Building Resilience in Students: Strategies for Educators

Building Resilience in Students: Strategies for Educators

The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.”
Robert Jordan, The Fires of Heaven

The survival of willow is thanks to its flexibility. So; is resilience flexibility? Well! It is a lot more than that. Resilience is survival, acceptance, endurance, withstanding, and a lot more. It is making something productive out of the negative events happening in your life. It is not allowing the failure to take over you. It is finding and exploring your options to meet your goals. Furthermore, it is about never giving up. There are students who cry over not being able to complete the project, while some take coursework help online at the last moment and find the way out.

Resilience teaches you to meet your goals and think clearly rather than cry over something that has been done or cannot be done. If you have already hired an online assignment writer to complete your project then it was your pre-planning, but if you had no idea that you won’t be able to finish your project within its due date, and now you are panicking, then being able to cope with that situation strongly is RESILIENCE. This post highlights the points that will help in building resilience in students. 

Importance of building resilience in students:

It is essential to understand why teaching resilience in the classroom is important or why building resilience in students is vital. The following points will help the readers comprehend that:

  • Emotional Well-Being: Students that are resilient have stronger and more stable emotions. They can efficiently handle their tension, anxiety, and negative emotions; thanks to it. 
  • Academic achievement: Resilience and academic achievement are tightly related. Resilient students are better able to manage the difficulties that come with their academic journey. They are more likely to persist through challenging activities, stay focused, and acquire efficient problem-solving techniques. 
  • Adaptability: Another plus point of teaching students resilience is that they become flexible people who can swiftly adapt to novel environments, technology, and situations.
  • Problem-solving skills: Strong problem-solving abilities are developed by resilient kids. They gain the ability to evaluate circumstances, find potential solutions, and arrive at wise conclusions. 
  • Positive self-esteem: Self-esteem and resilience go hand in hand. Resilient people do not define themselves by their failures and setbacks when they experience them, even as students. They recognize that failure is a necessary component of learning and see it as a chance to advance. 
  • Fosters healthy relationships: Resilience is important in establishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Students that are resilient are more likely to interact positively with peers, teachers, and family members, communicate clearly, and settle issues.

Strategies for educators to build resilience in students:

Now; it is well understood that a growth mindset and resilience go hand-in-hand, so it is time to look into strategies that will build resilience in students. Schools are a central feature of many children’s lives across the world, often absorbing up to one third of their time. Thus, the experiences gained at school have the potential to significantly impact upon the life chances and achievements children go on to have as adults (Sanders et al, 2016). Obviously, educators or teachers can play an integral role in it by adopting various strategies like:

  1. Foster growth:

Promote a growth attitude by showing students that skills and intelligence can be improved with work and perseverance. So;

  • Encourage students to take on new tasks.
  • Teach students to see failure as a chance to learn.
  • Have faith in their potential to do better.
  1. Create a positive environment:

Create a safe, accepting climate in the classroom where students may take risks, communicate their thoughts and feelings, and ask for assistance when they need it. Encourage student cooperation, empathetic behavior, and respect for one another.

  1. Set reasonable expectations: 

Assist kids in establishing attainable objectives and motivate them to divide activities into more manageable chunks. Students develop resilience and confidence as a result of small-scale successes.

  1. Promote self-reflection:

Encourage students to reflect on their experiences, talents, and areas for growth in order to foster self-reflection. Assist them with recognizing their feelings, ideas, and responses to various circumstances. Self-awareness can be improved through reflection, resulting in more effective coping strategies and resilience.

  1. Teach coping skills:

In this age of competition, students face many challenges in their academics which sometimes create barriers on their way to success (bestassignmentwriter, 2022). This can bring their morale down which is why teaching such skills to students that can help them cope with this stress can help them. Educate kids on a variety of healthy coping practices, including;

  • Deep breathing exercises.
  • Mindfulness techniques.
  • Journaling.
  • Exercise.
  • Reaching out for social support. 

Encourage them to apply these techniques when faced with challenging circumstances.

  1. Encourage a balanced lifestyle:

Promote a balanced lifestyle by teaching students the value of leading a life that incorporates;

  • A nutritious diet.
  • Enough sleep.
  • Leisure activities. 

Students who lead balanced lives are better able to manage difficulties because they are more mentally and emotionally healthy.

  1. Provide opportunities for success:

Provide a range of tasks and assignments to accommodate various learning styles and capacities. Make sure students have the chance to succeed and be recognized for their achievements. Honor their accomplishments, no matter how modest.

  1. Encourage independence and accountability:

This can be done by giving children the chance to make choices and accept responsibility for their actions. Encourage independence in them and a sense of responsibility over their education. Students gain confidence and resilience as a result of this.

Steps students can adopt to develop resilience:

Obviously; teachers play an important role in shaping the growth mindset of students but along with that; students must also take certain steps in order to develop resilience in them; these steps can be:

  • Build a positive supportive network: 

Surround yourself with people who are positive and supportive and who can provide you with advice, inspiration, and helpful criticism. Find friends, relatives, or mentors who can help you emotionally when things are tough.

  • Practice self-care:

Take care of your physical and emotional health by engaging in self-care. You can have control over stress and emotions by practicing:

  • Get enough rest.
  • Maintain a healthy diet.
  • Exercise frequently.
  • Learn relaxing techniques like deep breathing or meditation. 
  • Learn from Failures:

Instead of concentrating on your mistakes, look at them as chances to improve. Examine what went wrong, note any lessons learned, and modify your strategy as necessary. Accept failure as a necessary step on the path to achievement.

  • Look for Resources and Support: 

Ask for assistance when you need it. Those who can offer direction and resources to promote your academic and personal growth including:

  • Teachers.
  • Counselors.
  • Academic advisers. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

  • Keep a Positive Outlook: 

Keep a positive outlook on life and a good frame of mind. By noticing and appreciating what you already have, you can cultivate thankfulness. Your ability to overcome obstacles and keep your resilience up will be aided by optimism and a positive outlook.

Conclusion:

Resilience is something that is not present since birth, but has to be developed with time. Educators can play an integral role in this by adopting certain strategies. Students themselves have to take certain steps in order to build resilience in them. Hopefully; the above-mentioned post will help the readers in comprehending all about resilience, its importance, and ways to incorporate it in students. 

Bibliography

bestassignmentwriter. (2022, April 15th). How Academic Help Providers Save the Students’ Future? https://bestassignmentwriter.co.uk/blog/how-academic-help-providers-save-the-students-future/ .Jackie Sanders, R. M. (2016, Feb 1st). The role of teachers in building resilience of at risk youth. International Journal of Educational Research , 111-123.

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