As a tutoring company, we work with many students as they prepare to sit some of the most challenging school entrance exams in the world. From independent and boarding schools in London and the UK, to International School exams all over the globe, we work with students who are preparing to sit tests in highly competitive environments and who may well face academic and personal challenges along the way.
In these highly competitive school exams, there will be some children who achieve success, and others who may experience academic disappointment, and we emphasise the importance of building resilience in children to ensure they recover well from setbacks.
Resilience enables children to navigate challenges, recover from difficulties, and develop coping skills that contribute to their overall well-being and success. It’s an essential skill to have, and can be used in the future too. As tutors, we emphasise a holistic approach to learning, integrating mentorship and personalised support to foster resilience in students. We also consult with parents to discuss ways they can encourage resilience building at home, and how they can support their children to cope with academic disappointment.
So how can you raise resilience and teach coping skills for academic disappointment in children?
1 Goal Setting
Something we encourage all of our students to do is set realistic, incremental goals on a semi-regular basis. We encourage setting goals which are challenging but still achievable.
Some examples
One example of a goal could be “Improving Vocabulary” ahead of a tough English exam. This could be achieved by aiming to read a challenging book for 20 minutes each day, learning new words and looking up the definitions in a dictionary to consolidate knowledge
Another could be improving mental arithmetic, so the goal could be to walk around the supermarket each week with a parent and keep a mental tally of the final cost of the trolley.
By achieving these small goals, it will also boost self esteem and self belief, and reinforce the idea that their efforts will pay off in the end.
2 Normalisation of not succeeding
We have been known to encourage students to sit exams and tests even if the likelihood of passing isn’t a dead cert. Many children view failure as a reflection of their self-worth, which can lead to fear of trying new things. Instead, we encourage our students to value the journey of preparing for a test rather than the result itself. When children see failure as a stepping stone to success rather than something to fear, they become more willing to take risks and persevere. Emphasise effort over perfection.
3 Encouraging independence and problem solving
It’s natural as a parent to want to solve problems for your children, but we encourage parents to set small challenges or problems for their children and ask them to independently solve it themselves. Things like planning an imaginary family day out, where they have to pretend to organise travel arrangements, food, timings and a budget can encourage a variety of skills, not least encouraging them to focus on solutions rather than dwelling on problems. This builds their confidence in handling setbacks independently.
4. Being surrounded by supportive people
One thing many of our parents tell us is how appreciated it was having our tutors encourage and support their children at every step. It provided their children with a lot of reassurance, and taught them the value in collaboration and asking for help. We were there every step of the way, and it gives a lot of confidence to children knowing that someone outside of their immediate family is invested in their success.
5. Encouraging improvement and growth
A final way to encourage resilience and teach coping skills is by focussing on constant improvement. Doing things outside of preparing for exams, such as sport or music, can teach children that with practice you can always be improving, so one setback isn’t the end of the world. Using exams and tests as a way to improve and consolidate knowledge can help students to cope when they have academic disappointment.
If you’d like assistance incorporating resilience-building strategies into your child’s education, visit Tayberry Tuition and Consultancy to learn more about their personalised tuition and educational mentorship programs.