Promoting Resilience in the Classroom: A Guide to Developing Pupils' Emotional and Cognitive Skills

Resilience is a set of qualities that enable children to adapt and transform, to overcome risk and adversity, and to develop social competence, problem-solving skills, autonomy and a sense of purpose. For children and young people it is as vital to possess these qualities in school environments as in the family and the community at large.

This handbook for teachers and educators explores ways of nurturing resilience in vulnerable students. It proposes a new, positive way of thinking about schools as institutions that can foster cognitive and socio-emotional competence in all students.

Individual chapters examine effective practices in schools and classrooms, and assess a range of classroom processes, such as engagement, inclusion, collaboration and prosocial behaviour. The author makes use of case studies throughout to bring to life classroom activities and concrete strategies that will promote best practice for enhancing student resilience, and offers a framework that can be adapted to the existing nature, culture and needs of each individual school community and its members.

Promoting Resilience in the Classroom is a valuable resource for educational practitioners as well as educational officers and policy makers engaged in school development and educational improvement.

'This is a very important book, and in many ways a very unusual book. It addresses dimensions of the classroom which many others leave untouched. The social and relational aspects which are addressed here are crucial, not only for the healthy development of every individual, but also for the climate which will affect their school achievements. This book combines a serious and well-researched model with many creative and practical possibilities for the everyday classroom. Fortunately, the great majority of teachers seek to operate their classrooms in ways which build a positive climate: they will welcome this book. I certainly do.'

- Chris Watkins, Reader in Education, University of London Institute of Education

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements.

Foreword by Paul Cooper, Series Editor.

Chapter 1. Educational Resilience for All.

Part 1: A Model for Classroom Practitioners.

• Chapter 2. Introducing Risk and Resilience in Education.
• Chapter 3. A model of Resilience-enhancing Classrooms.

Part 2: Classroom Practices.

• Chapter 4. Caring Classrooms: Building Connections with Pupils.
• Chapter 5. Prosocial Classrooms: Caring and Supportive Peer Relationships.
• Chapter 6. Engaging Classrooms: Authentic, Inclusive Engagement.
• Chapter 7. Collaborative Classrooms: Learning and Working Together.
• Chapter 8. Empowering Classrooms: Choice, Voice and Belief.

Part 3: A Plan of Action for the Classroom Practitioner.

• Chapter 9. A Plan of Action for Educational Resilience in the Classroom.

Appendix: A Naturalistic Study of Classrooms.

References.

Subject Index.

Author Index.