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Building Resilience in Students

Molly Tranel

ELPA 502: Psychology and Coaching

Dr. Lindsey Miller

August 4, 2020
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Building Resilience in Students

Why Resilience?

The current rise of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has created an unprecedented

situation for schools, families, and children. The closing of schools in the middle of the 2020

spring semester brought about virtual learning, separation from peers and activities, and extended

time spent at home. The start of the 2020-2021 school year brings about similar uncertainties as

well. The combination of these two events have the potential to be an Adverse Childhood

Experience (ACE) for some students. Although a pandemic is not specifically considered an

ACE, its definition “potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood” can be applied to this

situation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

ACEs are known to have negative long-term effects and the National Scientific Council

on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2010) reiterates this idea by explaining,

“Science shows that early exposure to circumstances that produce persistent fear and chronic

anxiety can have lifelong consequences by disrupting the developing architecture of the brain”

(p. 1). Depending on how long the social distancing precautions are in place and how families

explain and reinforce the concept, it is possible that COVID-19 may unintentionally produce

children who fear others and school, which could potentially alter children’s brain structures,

perception of school, and social abilities. As the Council later explains, “For young children who

perceive the world as a threatening place, a wide range of conditions can trigger anxious

behaviors that then impair their ability to learn and to interact socially with others” (p. 3). When

thinking about the possible repercussions of the current situation, it is essential that teachers are

equipped with skills and strategies to build students’ resilience during the 2020-2021 school

year, and in doing so, increase the collective resilience of the class.
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Key Research on Building Resilience

To prevent the potential negative impacts of COVID-19 on children’s learning abilities

and desire to socialize, it is important to teach them how to persevere and cope with these

experiences. A study conducted by Bethell, Newacheck, Halfon (2014) concluded that “building

resilience— defined in the survey as ‘staying calm and in control when faced with a challenge,’

for children ages 6–17—can ameliorate the negative impact of adverse childhood experiences”

(p. 2106). Beutel el al. (2017) concluded, “Participants who had sustained childhood adversities

but who had developed resilient coping reported less mental and health issues over the lifespan”

(p. 9). Similarly, Kasehagen et. al (2018) studied the effects of Adverse Family Experiences in

student engagement and resilience found, “Children who demonstrated resilience were able to be

more engaged in school despite having been exposed to AFEs” (p. 306). As one can see, there is

an obvious link between resilience and overcoming adverse experiences. However, resilience is

not something students are born with, instead, it must be fostered, and teachers can do this by

focusing on their own wellness, creating engaging lessons, and incorporating nature-based

exploration.

Teacher Wellness & Relationships

It may seem unusual to associate teacher wellness with student well-being; however,

numerous studies have shown that teachers who take care of themselves and are in a healthy

physical and mental state have a positive impact on students’ overall well-being, similar to the

trickle-down effect. In turn, healthy teachers have a larger capacity for teacher-student

connection, which is another indicator of student success. Therefore, it is advantageous for

school districts to encourage and promote health habits among staff members as a way to

enhance student well-being.

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To learn how to build resilience in the aftermath of war, Baum et al. (2013) implemented

the Building Resilience Intervention--“an intervention that utilizes brief teacher training (12 h) to

provide teachers with resilience-building tools both for themselves and for their students in

classroom settings” (p. 341)-- and found that “the training of teachers alone in building resilience

can effectively lower post-traumatic distress and anxiety in their students” (p. 340). Similarly,

Harding et. al (2019), found that “Better teacher wellbeing was associated with better student

wellbeing and lower student psychological distress” (p. 460). While the aftermath of COVID-19

may not be as extreme as war, encouraging teachers to learn healthy coping mechanisms and

other positive self-regulation strategies could benefit them, their students, and their collective

resilience.

In a systematic review of research to determine how schools influence students’ health,

Jamal et. al (2013) reported, “Studies consistently report that positive relationships between

students and school staff, particularly teachers, are likely to be crucial to creating a healthy

school environment and that this may be particularly important for fostering students’ resiliency”

(p.13). Likewise, Bower et al. (2012) found a similar theme when analyzing data from interviews

conducted with 103 high school students with a mean age of 15.5. They found that students

valued connection with their teachers, mutual respect, and a safe, comfortable learning

environment. These findings coincide with Sciaraffa et al. (2017) who found that “establishing

positive teacher-child relationships, and provision of a safe, predictable, and stimulating

environment provide the essential foundations for early experiences that can build resilience and

protective factors for all children” (p. 350).

Knowing that trusting relationships with teachers build students’ resilience, one may

wonder how it is effectively done within the classroom environment. In a case study conducted
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by Gablinske (2014) for her dissertation research, she explored the necessary components of

teacher-student interactions by observing an effective educator who teaches a group of students

from diverse backgrounds, including some with individual learning plans, in a Prek-5 school in

East Bay Rhode Island. From analyzing her observational notes, interviews, and student work

samples, she found classroom climate, classroom layout, teacher interaction, and instructional

delivery to be common themes, along with the subareas of trust, expectations, personal space,

active listening, tone of voice, wait time, and student interests. In her conclusion, she writes,

“The findings of this case study provided several strategies for practical ways to successfully

build a relationship with students that could have an impact on their learning environment” (p.

112). The implication of her research shows that there is no “right” way or scripted program to

build trusting relationships, they can be nurtured in a variety of ways—ultimately, it is just

important that teachers work to build them.

As is seen in the research presented in this section, teacher well-being and positive

teacher-student relationships are common factors found in resilient students. Ways to promote

positive student-teacher connections through trust, active listening, expectations, and more were

demonstrated by an in-depth look at an exemplar teacher. Sharing this information with teachers

as they begin the uncertain upcoming school year will contribute to positive student outcomes.

Student Engagement

When observing a classroom, the level of student engagement is a major predictor of a

successful lesson. Research shows that engagement is linked to school satisfaction and resilience,

which can be fostered through student choice and agency.

Studying the correlation between engagement, student motivation, and positive coping

strategies when faced with challenges, Skinner et al. (2016) found that “engaged and high
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achieving students are more likely to use a range of adaptive strategies to cope with stressful

events” (p. 2113). Likewise, Furrer et al. (2014) concluded, “Student engagement and motivation

are precious commodities, valuable not only to teachers but also to students. Engagement

provides an energetic resource for coping with the challenges of schoolwork, promoting

students’ motivational resilience” (p.102).

One way teachers can increase student engagement is through the use of autonomy-

supportive teaching styles. In this, teachers present activities, projects, and assignments that give

students agency over their decisions (Reeve, 2012). Citing the previously mentioned article,

Pitzer and Skinner (2017) said, “Students who appraise themselves as belonging in the

classroom, as competent and autonomous in their work at school…show more resilient responses

in the face of setbacks and challenges” (p.17). Assisting kids in developing a sense of belonging

in the classroom happens through allowing agency and self-governing decision-making within a

high expectation environment. Consequently, students will be more dedicated to their work and

show resilient behaviors when facing adversity.

Overall, implementing relevant, autonomous lessons, through encouraging choice and

agency in decisions, will result in highly engaged students that persevere in the face of academic

and life challenges.

Nature-based learning

One way to enhance engagement is through the implementation of nature-based learning,

which often gets overlooked in the school setting. While being outdoors lends itself to improving

students’ physical health (eg. recess or gym), research has found that it is associated with high

emotional well-being. Considering the social distancing protocols in place, nature-based

curricula is a highly effective solution.

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In a study done by Ward et. al (2016), where they tracked students’ physical activity in a

greenspace using GPS and accelerometers and administered questionnaires assessing emotional

well-being, they found a positive correlation between greenspace exposure and students’

emotional well-being. Interestingly, they found that “children’s emotional wellbeing was more

strongly related to greenspace exposure than it was to their physical activity” (p. 49).

When considering ways to improve the health of children who have ACEs, Sciaraffa et

al. (2017) explain, “Safe and healthy environments that allow the child to play, explore, and

maximize his/her capacities are examples of how individual protective factors can be enhanced”

(p. 343). Nature-based learning environments create engaging opportunities for students and

teachers to connect with the environment through play, exploration, and discovery, which has

positive effects on the emotional health, a foundation resilience.

To turn theory into practice, The Outdoor Adventures for Kids Learning Center at the

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay, WI started the first public nature-based four-year-

old kindergarten program in Wisconsin. In his case study, Ashmann (2018) explained, “Nature

buffers the impact of life's stresses on children and helps them deal with adversity. The greater

the amount of nature exposure, the greater the benefits” (p. 36). In parent survey responses and

interviews with parents and students, he observed, “For each year, the responses have been

overwhelmingly positive” (p. 42) Moreover, many parents applauded the program so much that

they advocated for a five-year old kindergarten or whole elementary school nature-based

learning program. Due to the positive feedback, the school district is restructuring one of its

elementary schools to incorporate STEM with an environmental focus.

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Relevance to Setting

As a second-grade teacher, the current situation with COVID-19 has me worried. Some

parents, students, and educators want to resume school pre-pandemic style, while others want to

continue learning virtually. Needless to say, there is no right answer and little guidance, as this is

uncharted territory--it has been over 100 years since the Influenza pandemic caused similar

confusions. In 100 years, a lot has changed and the approaches they took are not applicable to

our current state. So, one could say, being responsible of twenty-some malleable minds in the

midst of a pandemic leaves me hesitant.

One thing I know for sure is that teachers and students will need to be resilient in order to

navigate the unpredictability of the upcoming school year. For this reason, I researched ways to

build resilience in students. In the process, I discovered many ways to promote resiliency, three

of which are highlighted in the paper.

My goals for 2020-2021 school year have shifted from mastery of reading and

mathematics concepts to the promotion of social and emotional well-being. Drawing upon the

research in this paper, I intend to use this adverse experience as a learning opportunity to help

students identify and cope with their emotions, broaden my pedagogical scope to go beyond the

classroom and into nature to engage and excite students, and consciously participate in

conversations with students that build trusting relationships so that they feel seen and safe. While

the type of learning may look a little different this year in light of the current state of affairs, it is

possible that creating a classroom culture that promotes resilience will better serve students in

long term than standard curricula does, which makes COVID-19 a great opportunity for

educators to draw upon their own resilience and rethink their instruction.
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References

Ashmann, S. (2018). Developing a Nature-Based Four-Year-Old Kindergarten Program: Oak

Learning Center at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay, WI (USA).

International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 6(1), 35-43

Baum, N., Cardozo, B., Pat-Horenczyk, R., Zic, Y., Blanton, C., Reza, A., Weltman, A., &

Brom, D. (2013. Training Teachers to Build Resilience in Children in the Aftermath of

War: A Cluster Randomized Trial. Child & Youth Care Forum, 42(4), 339-350.

https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/10.1007/s10566-013-9202-5

Bethell, C. D., Newacheck, P., Hawes, E., & Halfon, N. (2014). CHANGING EPIDEMIOLOGY

OF CHILDREN’S HEALTH. Adverse Childhood Experiences: Assessing The Impact On

Health And School Engagement And The Mitigating Role Of Resilience. Health

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Bower, J. M., Carroll, A., & Ashman, A. F. (2012). Adolescent Perspectives on Schooling

Experiences: The Interplay of Risk and Protective Factors within Their

Lives. International Journal of Educational Research, 53, 9–21.

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Furrer, C. J., Skinner, E. A., & Pitzer, J. R. (2014). The Influence of Teacher and Peer

Relationships on Students’ Classroom Engagement and Everyday Motivational

Resilience. Teachers College Record, 116(13), 101–123.

Gablinske, Patricia Brady, "A CASE STUDY OF STUDENT AND TEACHER

RELATIONSHIPS AND THE EFFECT ON STUDENT LEARNING" (2014). Open

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Affect Young Children’s Learning and Development. Working Paper #9. In National

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Pitzer, J., & Skinner, E. (2017). Predictors of Changes in Students’ Motivational Resilience over

the School Year: The Roles of Teacher Support, Self-Appraisals, and Emotional

Reactivity. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 41(1), 15–29

Reeve J. (2012) A Self-determination Theory Perspective on Student Engagement. In:

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