Full Description
"At a time when student testing is at an all-time high, Kate Thomsen reminds us that as educators we are in the human potential business. This user-friendly book provides an overview of key educational trends, so teachers can easily incorporate the best of what works."
Rob Bocchino, Co-founder
Heart of Change; Change of Heart Associates
Author, Emotional Literacy
"Kate Thomsen's book is a must-read for every educator. She has synthesized the wisdom from educational megatrends of the past decades and shows us how to foster healthier, safer, and more resilient student by integrating these major learnings into what we already do. I love this book!"
Beverly Title, Co-founder
Teaching Peace
Hygiene, CO
Create a nurturing, supportive environment where students can nurture their own resiliency!
What makes one student overcome obstacles, while another cannot seem to cope? What makes one student rise above difficult circumstances, while another flounders? Identifying the attributes of the resilient student is the first step in building resiliency in all of your students. This resource provides busy teachers with practical, concrete applications and activities for reframing the actions of even the most at-risk students, changing the focus from problems to solutions, from deficits to strengths.
Building Resilient Students connects resiliency to five major educational megatrends—character education, multiple intelligences, emotional intelligence, service learning, and violence prevention—and gives educators proven strategies for incorporating the "resiliency attitude" into everyday classroom experiences.
Thomsen identifies a myriad of easy, yet innovative applications through six resiliency-building strategies:
Care and support through meaningful relationships
Opportunities to participate and contribute in meaningful ways
High expectations, knowing that others believe they can be successful
Pro-social bonding through positive connections with peers and adults
Clear boundaries and expectations that are fair and consistent
Life skills such as decision making, effective communication, and stress and conflict management
There are seeds of resiliency in all of us. We can nurture those seeds in all students, giving them the life skills they need to become competent, healthy adults.
Contents
Foreword - Nan Henderson
Preface
Who Is Responsible for Building Resilience in Students?
Using Resiliency Theory Is Good Educational Practice
Validating the Art of Teaching and Common Sense
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1. Resiliency: The Basics
Nan Henderson and the Resiliency Attitude
Enter Henderson and Milstein's Resiliency Wheel
Foundations of Resiliency
Overview of Benard's Model
Overview of the Wolins' Model
The Challenge Model as It Relates to Brief, Solution-Oriented Therapy
Overview of Asset Building
Summary
2. Character Education and Building Resilience
Character Education Lost
What Is Character Education?
Working the Wheel
Summary
3. Multiple Intelligences Theory and Building Resilience
Multiple Intelligences and Resiliency
Introduction to Multiple-Intelligences Theory
The Eight Intelligences
How an Intelligence Develops
Putting Multiple Intelligences to Use
How Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligences Interrelate
Working the Wheel
Summary
4. Emotional Intelligence and Building Resilience
Emotion Is the Key
Emotional Intelligence Theory
The Physiology of Emotions
Putting Emotional Intelligence Theory Into Use
Working the Wheel
Summary
5. Service Learning and Building Resilience
Origins of the Concept of Service Learning
Confusion Surrounding Service Learning
Your Goals Drive Your Service Learning
Continuum of Service Learning
Service Learning and Building Resilience
Working the Wheel
Summary
6. Violence Prevention and Building Resilience
Understanding Low-Level Violence
Working the Wheel
Summary
Conclusion
Resource A: Checklist for Assessing Students' Multiple Intelligences
Resource B: True Colors Word Sort
Resource C: Additional Resources
References
Index
