Helping Our Students Understand Disappointment
Sometimes things just don’t work out
Welcome back to Part 2 of my mini-series about Fostering Resilience. If you missed Part 1, you can catch it here. Let’s pick up where we left off, using Soar, by Alyce Tzue to explore a story about not giving up.
Last time we worked on some basic understanding. Now it’s time to get into some feelings!
Working Goals
Focus on the disappointment
Let the student FEEL the discouragement
Pair info with mental state verbs
Tools
Pausing and re-watching - remember SLOW & SILENT!
Building complex language in text boxes
Combining screenshots to minimize jump cuts
It’s super important to work slowly. And use silence to give your students time to think and understand. Don’t rush – I know you understand the emotional intricacies, but your students may not. Let them sit with the feeling, just like the characters are:
Allow yourself to feel the disappointment too. We have all been there. Let everyone’s mirror neurons fire!You can even talk about how, when we see a feeling, sometimes we feel it too!
When you are ready, move on – hope is just around the corner. And determination. I think disappointment and determination are a wonderful pairing! So now…
Working Goals
Focus on the feelings that come with trying again after failure - nervousness, worry, uncertainty
Let the student FEEL those feelings
Integrate mental state verbs
Tools
Pausing and re-watching - remember SLOW & SILENT!
Building complex language in text boxes
Combining screen shots to minimize jump cuts
In the animation, you actually see the boy shaking, he is so nervous! Next step:
Working Goals
Focus on the feelings that come with success after failure
Let the student FEEL those feelings
Integrate mental state verbs
Tools
Pausing and re-watching - remember SLOW & SILENT!
Building complex language in text boxes
Combining screen shots to minimize jump cuts
Finally, all that effort and persistence pays off! The disappointments are in the rear-view mirror.
Feel free to try this activity, and let me know how it goes for you and your students. More coming next time!
Are you liking this mini-series and the outlined activities? I’d love to hear your experience.
Summer approaches – so exciting - I am going to cello camp in July!! Cello Vagin will be right there on the plane next to me!
