CHARACTER EDUCATION
• Avoidance of things because they are scary limits our growing , learning and opportunities , but by naming and gradually confronting the situations that bring up fear and anxiety we can challenge those beliefs , awarding us stronger tolerance of uncomfortable feelings and acknowledgment that they won ’ t last forever .
9 . Focus on learning , not performance .
• Carol Dweck ’ s ( 2014 ) influential work on ‘ growth mindset ’ helps students to replace the belief that abilities are fixed ( a ‘ fixed mindset ’) with the belief that abilities can develop ( a ‘ growth mindset ’). Students with a fixed mindset were 58 % more likely to show more severe symptoms of anxiety , depression , or aggression ( Schleider , Abel , and Weis , 2015 ). Research has shown that those who believe that anxiety can change are more likely to be able to adapt to difficult situations , compared with those who believe that anxiety is more permanent ( Schroder , et al , 2017 ).
• Ask students to list how something has improved . Can they “ harness the power of ‘ yet ’” ( Future Learn , 2022 ) by researching people who have ‘ made it ’ later in life ?
• Recognise the importance of failure . “ Trauma can sometimes be required for re-evaluation , opening up dialogue and frank communication , enhancing relationships , stimulating learning , gaining perspective , humility and a new beginning ” ( Fletcher , D and Sarkar , M . ( 2013 ).
Frameworks for developing resilience , such as the one below , provide useful models for schools to build their own strategies and develop approaches .
One final point to emphasise … The key is to equip students with the tools to build resilience when they are in a calm , connected state , so they are more prepared if and when the sky falls in . If students practise building and maintaining their resilience ‘ muscle ’ just a little bit every day , eventually it will turn into an automatic response whenever life doesn ’ t go their way .
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