Having resilient science learners within your classroom is essential. With how everything in today’s society is always changing and all of the different challenges and stressors our students face, it is our job as educators to foster and build resilience in our classrooms. The book, Fostering Resilient Learners by Kristin Souers and Pete Hall focuses on this idea and provides strategies to support this. These strategies are organized around 4 themes: self-awareness, relationships, belief, and live, laugh, love.
Creating a Safe and Supportive Learning Environment
Providing students with a safe and supportive learning environment is essential. “A classroom, school, nook, or any other teaching location in which each and every student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.” (Souers, pg. 3) It allows for students to feel comfortable asking questions, exploring, and making mistakes through classroom engagement. This is extra important in science classrooms because experimentation is so prevalent. How do we do this?
- Build trusting relationships with students
- Positive reinforcement
- Setting clear rules
- Allow students to have input on what they learn
- Connect the content to student’s lives
- Having assigned seating
- Notes and calls home
- Having a classroom routine
Why is this Important?
In today’s society, everything is fast-paced and always changing, especially for STEM. We need our students to be adaptable and resilient so they can be prepared to deal with these changes. It helps them become more comfortable with the uncertainties and challenges they may face when exploring complex science concepts as well as issues they may face out in the real world.
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Maya, cool post. I really liked your graphic that describes how to build positive teacher student relationships, well done! I also liked your “why is this important” section, it takes the concept of the post and makes it relevant. One question I do have for you is how do you allow for student input on what they learn while still ensuring that all of the content you are required to uncover is taught?
Hi! I would agree that providing students with a safe and supportive learning environment is essential in the classroom. I liked how one of the strategies you used was connecting the content back to the student’s lives. This would include being able to make personal connections with the students. How might you go about connecting the material to your student’s lives? Great post.