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.
Check it out here.
Introduction to Resilience:
Resilience is the mental reservoir of strength that individuals draw upon in times of stress to carry them through without falling apart. In children and adults alike, resilience involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that can be learned and developed over time. It's crucial for overcoming adversity, and it plays a significant role in achieving personal and academic success.
Core Area of Competence:
Self-Awareness: Awareness of personal strengths, challenges, and goals.
Self-Management: Set, monitor, adapt, achieve and evaluate goals.
Core Behaviors that require Resilience:
6-8 Years:
Self-Awareness:
Recognizing Strengths and Challenges: Identifying personal abilities and areas of difficulty when approaching new tasks or situations.
Example: A child trying to learn to ride a bike with 2-wheels, falls often. Instead of giving up, the child asks for more tips and ways to ride the bike and tries again.
Self-Management:
Coping Strategies: Learning and applying simple strategies to deal with disappointment or change.
Example: After losing a school sports match, a child takes a moment to sit quietly, reflects on what went well during the game, and resolves to practice more for the next one, showing resilience and a positive coping strategy.
9-11 Years:
Self-Awareness:
Recognizing Personal Strengths: Identifying personal qualities and strengths that help in overcoming challenges.
Example: A learner reflects on how staying organized helped them improve a grade and decides to use the same approach for other subjects.
Self-Management:
Problem-Solving Skills: Developing the ability to think of different ways to overcome an obstacle.
Example: Realizing they've forgotten their class notebook at home, a learner decides to use their draft notebook to take notes for the day's lessons, ensuring they don't miss any important information and demonstrating adaptability and foresight.
12-14 Years:
Social Awareness:
Seeking Support: Understanding when and how to seek help from others as a strategy to overcome personal challenges.
Example: A learner struggling with science homework asks a family member for help instead of giving up or being ashamed.
Self-Management:
Adapting Strategies: Refining personal coping strategies based on past experiences.
Example: A learner uses lessons learned from previous setbacks to devise a more effective study schedule for upcoming exams.
15-17 Years:
Self-Awareness:
Future-Oriented Thinking: Considering future implications of current actions and maintaining a positive outlook towards long-term goals.
Example: A high school learner faces rejection from their first-choice college but remains optimistic by planning to apply to other schools and exploring alternative paths.
Self-Management:
Stress Management and Goal Persistence: Balancing multiple responsibilities while persisting towards goals despite obstacles.
Example: Faced with an increased homework load and longer study hours in high school, a learner decides to allocate specific times for breaks and continues to engage in their favorite hobby of playing the guitar on weekends. This approach helps them manage stress, maintain a positive outlook, and stay resilient amidst academic pressures.
Promoting the Soft Skill:
For Parents and Care Givers:
Encourage Open Conversations: Create a safe space where children can share their feelings about setbacks or challenges. Discussing what went wrong, what they learned, and how they can approach similar situations in the future fosters a resilient mindset.
Model Resilient Behavior: Share stories from your life or family history about overcoming obstacles. Let them see that resilience is about facing challenges head-on and learning from them, demonstrating that setbacks are a natural part of personal growth.
Support Goal-Setting: Help your child set achievable goals, breaking them down into manageable steps. Celebrate small victories along the way to build confidence. If a goal is not met, guide them through a constructive review process to understand what can be learned and improved.
Foster Problem-Solving Skills: Encourage your child to come up with solutions when they encounter a problem, whether it’s a broken toy or a disagreement with a friend. This empowers them and enhances their self-efficacy.
Promote Positive Self-Talk: Teach children to recognize and challenge negative beliefs about themselves. Encourage phrases like “I can learn this” instead of “I can’t do this,” fostering a more resilient outlook.
Introduce Resilience Role Models: Share stories of people from various fields (athletes, scientists, artists) who have shown resilience in their personal and professional lives. Discuss the qualities that helped these individuals overcome their challenges.
For Tutors:
Celebrate Effort and Improvement: Make it clear that you value hard work and persistence. Recognize and reward effort as much as achievement, making learners feel seen and appreciated for their resilience.
Incorporate Problem-Solving Activities: Design classroom challenges that require learners to think outside the box and persist through difficulties. Reflect on these activities afterward to discuss what strategies worked and why.
Encourage Group Collaboration: Group projects can teach learners how to lean on each other in times of difficulty, share diverse problem-solving approaches, and celebrate collective resilience.
Develop a Growth Mindset Curriculum: Incorporate lessons that highlight the importance of a growth mindset for overcoming challenges. Teach learners that intelligence and abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work.
Provide Constructive, Balanced Feedback: Ensure feedback highlights what learners did well and where there is room for improvement. Emphasize the value of mistakes as learning opportunities.
Facilitate Reflection: Encourage learners to reflect on their experiences, focusing on how they dealt with challenges and what they learned. This can be done through journals, discussions, or digital portfolios.
Feedback and Reflection:
Highlight Resilient Behaviors: When you notice resilience, point it out. Discuss specific instances, such as when a learner kept trying despite failing, highlighting not just the outcome but the persistence and positive attitude they showed.
Promote Self-Reflection: Regularly encourage learners to reflect on their experiences, focusing on times they showed resilience. Questions like "What did you learn from this experience?" or "How did you keep going when things got tough?" can guide this reflection.
Facilitate Goal Setting: Work with learners to set personal goals that encourage stepping out of their comfort zone. These goals should be challenging yet achievable and designed to build resilience. Review these goals periodically, discussing any adjustments needed to stay on track.
Encourage the Identification of Growth Opportunities: After a setback or challenge, guide learners in identifying what they can learn from the experience. This can involve discussing different strategies they could use in the future or skills they might need to develop.
Create a 'Resilience Journal': Suggest keeping a journal dedicated to documenting challenges, the strategies used to overcome them, and the outcomes. This can serve as a powerful tool for self-reflection and recognizing personal growth.
Develop a Feedback Loop: Establish a routine where feedback on resilience is given constructively and regularly. This feedback should celebrate efforts to overcome challenges and offer guidance on how resilience can be further developed.
Share Stories of Resilience: Use stories from history, literature, or current events to illustrate resilience. Discuss these stories and relate them back to the learners' lives, helping them draw parallels and inspiration.
Practice Gratitude: Encourage learners to practice gratitude by reflecting on what they are thankful for, even in difficult times. This can shift focus from challenges to positive aspects of their lives, fostering a resilient mindset.
Additional Resources:
Check "The Resilience Factor" by Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté which offers insights into developing resilience.
Read an article from the Greater Good of Berkeley that explores scientific ways to build resilience.
Visit VeryWell Mind to dive deeper into the core meaning of resilience.
Watch the TedTalk by Lucy Hone, which shows some key traits everyone should have in hardships.
Conclusion:
Resilience is a powerful soft skill that enables individuals to navigate life's ups and downs with strength and grace. By fostering resilience, parents, caregivers, and tutors equip learners with the tools to face challenges head-on, learn from them, and emerge stronger and more capable.
References:
Cassidy, S. (2015). Resilience building in students: The role of academic self-efficacy. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 153128.
Ecclestone, K., & Lewis, L. (2014). Interventions for resilience in educational settings: Challenging policy discourses of risk and vulnerability. Journal of Education Policy, 29(2), 195-216.
Llistosella, M., Goni-Fuste, B., Martín-Delgado, L., Miranda-Mendizabal, A., Franch Martinez, B., Pérez-Ventana, C., & Castellvi, P. (2023). Effectiveness of resilience-based interventions in schools for adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychology, 14, 1211113. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1211113
Radhamani, K., & Kalaivani, D. (2021). Academic resilience among students: A review of literature. International Journal of Research and Review, 8(6), 360-369.
Ungar, M., Connelly, G., Liebenberg, L., & Theron, L. (2019). How schools enhance the development of young people’s resilience. Social Indicators Research, 145, 615-627.
Vinogradov, V., Shatunova, O., & Sheymardanov, S. (2022). Do Resilient Schools Exist? Chances for Quality Education for Children from Dysfunctional Families. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 13(1), 52-74.