The Science of Reslience

In the words of Dr. Sam Goldstein-- It's ordinary magic!

I think that it is safe to say that most #physed teachers truly do understand the powerful role that resilience can play in a young person's life. During our unit planning, many of us, I am sure, go through various strategies in our minds that are ideal for helping students themselves to understand the importance of resilience. We are constantly thinking of ways that we can highlight and work on developing better resilience in each and every one of our students. Some students, of course, are already programmed to be more resilient than others and these students are easy to spot. However, for some students the concept of resilience is something that is very difficult to grasp on to and to put into practice in their lives. 

There are many reasons for this that are very much beyond our control, but there are definite teaching practices that can tap into each child's ability to become more resilient. I am always on the look out for great Ted Talks on the topic of resilience or research articles that can provide me with more knowledge about the nature of resilience. This weekend I came across an excellent Ted Talk given by Dr. Sam Goldstein. If you haven't seen it, I recommend that you click on the You Tube video below to check it out. In the video he really emphasizes that how we go about instilling in children an understanding and appreciation of how to deal with a mistake plays a critical role in helping them to develop a better awareness of the importance of resilience. 

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In his Ted Talk, Dr. Goldstein refers to the fact that the day-to-day experiences with educators has clearly been found in having a powerful force in shaping the lives of young people. I think that most of us know and understand this, but it is through these connections with young people that the essential groundwork is laid for fostering relationships of trust, strength, hope, and optimism. He also points out that if we can connect our hearts with the minds of our students we are in even a better position to have positive influence over them helping them along their learning paths. 

He says that making these connections isn't nearly as hard as people think and that it comes down to 'ordinary magic'. As educators, we all have the 'ordinary magic' that makes learning a very special experience for our students . I found Dr. Goldstein's short video excellent in helping me to reflect on the importance of these little day-to-day interactions with my students both in and out of my PE classes. 

If we are to help our students overcome adversity, deal positively with mistakes, and learn to be more resilient in nature, we are definitely better preparing them for the difficulties and challenges that they are sure to face as they progress through school and into adulthood.