Ashley Webber

University of Cincinnati

Define resiliency and its importance in building well-rounded individuals

Understand the research and current climate on the topic

Identify strategies and activities for building resiliency

Discuss best practices from other institutions

Advisor, University Honors Program (UHP), University of Cincinnati (UC), Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

◦ Prior: Career Services at UC

Advise high-achieving students on experiential learning and reflection

Developing students into global citizen scholars who lead innovative efforts toward solving the world’s complex problems.

The University Honors Program is committed to offering students an individualized, student-centered approach to a meaningful undergraduate experience. To that end, we are dedicated to: ◦ Promoting activities that lead students to

discover their passions and enhance their gifts and talents.

◦ Coaching students to purposefully engage in experiential learning opportunities and reflection to maximize and integrate their learning.

◦ Fostering a community that prioritizes transformational personal development, civic participation, and global responsibility.

Gateway to University Honors (HNRS1010)

◦ First semester one credit hour course for all honors students

One-on-one and group advising sessions

Workshops and interest sessions (spring 2016)

https://www.ted.com/talks/jk_rowling_the_fringe_benefits_of_failure

1. What was your biggest failure in college?

2. What has been your biggest failure overall?

3. How did you overcome each?

* Share your answer to one of the above questions OR you can share how you’ve seen someone else overcome a failure

The ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens; an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.

This is a process, not a trait.

What have you seen on your campus around:

◦ Resiliency

◦ Lack of resiliency

◦ Resources to help students build resiliency

Helps us overcome inevitable life challenges

Enables us to take risk

Provides positive coping skills for all life events

Research

◦ Emmy Werner: the Kauai Longitudinal Study

◦ Bonnie Benard

1955; team of mental health workers, pediatricians, public health nurses and social workers

Monitored 698 babies born on the island of Kauai at ages 1, 2, 10, 18, 32 and 40

Found protective factors can predict positive outcomes for 50-80% of high-risk populations

Problem-solving skills

Easy-going temperament

Cognitive skills

Emotional support inside and outside of family

Inner direction (locus of control)

Autonomy

Seizing opportunities

Comprehensive review of research around resiliency

◦ Found resilience as a universal capacity

◦ Responsibility of caring adults to nurture resilience in children

Resiliency derives from four broad patterns of strengths:

◦ Social Competence

◦ Problem Solving

◦ Autonomy

◦ Sense of Purpose

Videos

Conversations

Resources

TedTalks: J.K. Rowling – The Fringe Benefits of Failure

YouTube: Famous Failures

People are afraid to talk about failure, so no one wants to do it

Start with a video, move to personal reflection, then pair-share or small group discussion

◦ Small group about seeing others come back from a failure

The Resiliency Quiz

1. Complete the quiz

2. Share 1-2 personal resiliency builders you use more often

5 Great Questions to Ask Yourself After a Failure by Paul Sloane

1. What can I learn from this?

2. What could I have done differently?

3. Do I need to acquire or improve some skill?

4. Who can I learn from?

5. What will I do next?

Resiliency Map

1. Fold paper in thirds

2. Put “Action Plan” on left third, “Obstacles” on middle third, “Goal” on right third

3. Write down a goal on the right third

4. Write down three action steps on the left third

5. Write down one potential obstacle for each action step

Action Plan

Step One

Step Two

Step Three

Obstacles

Obstacle One

Obstacle Two

Obstacle Three

Goal

My Goal

What are other institutions doing?

◦ The Stanford Resilience Project

◦ Middlebury Resilience blog

What does your institution do? What else have you heard that works?

This won’t work for each student, but it can be a starting point for some

Consider your specific population and how these ideas can be implemented

Benard, Bonnie. Resiliency: What We Have Learned. San Francisco, CA: WestEd, 2004. Print.

Emel, Bobbi. "Learning from Resilient Kids." Psych Central. N.p., 28 Sept. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

"Famous Failures." YouTube. YouTube, 15 May 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

Gorman, Christine, Sarah Sturmon Dale, Wendy Grossman, Kathie Klarreich, Jeanne Mcdowell, and Leslie Whitaker. "The Importance Of Resilience." Time. Time Inc., 09 Jan. 2005. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

Henderson, Nan. "The Resiliency Quiz." Resiliency in Action. N.p., 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

“resilience." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2015. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

Rowling, J.K. The Fringe Benefits of Failure. TED. June 2008. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

Sloane, Paul. "5 Great Questions to Ask Yourself After a Failure." Lifehack. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.

Werner, E. E. and Smith, R. S. Journeys from Childhood to Midlife: Risk, Resilience, and Recovery. New York, NY: Cornell University Press. 2001. Print.

Ashley Webber University of Cincinnati ashley.webber@uc.edu