2015). The Effect of Cognitive Flexibility on Higher School Students’ Study Strategies. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191, 2346–2350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.680
Wessling, K., & van der Velden, R. (2021). Flexibility in educational systems - Concept, indicators, and directions for future research. Maastricht University, Graduate School of Business and Economics. GSBE Research Memoranda No. 006 https://doi.org/10.26481/umagsb.2021006
Yeniad, N., Malda, M., Mesman, J., IJzendoorn, M. H. van, Emmen, R. A. G., & Prevoo, M. J. L. (2014). Cognitive flexibility children across the transition to school: A longitudinal study. Cognitive Development, 31, 35–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2014.02.004