Progress in Perseverance

Module: Building Resilient Learners.

Unit: Progress in Perseverance

The child who can marvel at the stormy clouds of difficulty, change tack, and sail through them will naturally feel better and learn more than the child who sees the storm and, afraid, takes his sails down, stranding him in the grey seas. That child has missed the opportunity of seeing the blue skies of understanding beyond the difficulty, and moreover won’t feel comforted by the situation in which he has landed. The more often that child encounters difficulty, the more likely he is to associate the struggle with feelings of failure, discomfort, low self-worth, and the more likely he is to furl his sails again. And again. And again.

This Unit aims to;

• help teachers to explore the components of the big picture of perseverance, how it’s made up;
• analyse where their students currently function in relation to progress in perseverance;
• look briefly at their own practice in developing a perseverant friendly culture;

This unit is an information unit, it does not suggest practical ideas for improvement. Closer analysis of student progress, classroom culture and practical ideas for how to improve both of these can be found in four separate units;

• Engaging students in….getting themselves unstuck.
• Engaging students in….managing their distractions.
• Engaging students in…rising to the challenge.
• Engaging students in….achieving their goals.