Educational Resilience

The Educator’s Role in Resilience

Educators play a major role in cultivating and supporting resilience in their students. After family, school is the most important social environment for most children. Students’ resilience is related to their social and emotional skills as well as their opportunities to experience supportive and caring relationships.

The core competences of resilience (sense of competency, optimism and hope, caring and respect for self and others, problem-solving and coping skills, ability to reframe stress, and sense of purpose and meaning) are social and emotional skills that are essential for students’ resilience in school and beyond. They are important for navigating the ups and downs in academic classes, co-curricular activities, and relationships with peers. Ultimately, developing these competences contributes to students’ well-being in adulthood. The core competences of resilience are at the heart of educational approaches that aim to educate the whole child.

As educators, we can actively promote our students social and emotional competence and resilience in several ways. We can:

Make time for self-care so that we are able to bring our best (refreshed, attentive) selves to our work with students and colleagues.
Work to create nurturing environments that encourage students’ exploration and growth.
Model these social and emotional skills for our students.
Acknowledge and celebrate students’ progress in developing these skills.
Teach students skills through explicit instruction and by providing opportunities for practice and feedback.

Resilience Competencies and Related Approaches

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

“Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

Source: Coalition for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

According to CASEL, one of the leading organizations promoting evidence-based SEL practives and policies in education, social and emotional learning involves 5 core competences.

Self-Awareness

knowledge of one’s strengths and limits
confidence
optimism

Self-Management

ability to manage stress
control impulses
set and work towards goals

Social Awareness

perspective taking
empathy

Relationship Skills

communication
cooperation
seeking help when needed

Responsible Decision-Making

making healthy, constructive, and ethical choices

These competences overlap with the resilience competences as well as competences emphasized in the field of Positive Youth Development (e.g., positive sense of self, self-control, prosocial connectedness, decision making, and a moral system of beliefs; Guerra & Bradshaw, 2008). They are central to Emotional Intelligence (e.g., Goleman, 1995).

Character Strengths

In their model of character strengths and virtues, Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman (two of the founders of the field of Positive Psychology), describe six core virtues and 24 related strengths. Their framework provides another helpul approach for educators who are interested in promoting students’ social and emotional competence and resilience (Linkins et al., 2015). Many of these strengths overlap with the resilience competences and core components of SEL.

Character Strengths & Virtues (adapted from Peterson & Seligman, 2004)

COURAGE

Strengths:

Authenticity & Integrity

Bravery & Valor

Industry & Persistence

Zest

TEMPERANCE

Strengths:

Forgiveness

Humility & Modesty

Prudence

Self-Regulation

HUMANITY

Strengths:

Love

Kindness

Social intelligence

TRANSCENDENCE

Strengths:

Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence

Gratitude

Hope & Optimism

Playfulness & Humor

Spirituality & Meaning

JUSTICE

Strengths:

Fairness

Leadership

Teamwork

WISDOM & KNOWLEDGE

Strengths:

Creativity

Curiosity

Love of learning

Open-mindedness

Perspective

Promoting Resilience Competencies

Many programs have been developed to promote these competences and strengths in children and adolescents. For example, a recent meta-analytic review found resilience programs enhance students’ ability to respond adaptively to stress (Ferwick-Smith et al., 2018). Similarly, reviews of social and emotional learning and character education programs indicate that these programs improve students’ academic achievement, social and emotional well-being, and behavior (e.g., Durlak et al., 2011; Jeynes et al., 2017).

Suggestions for Getting Started

Make Self-Care a Habit.

Teaching requires that we focus on and prioritize the needs of others, especially our students. While it is incredibly rewarding to be able to help children learn and develop, the demands and pace of this work can be exhausting. When caregiving is a major focus of our work or personal lives, In settings where caregiving is a focus, self-care is especially important but often neglected. This neglect can lead to burn out. Self-care promotes physical and mental health and increase our ability to handle large as well as smaller, everyday stressors (e.g., Walsh, 2011).

- - Exercise
  - Healthy eating
  - Spending time in nature
  - Taking a break from media and screens
  - Spending time with others; taking time to develop and sustain relationships with friends and family and co-workers.
  - Taking time to relax and engage in fun activities
  - Religious and spiritual practices
  - Contribution and service
  - Practice self-compassion; be kind to yourself.

Increase Students’ Awareness of Social & Emotional Skills and Strengths

Help students develop a language for these competences. Encourage students to wear “strengths glasses” and to notice these competences in themselves and in others.

- - Ask students about people they love, like, admire, look up to, etc. What strengths or characteristics about these people do they like or admire most? Often this will generate a list of social and emotional skills and strengths.
  - When reading a book or watching a film, discuss characters’ behaviors related to social and emotional skills and strengths. How are these behaviors helpful? What strengths would be beneficial for this character to develop?
  - Ask students to put on “strengths glasses”. Ask them to try to spot behaviors they observe throughout the day that are related to social and emotional skills and strengths. Students can observe other students, teachers, and staff. They might also observe family members or others in their community. Ask students to write brief descriptions on index cards and turn them in to you. Spend some time each day or each week reading examples of what students have shared with the class.

Encourage a Growth Mindset.

Students may think that strengths are inborn or fixed (some people are just naturally optimistic or hopeful; some people are just good at solving problems). Emphasize that competences and strengths can be developed. Building social and emotional competencies is an ongoing (lifelong) process. Metaphors used to promote a growth mindset can be helpful here. Building strengths is like building muscle. We get stronger (more competent) through continued practice (e.g., Dweck, 2006).

- - Ask students how people develop strengths (e.g., How does someone become kind? How does someone become wise?). Point out that we aren’t born with these qualities. They develop over time as we gain life experience and learn skills.
  - Teach specific skills and strategies related to specifc competences and provide feedback that encourages students to reflect on their progress and growth.
  - Let students know that you are still learning. Discuss the competences you are working to develop.

Use Regular Activities and Assignments to Promote Strengths.

- - Promote curiosity and love of learning by encouraging students to select books related to their interests
  - Encourage students to develop a strengths action plan. Consider a strength or competency they would like to develop or improve upon. Create and enact a plan to put this strength into action.

Teach skills and Strategies Related to Competencies and Strengths.

- - Teach active listening skills to promote social awareness and empathy.
  - Incorporate social and emotional learning activities into your classroom routine (see the resource below for ideas and examples)

Articles & References

Linkins, M., Niemiec, R., Gillham, J., & Mayerson, D. (2015). Through the lens of strengths: A framework for educating the heart. Journal of Positive Psychology, 10, 64-68.
This article provides recommendations for promoting character development in students.

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. New York: Oxford University Press and Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Walsh, R. (2011). Lifestyle and mental health. American Psychologist, 66, 579-592.
This article describes self-care practices that promote health and well-being.

Additional Resources

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
ASCD provides resources for educators, including many that are relevant to promoting resilience and well-being. Type “resilience” in the search box to find relevant resources.

Character.org
This website offers resources related to character education, including information about best practices and lesson plans for elementary, middle school, and high school students. Click on the “Lessons“ tab for lesson plans.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
CASEL is devoted to integrating social, emotional, and academic learning in schools, from pre-school through 12th grade. The website includes information about core competences that are important for children to succeed in school and in life and about approaches for promoting these competences (at the classroom, whole school, and policy level), as well as resources for educators. Click on the “resources” menu for implementation tools for educators, including guides for selecting social and emotional learning programs.

Empathy and Resilience, Responsibility and Self-Care: Resources for Social and Emotional Learning from the New York Times
This New York Times resource includes many resources and articles relevant to social and emotional learning. The site includes ideas for incorporating social and emotional learning into professional development, curriculum, and incidental teaching, as well as self-care for educators.

Greater Good in Action, Greater Good Science Center
The Greater Good Science Center at University of California, Berkeley, includes many activities that have been shown to promote well-being in adolescents and adults. Activities are designed to promote awe, compassion, kindness, mindfulness, optimism, resilience to stress, and many other skills and strengths.

For more resources for educators, see: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/education# and https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/profile/vicki_zakrzewski

Happy Teacher Revolution

The Happy Teacher Revolution is an organization that aims to promote teachers’ well-being through creating supportive networks for teachers.

International Positive Education Network (IPEN)
IPEN is dedicated to promoting educational practices that enhance well-being and achievement. IPEN’s website includes many free resources for promoting well-being and character. See the “Learn” section of the website. The menu on the left side allows you to select content that is relevant to different age groups (e.g., ages 5-8, ages 8-18).

Positive Psychology Program
This website contains many resources and activities related to positive psychology and resilience, for example:

27 Resilience Activities and Worksheets for Students and Adults

Reaching In…Reaching Out
Reaching In…Reaching Out offers resilience skills training for educators who work with young children and parents of young children. Click on the “resources” menu for a variety of materials that are available for free. Resources include guidebooks, videos, songs, and special sections for parents.

Self-Compassion
The self-compassion website describes research by Kristin Neff and her colleagues on self-compassion. It also includes self-compassion practices.

VIACharacter
The Values in Action (VIA) Institute on Character offers resources related to character strengths. The site provides many free resources. Click on the “Via Survey” link for access to a free character strengths survey.

VIACharacter YouTube Channel
The VIA Institute youtube channel includes videos on character and character education. These videos illustrate approaches that have been used in several schools.

Positive education with character strengths. This video discusses how teachers can establish a classroom culture that promotes character strengths and help students develop a language for strengths

Newark Boys Chorus School and the VIA Survey:This video describes a character strengths program, including activities designed to help students notice strengths in themselves and in others. The video includes interviews with teachers and students about the implementation and benefits of the program.

Character Strengths Classroom Connection: This video shows one school’s approach to increasing young children’s awareness of character strengths.

The Educator’s Role in Resilience

Resilience Competencies and Related Approaches

Self-Awareness

Self-Management

Social Awareness

Relationship Skills

Responsible Decision-Making

Character Strengths

Character Strengths & Virtues (adapted from Peterson & Seligman, 2004)

Promoting Resilience Competencies

Suggestions for Getting Started

Articles & References

Additional Resources

© 2019 Maryland Department of Health/Behavioral Health Administration